Born to be King
Encyclopedia
"Born to Be King" is the second episode of The Black Adder
, the first series of the BBC
sitcom Blackadder
.
, thinks there's a chance to get some real power, but in truth, his brother Prince Harry
takes most of the power and leaves Edmund to do the duties that remain: namely herding sheep and cleaning out the drains. A year later, Edmund's bad mood worsens when his father's military commander, Dougal McAngus, arrives for a feast to celebrate Richard's impending return, and asks for land in Scotland
as a reward for his service, ignoring the fact said land belongs to Edmund. When the land is given away, a furious Edmund plots with Baldrick
and Percy
to kill McAngus. After ignoring Baldrick's suggestion to use a cannon, Edmund decides to try something more subtle. He finds McAngus hunting in the forest and offers him a part in a play that is being staged at the castle that night as part of the St Leonard
's Day festivities. During the play backstage, Edmund replaces the actors' fake knives with real ones, intending to have them kill McAngus onstage. When McAngus reveals he has information that throws the legitimacy of Prince Harry's claim to the throne in jeopardy, however, Edmund reluctantly prevents the assassination
.
Later, Edmund has the chance to examine the letters himself. They are dated 1460, his brother's year of birth. McAngus claims Richard IV was last seen entering Constantinople
alone, armed with only a fruit knife and facing 10,000 Turks armed with scimitar
s, seemingly clearing the way for Edmund to become king.
Soon enough, Edmund reveals the letters to the Royal court
, claiming Harry to be illegitimate and the King (probably) deceased. At that moment, however, Richard IV makes a grand entrance, claiming to have survived "thanks to my trusty fruit knife!".
Edmund is surprised but tries to show the letters to his father, and it is found that the letters date from November-December 1460, nine months after Harry was born, and nine months before Edmund was born. Edmund is quick to claim the letters to be forgeries
and burns them out of feigned disgust. In the heat of the moment, Edmund also challenges McAngus to a duel; McAngus quickly disarms him with a single blow of the sword, and with a sword to his neck, Edmund begs for his life, offering everything he had to Dougal. McAngus pretends at first to be about to strike but then laughs, showing no hard feelings. Soon afterwards, Harry sees Edmund and Dougal keeping company, and believes them to have become firm friends. However, it is shown that Edmund goes through with Baldrick's plan and McAngus dies in an "accident" involving a cannon.
The Black Adder
The Black Adder is the first series of the BBC situation comedy Blackadder, written by Richard Curtis and Rowan Atkinson, directed by Martin Shardlow and produced by John Lloyd...
, the first series of the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
sitcom Blackadder
Blackadder
Blackadder is the name that encompassed four series of a BBC1 historical sitcom, along with several one-off instalments. All television programme episodes starred Rowan Atkinson as anti-hero Edmund Blackadder and Tony Robinson as Blackadder's dogsbody, Baldrick...
.
Plot
In autumn 1486, King Richard IV departs on a Crusade. His younger son, Prince EdmundPrince Edmund (Blackadder)
Prince Edmund Plantagenet, Duke of Edinburgh is a fictional character in the first series of the BBC sitcom Blackadder.-Character overview:...
, thinks there's a chance to get some real power, but in truth, his brother Prince Harry
Harry, Prince of Wales (Blackadder)
Prince Henry "Harry" Plantagenet, Earl of March was a fictional character played by Robert East in the popular BBC sitcom Blackadder ....
takes most of the power and leaves Edmund to do the duties that remain: namely herding sheep and cleaning out the drains. A year later, Edmund's bad mood worsens when his father's military commander, Dougal McAngus, arrives for a feast to celebrate Richard's impending return, and asks for land in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
as a reward for his service, ignoring the fact said land belongs to Edmund. When the land is given away, a furious Edmund plots with Baldrick
Baldrick
Baldrick is the name of several fictional characters featured in the long-running BBC historic comedy television series Blackadder. Each one serves as Edmund Blackadder's servant and sidekick and acts as a foil to the lead character...
and Percy
Lord Percy Percy
Lord Percy Percy is the name given to a pair of related fictional characters, played by Tim McInnerny, in the first two series of the popular British sitcom Blackadder. The Lord Percy of Blackadder II is the descendant of that seen in The Black Adder...
to kill McAngus. After ignoring Baldrick's suggestion to use a cannon, Edmund decides to try something more subtle. He finds McAngus hunting in the forest and offers him a part in a play that is being staged at the castle that night as part of the St Leonard
Leonard of Noblac
Leonard of Noblac or of Limoges or de Noblet , is a Frankish saint closely associated with the town and abbey of Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat, in Haute-Vienne, in the Limousin of France.-Traditional biography:According to the romance that...
