So the compilers and editors of the Venerable OED took a leaf out of Johnson's processes. This video was really enjoyable and informative. Thank you for enthusiasm and for the history lesson. RIP Robbie Coltrane.
I have trouble with the idea that we were supposed to take Blackadder seriously. I’m sorry but I just can’t get past that. After the first Blackadder series set in the reign of Richard IV, everything else becomes improbable farce.
Landed on this by accident but thanks for an entertaining video, for the enthusiasm and depth of knowledge, and for upping the things I know about Samuel Johnson to at least 4!
Thanks, in normal times I volunteer at the Dr Johnson Museum in London and have to stop myself going on about the guy so people can visit the actual museum.
The fact that it's mostly wrong is what makes it so funny! 😂 Look at any episode. In series four they made the Red Baron look like a Nazi. I could go on...
True, but using the Blackadder episode is a more engaging way to make the point that Samuel Johnson was a layered and interesting person that may be worth looking into then just saying it outright.
Yes I agree, there were some big historical inaccuracies; didn’t matter to me however it was bloody hilarious. I absolutely love Black Adder and this episode had me in stitches. I think the important thing is that although some characters are based on real historical figures, they enjoy an artistic twist. I knew about 90% of this before this video, but very enjoyable non the less.
I see where you're coming from in this video, and I enjoyed some of the history you give us. But the silly comic use of these historic figures in Blackadder is supposed to be just that - silly and comic. Indeed, you make a similar "mistake" yourself if we were trying to be pedantic, when you say that Johnson is "played by Hagrid". As of course you know, Hagrid was not yet born (even in writing, nevermind on the big screen) at the time of the making of the Blackadder episodes!
Thanks for the Johnson tribute. I have several facsimiles of his famous 1755 dictionary (Times Books of London and Arno Press) and have even posted several short homage videos myself. Being American, I always thought it was a hoot how he said, "I am willing to love all mankind except an American". A one Miss Seward said, "Sir, this is an instance where we are always most violent against those whom we have injured". Johnson went into a tirade until Boswell got him distracted onto another topic. Anyway, this is on page 806, 1778 AD, in "The Life of Johnson". The Revolutionary War was in full swing in 1778, so this had something to do with it no doubt :):)
Really well researched and beautifully presented to the viewer, lovely lecture. Your passion for Johnson and the desire to set the record straight notwithstanding, I think you're missing the point a bit about Blackadder. Its always meant to be a historical burlesque. One of its central jokes is that the show (apart from the WWI series), never takes History seriously. Anything but. However, like I say, well done for the lecture. Found it highly informative.
I have the same feeling towards the episode of ScreenPlay they made of "Boswell and Johnson's Tour of the Western Isles", with Coultrane repeating as Johnson and John Sessions as Boswell. That was a worse injustice as it was actually purportedly based on the book. It portrayed Johnson as an utter social dullard who didn't understand why the black servants in the show were upset about slavery, a piece of historical libel against a man who abominated the institution utterly and who even lost an editorial post (before he got his pension) due to his attacks in print against English colonialism.
I'm sorry but if people are learning history from a comedy such as Blackadder, then they really do not care about facts in such a situation. Being prickly about this says more about the man posting this video than about Blackadder. Blackadder is not a history lesson, get over it. As an amateur historian I loathe many dramas because of significant historical errors and anachronisms, but one has to remember that comedies and dramas are not documentaries. If I don't like it, I don't watch it.
A very good short lecture on the great man, revealing your deep knowledge and affection for him. It was also a clever idea to counterpoint the story with the Blackadder inaccuracies. You make the excellent point that our collective memory of history can get distorted by such shows. This deliberate rewriting of history can be for propaganda purposes as with Shakespeare's Macbeth, or in order to create a good drama idea, as with Peter Schaffer's Amadeus. The more ostensibly serious the portrayal, the more you have to be wary. Oliver Stone's JFK had a quasi-documentary flavour, but when he was challenged on the facts, he said "it was just a film". I felt rather cheated! I don't think any of us will get seriously upset about Blackadder or Ben Elton's later work Upstart Crow, which I find equally hilarious.(For all the nonsense, it's clear that Upstart Crow is born of a real love and respect for Shakespeare) But I understand your twinges of irritation about Johnson and thanks for putting the record straight so eloquently.
@@sashaking1115 I missed this when you posted it, that's one of the nicest things I ever heard. I hope you enjoyed your visit to Gough Square, I've had many happy hours there.
