Visitors to London's Millennium Dome will be able to see Blackadder and Baldrick travelling through the ages in the new film, Blackadder Back and Forth.

To be shown in the Skyscape events venue from 1 January, 2000, Rowan Atkinson stars as dapper Sir Edmund Blackadder.

But it's his faithful sidekick Baldrick, played by Tony Robinson, who builds a home-made time-machine from Leonardo da Vinci's designs.

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But the controls of Baldrick's craft prove difficult to manage and the duo spin randomly through history, causing chaos.

"Bringing Blackadder to the big screen has always been an ambition," said Atkinson.

"I am delighted to be realising it to celebrate the arrival of the 21st century, but extremely worried at the prospect of travelling through time with Baldrick."

Robinson added: "A lot of people say that they see Baldrick as an 'everyman' character and, if that's true, then I don't think it says much for a British character."

The film has been co-written by comic Ben Elton and Richard Curtis, who scripted the biggest grossing British movies of all time, Notting Hill and Four Weddings And A Funeral.

Curtis said: "It's all an irreverent trek through British history - a time travel adventure story consisting entirely of people who are either rude or stupid."

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Atkinson and Robinson starred in four series of the BBC comedy Blackadder and were last united in Blackadder Goes Forth, shown 10 years ago this month.

The film, also featuring Kate Moss, Colin Firth, Rik Mayall, Miranda Richardson, Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, will be shown on TV on Sky in 2001. The BBC also plans to screen it at a later date.