Nursie
Encyclopedia
Nursie is a fictional character in the second series of the popular BBC
sitcom Blackadder II
. She was played by Patsy Byrne
and appeared in all six episodes. She also appeared in two of the Blackadder specials; Blackadder's Christmas Carol
and Blackadder: Back & Forth
. As she is now so well known (after a 50-year career) Byrne is sometimes asked if she keeps the cow costume in her wardrobe.
, by the time of her appearances in Blackadder II, Nursie is either senile or otherwise irreversibly stupid, but remains at court at the side of the Queen. Nursie frequently embarrasses herself by openly recounting tales of the Queen's childhood, prompting Queenie's standard reply of "Shut up, Nursie." She is also known for her complete non sequitur
s in conversation. Lord Blackadder
describes her as "a sad, insane old woman with an udder
fixation."
Nursie is apparently unmarried, as in the episode "Potato" she accepts a proposal of marriage from Captain Redbeard Rum (played by Tom Baker
), though he is killed before the marriage can take place. In a bout of absurdism quite typical of Nursie, on hearing of his death she takes his beard, attaches it to her own face and swears to "wear it always" as an act of remembrance.
Nursie is a caricature of the doting nursery maid or nanny, who at the drop of a hat launches into long disquisitions on her charge's brilliance and wit, and intended as a parody of Juliet's Nurse in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet
, as the nurse also admits to being something of a fool, proclaiming, "were not I thine [Juliet's] only nurse, I would say thou hadst suck'd wisdom from thy teat."
"Bells
Nursie's first appearance, in which we find out that her real name is Bernard (her sisters were Donald, Eric and Basil), and in which she recalls how the Queen was first mistaken for a boy:
This may be a reference to the Shakespeare play Henry VIII
, where Elizabeth is first mistaken as a boy, a symbol of her ascending to the throne something usually reserved for male heirs. It may also be a reference to Henry VIII's desire to have a male heir to the throne.
"Head
Nursie demonstrates her medical training by explaining that when one's head has been cut off, the best treatment is "ointment".
"Potato
Thanks to Nursie's excellent memory, we find out that Queenie's first words when a child were, "Lizzie go plop-plop!" Nursie finds out that her bottom might be big enough to be "forced 'twixt two splintered planks, to plug a leak and save a ship" and gets engaged to the man who said it, Captain Redbeard Rum, despite his having "no legs and a beard you could lose a badger in". Rum is later eaten by cannibals while on a voyage, and while Nursie is initially upset at the news, the recovery of his beard cheers her greatly.
"Money
Nursie's attitude towards the disciplining of children is apparent in this episode when Queenie and Lord Melchett play a very weak practical joke on Edmund. Queenie later admits that it was "very naughty", to which Nursie responds:
"Beer
Some more of Nursie's dubious medical knowledge is revealed when she treats Lord Melchett's hangover by rubbing his stomach quite forcefully. The result, as she says, is "such great and fruitsome flappy woof-woofs! One can scarcely believe one's tiny nosey!" She also offers Queenie some advice, informing her that excessive cleverness can result in loss of appendages:
She's also shown to treat Blackadder as if he was an infant.
"Chains
Nursie announces that she intends to come to the Queen's fancy-dress party as either "a bit of wood" or a pencil. Reminded that she always comes dressed as a cow, she responds, "Yes, that's right! A lovely lovely cow with great big lovely udders." Prince Ludwig the Indestructible
learns of this and attempts to sneak into the party dressed as a cow in order to assassinate the Queen, but is easily foiled by Blackadder due to the quality of Ludwig's disguise, as the real Nursie's cow costume is entirely unconvincing. Nursie is killed, along with the rest of the cast, at the end of the episode.
Blackadder's Christmas Carol
The Ghost of Christmas Past gives Ebenezer Blackadder a glimpse of his ancestor Lord Blackadder at the Court of Queen Elizabeth, and Nursie also makes an appearance. Her robotic descendant is also featured during a glimpse into the future, as one of Queen Asphyxia XIX's "triple husbandoids". She mistakes a laser gun for an ashtray.
Blackadder: Back & Forth
Nursie is present at the meeting of the late-twentieth century incarnation of Blackadder when he time-travels back to her era and introduces the humble polo mint to the court.
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 II
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...
. She was played by Patsy Byrne
Patsy Byrne
Patsy Byrne is an English actress.-Biography:She was educated at Ashford School for Girls, and attended the school around the same time as Lorna Fendall, and Joanna Brough, daughter of Arthur Brough...
and appeared in all six episodes. She also appeared in two of the Blackadder specials; Blackadder's Christmas Carol
Blackadder's Christmas Carol
Blackadder's Christmas Carol is a one-off episode of Blackadder, a parody of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. It is set between Blackadder the Third and Blackadder Goes Forth , and is narrated by Hugh Laurie...
and Blackadder: Back & Forth
Blackadder: Back & Forth
Blackadder: Back & Forth is a 1999 short film based on the BBC mock-historical comedy series Blackadder that marks the end of the Blackadder saga...
