A new series of top 1980s BBC comedy Blackadder is “on the cards”, star Sir Tony Robinson has said, as long as they can afford Hugh Laurie’s wages.

Sir Tony, who played Baldrick in all four series of the sitcom, joked that they might struggle to pay Laurie, who went on to become a major star in the US with hit drama House.

Comedian and television presenter Sir Tony, 69, told The Sun: “I do think a new series of Blackadder is on the cards. I have spoken to virtually all the cast about this now.

Could we see more of Baldrick? (Dominic Lipinski/PA)
Could we see more of Baldrick? (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

“The only problem is Hugh’s fee. He’s a huge star now – or so he’d like to think.”

Laurie is believed to have been paid as much as £250,000 per episode of House, which ran from 2004 to 2012, at its peak. The hospital drama saw him adopt a convincing American accent to play the curmudgeonly but brilliant medic.

Hugh Laurie during filming of the Graham Norton Show
Hugh Laurie starred in House (Ian West/PA)

Before that he was a successful comedian, mostly alongside fellow Blackadder star Stephen Fry in programmes including their own sketch show and ITV’s Jeeves And Wooster.

Blackadder starred Rowan Atkinson in the title role, before he went on to star in Mr Bean. Its historical settings spanned Medieval England to the First World War. It finished in 1989, though a special episode, Blackadder Back And Forth, was made for the Millennium Dome in 1989.

Comedian Rowan Atkinson during the British Grand Prix at Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone.
While Rowen Atkinson has since starred in Mr Bean (David Davies/PA)

Sir Tony, who went on to host Channel 4′s Time Team for 20 years, told The Sun: “Expectations for a new series will be high because people not only remember the original, they remember who they were when it was on. It’s a big danger.”