Lord Blackadder
Encyclopedia
Edmund Blackadder, Lord Blackadder is the main character in the second series
of the popular BBC
sitcom Blackadder
. He is played by Rowan Atkinson
.
The second series is set in Elizabethan
England
, and Edmund is a courtier
to Queen Elizabeth I
. Most of Edmund's adventures revolve around his need to please "Queenie." Should he fail in this task, the consequences often appear dire, usually execution. His main competition in this field is the Queen's toadyish Lord Melchett
. The two hate each other bitterly.
and the Duke of Edinburgh to a Nobleman and adviser to a queen who threatens to execute him day after day. Lord Blackadder is in many ways a step up from his forebears, however. While his great-grandfather Prince Edmund was cowardly and slow-witted, Lord Blackadder, while still cowardly, is demonstrably more intelligent, more so in fact than most of the people around him, whom he usually regards with withering disdain.
This Blackadder has a scathing wit, which he uses with greater success than his ancestor.
As well as inheriting his name, Blackadder also appears to have inherited his ancestor's cohorts. Edmund is accompanied by the increasingly stupid, "bottom-breathed" Baldrick
and "bird-brained" Lord Percy
, who is as much of a simpleton as his ancestor. Baldrick is Blackadder's bondsman and has been in his service since he was two and a half, while Percy is a half-wit friend he can't seem to get rid of. Blackadder states that he keeps Percy around because he "likes to start the day with a total dick-head to remind myself I'm best".
Blackadder is a courtier and favorite of Queen Elizabeth I
(Miranda Richardson
), here characterized as childish, spoiled and given to executing people for the slightest offense, or for no reason at all. Blackadder comes close to suffering that fate several times throughout the series, he always pulls through at the last minute, usually through dumb luck. His fellow courtier, Lord Melchett
(Stephen Fry
), is his personal nemesis, and the two constantly attempt to undermine and humiliate each other, with varying degrees of success.
Though Blackadder claims to have amassed a great fortune, he later reveals that this was little more than "a cunning web of deceit subtly spun about the court", as he claims to be "one of England
's finest liars". In fact, his father had blown the family fortune on wine, women and amateur dramatics and by the end of his life he was eking out a living doing humorous impressions of Anne of Cleves
.
", Blackadder almost marries his manservant Kate
, but the wedding is called off when Kate runs off with the best man, Lord Flashheart
. In "Head
", he is head executioner for the Queen, a job that almost gets him killed when he executes a man two days early to get half the week off and then finds that the man's family had succeeded in having him pardoned. In "Potato
", he goes to sea, pretending to sail to the Cape of Good Hope
but in fact planning to go to France
; due to the captain's ineptitude, however, he ends up getting stuck in Australia
. In "Money
", he is almost killed by the baby-eating bishop of Bath and Wells
(Ronald Lacey
) when he fails to repay the black monks of St. Herod. In "Beer
", he foolishly tries to talk a "whopping great inheritance" out of his fanatical puritan
aunt and uncle, Lord and Lady Whiteadder, while at the same time holding a wild drinking party in Baldrick's bedroom. The party almost ends in tragedy when Queenie (who had been locked away when Blackadder mistook her for Percy's girlfriend) threatens to have the whole party executed when Blackadder drunkenly accuses her of being Merlin
, the Happy Pig. Fortunately, she gets drunk and forgets.
In the series' final episode, "Chains
", Lord Blackadder is kidnapped, along with Melchett, by the nefarious German Prince Ludwig the Indestructible
(Hugh Laurie
), and is subjected to torture and charades
by Ludwig's Spanish interrogator. He escapes, however, and foils Ludwig's plan to gain control of the English throne. After Blackadder has apparently killed the Prince, however, Ludwig returns (disguised as the Queen) and murders Blackadder, as well as the rest of the royal court.
Like his great-grandfather before him, Edmund leaves behind a secret bloodline which leads to the next Blackadder to have his adventures chronicled.
Blackadder II
Blackadder II is the second series of the BBC situation comedy Blackadder, written by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton, which aired from 9 January 1986 to 20 February 1986...
of the popular 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...
. He is played by Rowan Atkinson
Rowan Atkinson
Rowan 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...
.
The second series is set in Elizabethan
Elizabethan era
The Elizabethan era was the epoch in English history of Queen Elizabeth I's reign . Historians often depict it as the golden age in English history...
England
Kingdom of England
The Kingdom of England was, from 927 to 1707, a sovereign state to the northwest of continental Europe. At its height, the Kingdom of England spanned the southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain and several smaller outlying islands; what today comprises the legal jurisdiction of England...