. As she is now so well known (after a 50-year career) Byrne is sometimes asked if she keeps the cow costume in her wardrobe.
Character
Once Queenie's childhood nurseWet nurse
A wet nurse is a woman who is used to breast feed and care for another's child. Wet nurses are used when the mother is unable or chooses not to nurse the child herself. Wet-nursed children may be known as "milk-siblings", and in some cultures the families are linked by a special relationship of...
, by the time of her appearances in Blackadder II, Nursie is either senile or otherwise irreversibly stupid, but remains at court at the side of the Queen. Nursie frequently embarrasses herself by openly recounting tales of the Queen's childhood, prompting Queenie's standard reply of "Shut up, Nursie." She is also known for her complete non sequitur
Non sequitur (absurdism)
A non sequitur is a conversational and literary device, often used for comedic purposes. It is a comment that, because of its apparent lack of meaning relative to what it follows, seems absurd to the point of being humorous or confusing....
s in conversation. Lord Blackadder
Edmund Blackadder
Edmund Blackadder is the single name given to a collection of fictional characters who appear in the BBC mock-historical comedy series Blackadder, each played by Rowan Atkinson. Although each series is set within a different period of British history, each character is part of the same familial...
describes her as "a sad, insane old woman with an udder
Udder
An udder is an organ formed of the mammary glands of female quadruped mammals, especially ruminants such as cattle, goats, sheep and deer. The udder is a single mass hanging beneath the animal, consisting of pairs of mammary glands...
fixation."
Nursie is apparently unmarried, as in the episode "Potato" she accepts a proposal of marriage from Captain Redbeard Rum (played by Tom Baker
Tom Baker
Thomas Stewart "Tom" Baker is a British actor. He is best known for playing the fourth incarnation of the Doctor in the science fiction television series Doctor Who, a role he played from 1974 to 1981.-Early life:...
), though he is killed before the marriage can take place. In a bout of absurdism quite typical of Nursie, on hearing of his death she takes his beard, attaches it to her own face and swears to "wear it always" as an act of remembrance.
Nursie is a caricature of the doting nursery maid or nanny, who at the drop of a hat launches into long disquisitions on her charge's brilliance and wit, and intended as a parody of Juliet's Nurse in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular archetypal stories of young, teenage lovers.Romeo and Juliet belongs to a...
, as the nurse also admits to being something of a fool, proclaiming, "were not I thine [Juliet's] only nurse, I would say thou hadst suck'd wisdom from thy teat."
Character development
Nursie's character changes very little throughout the series; she remains oblivious to the current topic of conversation, obsesses over bodily functions, and offers irrelevant comments and useless advice."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...
"
Nursie's first appearance, in which we find out that her real name is Bernard (her sisters were Donald, Eric and Basil), and in which she recalls how the Queen was first mistaken for a boy:This may be a reference to the Shakespeare play Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
, where Elizabeth is first mistaken as a boy, a symbol of her ascending to the throne something usually reserved for male heirs. It may also be a reference to Henry VIII's desire to have a male heir to the throne.
"HeadHead (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:...
"
Nursie demonstrates her medical training by explaining that when one's head has been cut off, the best treatment is "ointment"."PotatoPotato (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:...
"
Thanks to Nursie's excellent memory, we find out that Queenie's first words when a child were, "Lizzie go plop-plop!" Nursie finds out that her bottom might be big enough to be "forced 'twixt two splintered planks, to plug a leak and save a ship" and gets engaged to the man who said it, Captain Redbeard Rum, despite his having "no legs and a beard you could lose a badger in". Rum is later eaten by cannibals while on a voyage, and while Nursie is initially upset at the news, the recovery of his beard cheers her greatly."MoneyMoney (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:...
"
Nursie's attitude towards the disciplining of children is apparent in this episode when Queenie and Lord Melchett play a very weak practical joke on Edmund. Queenie later admits that it was "very naughty", to which Nursie responds:"BeerBeer (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...
"
Some more of Nursie's dubious medical knowledge is revealed when she treats Lord Melchett's hangover by rubbing his stomach quite forcefully. The result, as she says, is "such great and fruitsome flappy woof-woofs! One can scarcely believe one's tiny nosey!" She also offers Queenie some advice, informing her that excessive cleverness can result in loss of appendages:She's also shown to treat Blackadder as if he was an infant.
"ChainsChains (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...
"
Nursie announces that she intends to come to the Queen's fancy-dress party as either "a bit of wood" or a pencil. Reminded that she always comes dressed as a cow, she responds, "Yes, that's right! A lovely lovely cow with great big lovely udders." Prince Ludwig the IndestructiblePrince 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...
learns of this and attempts to sneak into the party dressed as a cow in order to assassinate the Queen, but is easily foiled by Blackadder due to the quality of Ludwig's disguise, as the real Nursie's cow costume is entirely unconvincing. Nursie is killed, along with the rest of the cast, at the end of the episode.