Baldrick reveals a cunning plan to cheer up travellers

Blackadder star Tony Robinson has come up with a cunning plan to make the morning commute more bearable.

The actor and presenter has teamed up with Richard Preddy, who wrote the sitcom Green Wing, to create a series of witty announcements to be played on trains between Birmingham and London and at Marylebone Station.

Preddy wrote the lines while Robinson, who played dim- witted Baldrick in Blackadder, spent a month with staff on Chiltern Railways helping them learn the lines. Preddy said: “It was fascinating to meet the Chiltern staff and a wonderful, if challenging, project to work on.

“We have all waited for a train or a bus into work as the rain pours down and bustled our way to a seat, and I think comedy can help to alleviate that stress.”

The announcements include: “I’d like to welcome passengers boarding this 7:33 from Birmingham Moor Street to London Marylebone.

“If you’ve just bumped into someone who you barely know, you now have one hour and 30 minutes of awkward small talk. Good luck.”