, and Edmund is a courtier
Courtier
A courtier is a person who is often in attendance at the court of a king or other royal personage. Historically the court was the centre of government as well as the residence of the monarch, and social and political life were often completely mixed together...
to Queen Elizabeth I
Queenie
"Queenie" is a caricature of the historical figure Queen Elizabeth I of England, played by Miranda Richardson in Blackadder II, the second series of the BBC historical sitcom Blackadder, which was set in Elizabethan England...
. Most of Edmund's adventures revolve around his need to please "Queenie." Should he fail in this task, the consequences often appear dire, usually execution. His main competition in this field is the Queen's toadyish Lord Melchett
Melchett
Melchett is a family line of fictional characters appearing in the British television sitcom series Blackadder, played by Stephen Fry. There were two main Melchetts: Lord Melchett and General Melchett.- Blackadder II :...
. The two hate each other bitterly.
Character profile
In this series, the Blackadder character has been lowered from a Royal PrincePrince Edmund (Blackadder)
Prince Edmund Plantagenet, Duke of Edinburgh is a fictional character in the first series of the BBC sitcom Blackadder.-Character overview:...
and the Duke of Edinburgh to a Nobleman and adviser to a queen who threatens to execute him day after day. Lord Blackadder is in many ways a step up from his forebears, however. While his great-grandfather Prince Edmund was cowardly and slow-witted, Lord Blackadder, while still cowardly, is demonstrably more intelligent, more so in fact than most of the people around him, whom he usually regards with withering disdain.
This Blackadder has a scathing wit, which he uses with greater success than his ancestor.
As well as inheriting his name, Blackadder also appears to have inherited his ancestor's cohorts. Edmund is accompanied by the increasingly stupid, "bottom-breathed" 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 "bird-brained" Lord 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...
, who is as much of a simpleton as his ancestor. Baldrick is Blackadder's bondsman and has been in his service since he was two and a half, while Percy is a half-wit friend he can't seem to get rid of. Blackadder states that he keeps Percy around because he "likes to start the day with a total dick-head to remind myself I'm best".
Blackadder is a courtier and favorite of Queen Elizabeth I
Queenie
"Queenie" is a caricature of the historical figure Queen Elizabeth I of England, played by Miranda Richardson in Blackadder II, the second series of the BBC historical sitcom Blackadder, which was set in Elizabethan England...
(Miranda Richardson
Miranda Richardson
Miranda Jane Richardson is an English stage, film and television actor. She has been nominated for two Academy Awards, and has won two Golden Globes and a BAFTA during her career....
), here characterized as childish, spoiled and given to executing people for the slightest offense, or for no reason at all. Blackadder comes close to suffering that fate several times throughout the series, he always pulls through at the last minute, usually through dumb luck. His fellow courtier, Lord Melchett
Melchett
Melchett is a family line of fictional characters appearing in the British television sitcom series Blackadder, played by Stephen Fry. There were two main Melchetts: Lord Melchett and General Melchett.- Blackadder II :...
(Stephen Fry
Stephen Fry
Stephen John Fry is an English actor, screenwriter, author, playwright, journalist, poet, comedian, television presenter and film director, and a director of Norwich City Football Club. He first came to attention in the 1981 Cambridge Footlights Revue presentation "The Cellar Tapes", which also...
), is his personal nemesis, and the two constantly attempt to undermine and humiliate each other, with varying degrees of success.
Though Blackadder claims to have amassed a great fortune, he later reveals that this was little more than "a cunning web of deceit subtly spun about the court", as he claims to be "one of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
's finest liars". In fact, his father had blown the family fortune on wine, women and amateur dramatics and by the end of his life he was eking out a living doing humorous impressions of Anne of Cleves
Anne of Cleves
Anne of Cleves was a German noblewoman and the fourth wife of Henry VIII of England and as such she was Queen of England from 6 January 1540 to 9 July 1540. The marriage was never consummated, and she was not crowned queen consort...
.
Character history
In the series' first episode, "BellsBells (Blackadder)
"Bells" is the first episode of the BBC sitcom Blackadder II, the second series of Blackadder, which was set in Elizabethan England from 1558 to 1603. Although "Bells" was the first to be broadcast on BBC1, it was originally destined to be the second episode...
", Blackadder almost marries his manservant Kate
Bob (Blackadder character)
Bob is a pseudonym used by two characters in the sitcom Blackadder, both female and played by Gabrielle Glaister.-Blackadder II:Kate, who goes by the pseudonym "Bob", is one of the first characters to appear in Blackadder II...