's Day festivities. During the play backstage, Edmund replaces the actors' fake knives with real ones, intending to have them kill McAngus onstage. When McAngus reveals he has information that throws the legitimacy of Prince Harry's claim to the throne in jeopardy, however, Edmund reluctantly prevents the assassination
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
.
Later, Edmund has the chance to examine the letters himself. They are dated 1460, his brother's year of birth. McAngus claims Richard IV was last seen entering Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
alone, armed with only a fruit knife and facing 10,000 Turks armed with scimitar
Scimitar
A scimitar is a backsword or sabre with a curved blade, originating in Southwest Asia .The Arabic term saif translates to "sword" in general, but is normally taken to refer to the scimitar type of curved backsword in particular.The curved sword or "scimitar" was widespread throughout the Muslim...
s, seemingly clearing the way for Edmund to become king.
Soon enough, Edmund reveals the letters to the Royal court
Royal court
Royal court, as distinguished from a court of law, may refer to:* The Royal Court , Timbaland's production company*Court , the household and entourage of a monarch or other ruler, the princely court...
, claiming Harry to be illegitimate and the King (probably) deceased. At that moment, however, Richard IV makes a grand entrance, claiming to have survived "thanks to my trusty fruit knife!".
Edmund is surprised but tries to show the letters to his father, and it is found that the letters date from November-December 1460, nine months after Harry was born, and nine months before Edmund was born. Edmund is quick to claim the letters to be forgeries
Forgery
Forgery is the process of making, adapting, or imitating objects, statistics, or documents with the intent to deceive. Copies, studio replicas, and reproductions are not considered forgeries, though they may later become forgeries through knowing and willful misrepresentations. Forging money or...
and burns them out of feigned disgust. In the heat of the moment, Edmund also challenges McAngus to a duel; McAngus quickly disarms him with a single blow of the sword, and with a sword to his neck, Edmund begs for his life, offering everything he had to Dougal. McAngus pretends at first to be about to strike but then laughs, showing no hard feelings. Soon afterwards, Harry sees Edmund and Dougal keeping company, and believes them to have become firm friends. However, it is shown that Edmund goes through with Baldrick's plan and McAngus dies in an "accident" involving a cannon.
The Pilot
This episode is a remake of the original unaired pilot, with the following differences:- The King is not at the crusades, but at home.
- McAngus discovers that Edmund's parentage is in doubt at the same time as the rest of the court, rather than knowingly setting him up to reveal it.
- Edmund's plot to kill McAngus involves a hanging with a fake rope, not a staged stabbing with a real dagger, although the plan backfires in much the same way.
- The King, Prince Harry, and Baldrick are played by different actors, respectively John SavidentJohn SavidentJohn Savident is a British actor, best known for playing the part of Fred Elliott in the soap opera Coronation Street from 1994 to 2006. And also was a frequent guest on Soccer AM alongside fellow actor Jack 'The Rigger' Spooner....
, Robert BathurstRobert BathurstRobert Guy Bathurst is an English actor. Bathurst was born in the Gold Coast in 1957, where his father was working as a management consultant. His family moved to Dublin, Ireland, in 1959 and Bathurst was enrolled at an Anglican boarding school...
and Philip FoxPhilip Fox (actor)Philip "Phil" Fox is an English film and television actor, known particularly for comic roles. His appearances include Genie in the House, Maurice, People Like Us, Waking the Dead, Maxwell, Midsummer Murders and Foyle's War...
. - The King remembers Edmund and his name.