I can understand that it can be slightly irritating when noticing a historical error in a a show. But Blackadder is known for doing this sort of thing because it is not so much a historic retelling than a comical Monty-Pythonesque commentary on the absurdities of the past. Do not forget that this is the same show that depicted Pitt The Younger as a schoolboy at the time of Napoleon when in reality he would have actually been close to death in his mid fifties. It is also the show that made reference to the death of Thomas Beckett about 300 years late in the first series.
Amount of people who think you are critisizing Blackadder's historical inaccuracy purely from an elitist standpoint is depressing. I always enjoy a good conversation opener about history
Lol. Elitist being anything a given wobble-bottom doesn't want to worry his pretty little head about. Which pretty much includes most of literature, a lot of the more intetesting bits of cinema, most art, architecture, philosophy, actual science. IE: most of the worthwhile achievements of humanity.
Seriously, your pride is hurt because somebody you admired is wrongly depicted in a comedy series. it's you who's wrong to make a mounting out of an ant hill!! 🤣🤣🤣
He gives it a fairer whack in a BBC drama of Johnson's voyage to the Western Isles of Scotland with John Sessions as Boswell. It's on youtube somewhere.
@@GrubStLodger I was about to ask what edition you have; It's not in my 1786 two volume edition printed by John Jarvis. But I double-checked and you're right. His exchanging of U for V in the alphabet has done me.
Obviously. But there's nothing wrong with putting out an interesting video with a lot of fascinating detail about someone of whom I had no knowledge other than the 3 points GrubStLodger suggested at the outset. So it too time and effort, was very well done, and - it was funny. Also Rowan studied Electronic Engineering, whereas Ben Elton was the main writer and the English Oxford 'scholar' damn it!! 🤣🤣 Jesus!! 🙄🙄🙄
Aww, why? I was only trying to say that Johnson would help edit a text if he was invited to, like he did with Charlotte Lennox's 'The Female Quixote' rather than wading in and interfering with another author's text without invitation. It shows the respect he had for them.
So the compilers and editors of the Venerable OED took a leaf out of Johnson's processes. This video was really enjoyable and informative. Thank you for enthusiasm and for the history lesson. RIP Robbie Coltrane.
Agreed, RIP Robbie Coltrane.
I have trouble with the idea that we were supposed to take Blackadder seriously. I’m sorry but I just can’t get past that. After the first Blackadder series set in the reign of Richard IV, everything else becomes improbable farce.
I don’t really think it was meant to be taken seriously
Landed on this by accident but thanks for an entertaining video, for the enthusiasm and depth of knowledge, and for upping the things I know about Samuel Johnson to at least 4!
Thanks, in normal times I volunteer at the Dr Johnson Museum in London and have to stop myself going on about the guy so people can visit the actual museum.
@@GrubStLodger haha - well, so long as you don't actually follow visitors around the exhibits uninvited guess that's ok lol.
The fact that it's mostly wrong is what makes it so funny! 😂 Look at any episode. In series four they made the Red Baron look like a Nazi. I could go on...
True, but using the Blackadder episode is a more engaging way to make the point that Samuel Johnson was a layered and interesting person that may be worth looking into then just saying it outright.
Yes I agree, there were some big historical inaccuracies; didn’t matter to me however it was bloody hilarious. I absolutely love Black Adder and this episode had me in stitches. I think the important thing is that although some characters are based on real historical figures, they enjoy an artistic twist.
I knew about 90% of this before this video, but very enjoyable non the less.
Thanks.. and as much as the representation of Johnson may be a little wonky, I'm sure fans of the Duke of Wellington have far more to complain about.
Like Dr Johnson and Coleridge as contemporaries.
Well-researched. Thank you!
Thank you for the lecture, you got me interested in Johnson now.
All the thanks to you, hope he doesn't disappoint.
Me too!!
I see where you're coming from in this video, and I enjoyed some of the history you give us. But the silly comic use of these historic figures in Blackadder is supposed to be just that - silly and comic. Indeed, you make a similar "mistake" yourself if we were trying to be pedantic, when you say that Johnson is "played by Hagrid". As of course you know, Hagrid was not yet born (even in writing, nevermind on the big screen) at the time of the making of the Blackadder episodes!
Thanks for the Johnson tribute. I have several facsimiles of his famous 1755 dictionary (Times Books of London and Arno Press) and have even posted several short homage videos myself.
Being American, I always thought it was a hoot how he said, "I am willing to love all mankind except an American".