, but the wedding is called off when Kate runs off with the best man, Lord Flashheart
Lord Flashheart
Lord Flashheart is the name of two fictional characters who appeared in two episodes of the popular BBC sitcom Blackadder. They are both played by Rik Mayall....
. In "Head
Head (Blackadder)
"Head" is the second episode of the BBC period comedy Blackadder II, the second series of Blackadder, which was set in Elizabethan England from 1558 to 1603.-Plot:...
", he is head executioner for the Queen, a job that almost gets him killed when he executes a man two days early to get half the week off and then finds that the man's family had succeeded in having him pardoned. In "Potato
Potato (Blackadder)
"Potato" is the third episode of the BBC sitcom Blackadder II, the second series of Blackadder, which was set in Elizabethan England from 1558 to 1603.-Plot:...
", he goes to sea, pretending to sail to the Cape of Good Hope
Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...
but in fact planning to go to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
; due to the captain's ineptitude, however, he ends up getting stuck in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. In "Money
Money (Blackadder)
"Money" is the fourth episode of the BBC sitcom Blackadder II, the second series of Blackadder, which was set in Elizabethan England from 1558 to 1603.-Plot:...
", he is almost killed by the baby-eating bishop of Bath and Wells
Bishop of Bath and Wells
The Bishop of Bath and Wells heads the Church of England Diocese of Bath and Wells in the Province of Canterbury in England.The present diocese covers the vast majority of the county of Somerset and a small area of Dorset. The Episcopal seat is located in the Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew in...
(Ronald Lacey
Ronald Lacey
Ronald Lacey was an English actor. He made numerous television and film appearances over a 30 year period and is perhaps best remembered for his villainous roles in Hollywood films, most famously Major Arnold Toht in Raiders of the Lost Ark.-Career:Lacey attended Harrow Weald Grammar School and...
) when he fails to repay the black monks of St. Herod. In "Beer
Beer (Blackadder)
"Beer" is the fifth episode of the BBC sitcom Blackadder II, the second series of Blackadder, which was set in Elizabethan England from 1558 to 1603. In the episode, an embarrassing incident with a turnip, an ostrich feather and a fanatically Puritan aunt leads to a right royal to-do in the...
", he foolishly tries to talk a "whopping great inheritance" out of his fanatical puritan
Puritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
aunt and uncle, Lord and Lady Whiteadder, while at the same time holding a wild drinking party in Baldrick's bedroom. The party almost ends in tragedy when Queenie (who had been locked away when Blackadder mistook her for Percy's girlfriend) threatens to have the whole party executed when Blackadder drunkenly accuses her of being Merlin
Merlin
Merlin is a legendary figure best known as the wizard featured in the Arthurian legend. The standard depiction of the character first appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae, written c. 1136, and is based on an amalgamation of previous historical and legendary figures...
, the Happy Pig. Fortunately, she gets drunk and forgets.
In the series' final episode, "Chains
Chains (Blackadder)
"Chains" is the final episode of the BBC sitcom Blackadder II, the second series of Blackadder, which was set in Elizabethan England from 1558 to 1603. Power-mad and self-professed "master of disguise", Prince Ludwig the Indestructible kidnaps Lord Blackadder and Lord Melchett...
", Lord Blackadder is kidnapped, along with Melchett, by the nefarious German Prince Ludwig the Indestructible
Prince Ludwig the Indestructible
Prince Ludwig the Indestructible is a fictional character played by Hugh Laurie in the BBC sitcom Blackadder II. He appears in "Chains", the final episode of Blackadder II, as a German master of disguise who kidnaps Lord Blackadder and Lord Melchett, in 1566 and imprisons them in his dungeon under...
(Hugh Laurie
Hugh Laurie
James Hugh Calum Laurie, OBE , better known as Hugh Laurie , is an English actor, voice artist, comedian, writer, musician, recording artist, and director...
), and is subjected to torture and charades
Charades
Charades or charade is a word guessing game. In the form most played today, it is an acting game in which one player acts out a word or phrase, often by pantomiming similar-sounding words, and the other players guess the word or phrase. The idea is to use physical rather than verbal language to...
by Ludwig's Spanish interrogator. He escapes, however, and foils Ludwig's plan to gain control of the English throne. After Blackadder has apparently killed the Prince, however, Ludwig returns (disguised as the Queen) and murders Blackadder, as well as the rest of the royal court.
Like his great-grandfather before him, Edmund leaves behind a secret bloodline which leads to the next Blackadder to have his adventures chronicled.