- In the pilot, Edmund is Duke of York rather than Duke of Edinburgh.
- Edmund and McAngus have the duel, rather than having McAngus slicing Edmund's sword in half before it could start.
- Prince Harry is named Prince Henry.
- Edmund's character is much more like that of his descendants in the other series: more sarcastic and cruel.
Cast
Important characters are in bold.- Rowan AtkinsonRowan AtkinsonRowan Sebastian Atkinson is a British actor, comedian, and screenwriter. He is most famous for his work on the satirical sketch comedy show Not The Nine O'Clock News, and the sitcoms Blackadder, Mr. Bean and The Thin Blue Line...
as Prince Edmund, Duke of Edinburgh "The Black Adder"Prince Edmund (Blackadder)Prince Edmund Plantagenet, Duke of Edinburgh is a fictional character in the first series of the BBC sitcom Blackadder.-Character overview:... - Tony RobinsonTony RobinsonTony Robinson is an English actor, comedian, author, broadcaster and political campaigner. He is best known for playing Baldrick in the BBC television series Blackadder, and for hosting Channel 4 programmes such as Time Team and The Worst Jobs in History. Robinson is a member of the Labour Party...
as Baldrick, Bachelor of the Parish of Chigwell - Tim McInnernyTim McInnernyTim McInnerny is an English actor. He is known for his role as Percy in Blackadder and Blackadder II, and as Captain Darling in Blackadder Goes Forth...
as Percy, Duke of NorthumberlandLord Percy PercyLord Percy Percy is the name given to a pair of related fictional characters, played by Tim McInnerny, in the first two series of the popular British sitcom Blackadder. The Lord Percy of Blackadder II is the descendant of that seen in The Black Adder... - Alex NortonAlex NortonAlexander Hugh "Alex" Norton is a Scottish actor. He is probably best known for his roles as DCI Matt Burke in Taggart, and Eddie in the Renford Rejects....
as Dougal McAngus, Duke of Argyll - Robert EastRobert East (actor)Robert Gwyn East East is an accomplished theatre and tv actor. He also wrote Incident at Tulse Hill, first produced at the Hampstead Theatre in December 1981 under the direction of Harold Pinter....
as Harry, Prince of WalesHarry, Prince of Wales (Blackadder)Prince Henry "Harry" Plantagenet, Earl of March was a fictional character played by Robert East in the popular BBC sitcom Blackadder .... - Elspet GrayElspet GrayElspeth Jean Gray, Baroness Rix is a Scottish actress, known for her work on British television in the 1970s and '80s...
as Queen Gertrude of FlandersGertrude of FlandersGertrude of Flanders is a fictional character in the popular BBC sitcom Blackadder . She was played by Elspet Gray.In the series, she is the Queen of Flanders in her own right and the wife of King Richard of England and Scotland and mother of Princes Harry and Edmund.In attitude, Gertrude mainly... - Brian BlessedBrian BlessedBrian Blessed is an English actor, known for his sonorous voice and "hearty, king-sized portrayals".-Early life:The son of William Blessed, a socialist miner, and Hilda Wall, Blessed was born in the town of Goldthorpe, West Riding of Yorkshire, England...
as King Richard IV - Angus DeaytonAngus DeaytonGordon Angus Deayton is an English actor, writer, musician, comedian and broadcaster. He is best known for his role as Victor Meldrew's long-suffering neighbour Patrick Trench in the comedy series One Foot in the Grave...
as the Jumping Jew of Jerusalem - Joolia Cappleman as Celia, Countess of Cheltenham
- Martin ClarkeMartin ClarkeMartin 'Marty' Clarke is a Gaelic footballer from Cranfield Point, County Down, Northern Ireland. He is also an Australian rules footballer for Collingwood in the Australian Football League.- Underage :...
as Sir Dominic Prique of Stratford - Martin Soan as the 2nd Wooleroonie
- Malcolm HardeeMalcolm HardeeMalcolm Hardee was an English comedian, author, comedy club proprietor, compère, agent, manager and "amateur sensationalist"....
as the 3rd Wooleroonie - David Runn as the Messenger boy