A one Miss Seward said, "Sir, this is an instance where we are always most violent against those whom we have injured". Johnson went into a tirade until Boswell got him distracted onto another topic. Anyway, this is on page 806, 1778 AD, in "The Life of Johnson". The Revolutionary War was in full swing in 1778, so this had something to do with it no doubt :):)
He was deeply against slavery and thought it a hypocrisy that Americans were 'yelping' for liberty as they drove slaves.
"Sausage time!!!"
Oh, wrong episode, not sorry ;-p
I pity the individual who can't enjoy something for what it is... not what they would like it to be
You could turn that on its head though, that the writers portrayed Johnson for what they wanted him to be in the episode rather than as he was.
Totally agree! I did a show on Johnson in 2009 and talked about Blackadder and how unfair it is that he is only known for this crude burlesque
I enjoyed the show a great deal - found here th-cam.com/video/5T15Ll0st1A/w-d-xo.html
Oh dear, I’m anaspeptic, frasmotic, even compunctuous to have caused such pericombobulations…
True, not quite historically accurate but loved it! And Robbie Coltrane as Dr. Johnson is just hilarious!
Really well researched and beautifully presented to the viewer, lovely lecture. Your passion for Johnson and the desire to set the record straight notwithstanding, I think you're missing the point a bit about Blackadder. Its always meant to be a historical burlesque. One of its central jokes is that the show (apart from the WWI series), never takes History seriously. Anything but. However, like I say, well done for the lecture. Found it highly informative.
Thanks for the nice comments. The Blackadder video makes a nice stepping off point.
Thanks., keep up the good work. Suggestion: any plans for a video on James Boswell? I find him even more fascinating than the good doctor.
Thank you for a lil history lesson.
Thanks for the lil comment.
I have the same feeling towards the episode of ScreenPlay they made of "Boswell and Johnson's Tour of the Western Isles", with Coultrane repeating as Johnson and John Sessions as Boswell. That was a worse injustice as it was actually purportedly based on the book. It portrayed Johnson as an utter social dullard who didn't understand why the black servants in the show were upset about slavery, a piece of historical libel against a man who abominated the institution utterly and who even lost an editorial post (before he got his pension) due to his attacks in print against English colonialism.
I'm sorry but if people are learning history from a comedy such as Blackadder, then they really do not care about facts in such a situation. Being prickly about this says more about the man posting this video than about Blackadder. Blackadder is not a history lesson, get over it. As an amateur historian I loathe many dramas because of significant historical errors and anachronisms, but one has to remember that comedies and dramas are not documentaries. If I don't like it, I don't watch it.
Provides a good way in to talk about the real man though.
Ironically Robbie Coltrane played a serious version of Johnson later on.
I was considering another episode about that, he and John Sessions make a good partnership.
A very good short lecture on the great man, revealing your deep knowledge and affection for him. It was also a clever idea to counterpoint the story with the Blackadder inaccuracies. You make the excellent point that our collective memory of history can get distorted by such shows. This deliberate rewriting of history can be for propaganda purposes as with Shakespeare's Macbeth, or in order to create a good drama idea, as with Peter Schaffer's Amadeus. The more ostensibly serious the portrayal, the more you have to be wary. Oliver Stone's JFK had a quasi-documentary flavour, but when he was challenged on the facts, he said "it was just a film". I felt rather cheated!
I don't think any of us will get seriously upset about Blackadder or Ben Elton's later work Upstart Crow, which I find equally hilarious.(For all the nonsense, it's clear that Upstart Crow is born of a real love and respect for Shakespeare) But I understand your twinges of irritation about Johnson and thanks for putting the record straight so eloquently.
What a lovely and detailed response, thank you very much.
Yes I quite agree! I love this video, and because of it, I’ve got two books about Johnson and visited his house in London with my sister and mum
@@sashaking1115 I missed this when you posted it, that's one of the nicest things I ever heard. I hope you enjoyed your visit to Gough Square, I've had many happy hours there.
@@GrubStLodger thank you!! Yes, we thoroughly enjoyed it. I took many pictures. I hope to go again soon
I can understand that it can be slightly irritating when noticing a historical error in a a show. But Blackadder is known for doing this sort of thing because it is not so much a historic retelling than a comical Monty-Pythonesque commentary on the absurdities of the past. Do not forget that this is the same show that depicted Pitt The Younger as a schoolboy at the time of Napoleon when in reality he would have actually been close to death in his mid fifties. It is also the show that made reference to the death of Thomas Beckett about 300 years late in the first series.
