Shy Atkinson hates the publicity

Rowan Atkinson has refused to appear on a Blackadder reunion show – because he hates the publicity.

All of his co-stars had agreed to take part in the 25th anniversary programme, including Tony Robinson, Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie and Miranda Richardson.

But notoriously private Atkinson, who has often confessed to hating interviews, turned UKTV Gold producers down.

An unnamed source on the programme told The Sun: ‘It was a shame that he wouldn’t appear on the reunion shows as all his friends were delighted to join us. But Rowan sent his apologies.’

Blackadder Exclusive: The Whole Rotten Saga would also feature previously unseen footage of rehearsals and the actors getting into character during make-up sessions.

Only this week, Tony Robinson again raised the prospect of a revival of the show – and claimed Atkinson would be willing to reprise one of his most famous roles.

He told Teletext: ‘We always had a fantasy of doing it again in 2010, so we'll be having that conversation. I would love to do it and suspect Rowan Atkinson would too.’

The first episode of The Black Adder went out on June 15, 1983, while the last episode of Blackadder Goes Forth aired in November 1989. A special episode, Blackadder Back & Forth, was made in 2000 to be screened at the Millennium Dome.

Published: 12 Jun 2008