 Rowan Atkinson did not wish to continue writing for the second series , so writer and stand @-@ up comedian Ben Elton was chosen to replace him . According to producer John Lloyd , Ben Elton was particularly keen on the choice of the Elizabethan age for the series , because it was " a sexy age that the kids can relate to . " As a stand @-@ up comic , Elton often acted as the studio warm @-@ up comic to amuse the audience before filming began . The scripts were also tightened up during principal rehearsals with the actors — according to Richard Curtis , a whole script for a murder mystery – style episode was dropped because the writers felt it did not work . 