True, true, but it makes a nice 'in' to chat Johnson.
@@GrubStLodger Wellbyou definitely seized your opportunity sir.
Amount of people who think you are critisizing Blackadder's historical inaccuracy purely from an elitist standpoint is depressing. I always enjoy a good conversation opener about history
I couldn't pull off elitist if I tried. It's just that I love Samuel Johnson and his story and think other people may too.
@@GrubStLodger Same, but unfortunately others cant see it that way
Lol.
Elitist being anything a given wobble-bottom doesn't want to worry his pretty little head about.
Which pretty much includes most of literature, a lot of the more intetesting bits of cinema, most art, architecture, philosophy, actual science.
IE: most of the worthwhile achievements of humanity.
Seriously, your pride is hurt because somebody you admired is wrongly depicted in a comedy series. it's you who's wrong to make a mounting out of an ant hill!! 🤣🤣🤣
Some ant hills can be 9 feet tall, that'd be a tough thing to mount.
@@GrubStLodger 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
.....you realise Blackadder is not meant to be a documentary right?..in fact is there anything remotely historically accurate in any episode?
Of course I realise that, but it's a good place to start a conversation about Samuel Johnson.
@@GrubStLodger lol. I see what you did there....as cunning as a fox with a degree in cunning from oxford!
@@stevedynan6598 But not yet quit to study cunning planning with the UN
Robbie Coltrane nailed Johnson and his snobby mannerisms brilliantly. Ridiculous verbiage!
He gives it a fairer whack in a BBC drama of Johnson's voyage to the Western Isles of Scotland with John Sessions as Boswell. It's on youtube somewhere.
Blackadder the Third is a sitcom with great "com" but a very flimsy "sit". Ink and Incapability is the episode where this contrast is most obvious.
I think I’d really love and get on incredibly well with Dr Johnson!!!!!
If you caught him on a good day.
I don't give a flying FUCK if you've got a problem with this classic Blackadder episode, it's still classic!!
You seem a little angry.
Who cares, it's a comedy show. Lighten up mate! 😜
Wait till you get me talking about class warfare in Chucklevision.
I say we string up Rowan Atkinson and Richard Curtis, we still do that in Texas. 😉😁 🇺🇸🇬🇧 Thanks for the education! And just kidding about RA and RC.
Ben Elton also wrote on the series, and some people are really against him. You write one incomprehensible Queen musical...
No "sausage" in the dictionary is not wrong. "Saucisse" is in there - a fuse made of gunpowder in a tube of paper.
Sausage is there, but between Savoy and Saw for some reason.
@@GrubStLodger I was about to ask what edition you have; It's not in my 1786 two volume edition printed by John Jarvis. But I double-checked and you're right. His exchanging of U for V in the alphabet has done me.
Re your "for some reason"... he doesn't put u before v - he treats them as equal in order.
Maybe Ossie Osborne should have played Johnson? Same accent. Same weird.
It’s comedy damn it!! 🤣🤣 Jesus!! 🙄🙄🙄 They knew THIS!! Rowan is an Oxford scholar!! The placed him there as a JOKE!
I know, but doesn't it create a pretty decent structure to talk about the real Samuel Johnson?
Obviously. But there's nothing wrong with putting out an interesting video with a lot of fascinating detail about someone of whom I had no knowledge other than the 3 points GrubStLodger suggested at the outset. So it too time and effort, was very well done, and - it was funny. Also Rowan studied Electronic Engineering, whereas Ben Elton was the main writer and the English Oxford 'scholar' damn it!! 🤣🤣 Jesus!! 🙄🙄🙄
Damn, my thumbs down will only go down once.
Stick to your painting.
The harshest comment I've received.
You need to make a choice. Be witty and funny or else get a life.
So... witty with no life or not witty with a life?
This statement is tremendously wrong on many levels.
The First Series was the weakest...by far!
I have a soft spot for the first series, the witch episode, the Spanish one, Brian Blessed doing his thing.
mansplain I stopped listening there
Man explains item becomes offensive? How do you think teachers teach? They inject information?
Aww, why? I was only trying to say that Johnson would help edit a text if he was invited to, like he did with Charlotte Lennox's 'The Female Quixote' rather than wading in and interfering with another author's text without invitation. It shows the respect he had for them.
this video is blasphemy...
You sir have no sense of humour!
I am renowned for my humourlessness.
@@GrubStLodger awareness is the first step towards recovery ;)