Old BBC shows are lovely, so low-budget and witty and strange.

To a lover of literature and history like myself, Blackadder stands as possibly the funniest sitcom of all time. Like Doctor Who, it was cheap, but I didn't give a fig...it was simply ten times cleverer than anything on American television, and I loved it. At first, I was dubious about this millennium special - I didn't think that Blackadder really needed a big-budget makeover, special effects, etc. But in the end, "Back and Forth" served its purpose for me. I laughed. Lots. Maybe I would've liked a little more wit and a few less sight gags, but so what? It's been ten years since the original Blackadder went off the air, and it's unreasonable to expect that a new special will emulate the old show exactly. And in addition to the new material, there's plenty of nostalgic jokes on hand (e.g. "I have a cunning plan"...why do people complain that this was recycled here? Can you image Blackadder WITHOUT this line?).

Like the recent big-budget Doctor Who and Asterix films, this was criticized by fans who were disappointed that it wasn't 4 stars all the way...but a general audience can forgive the odd flaw and accept this for what it is, a delightful reunion of great British comics for one last episode of a great show.

Even though a lot of people on this forum seem to think this is rubbish i think this is a great blackadder ( although not as good as the TV series i admit ), It is funny and tries to incorporate a family audience to blackadder, I saw the film @ the Dome when i was just 10 and i was laughing my head off. There are a phew mistakes with crew visible but it is a nice short film to end the blackadder series.

The crew all seem to have had a great time making the film and it was a good send off after the killing off the characters in series 4, it shows them all as very good friends and Rowan Atkinson @ his cunning best.

I understand why people think this is a dud compared to the rest of the Blackadder legacy. It isn't particularly remarkable. It isn;t as good as any of the series episodes of Blackadder (though it is better than the Christmas Carol special).

However, by the average standard for comedy, this is still enjoyable. It's cute. Admittedly, Blackadder was never good because of being "cute," but it works here. I suppose I liked it for the most part for the nostalgia value - 10 years after the last official episode, we see my favorite British comedians reunited (worth the price alone): Rowan Atkinson, Rik Mayall, Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie... and all the rest. I was lucky enough to be in London during this show's run at the Millennium Dome, and now am proud to own it as part of the new DVD Blackadder set.

There are some great gags, and (for fans of British comedy) some great appearances. It's no "Bells" or "Dish or Dishonesty," but it makes me smile. And that's the important thing.