Baldrick
Encyclopedia
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. Each series of Blackadder is set in a different period in British history, and each Baldrick character (as with the character of Edmund) is a descendant of the Baldrick from the preceding series. Just as Blackadder exists in many incarnations throughout the ages, so does Baldrick; whenever there is a Blackadder there is a Baldrick serving him. They are all portrayed by Tony Robinson
(although in the unaired pilot episode he was played by Philip Fox
).
The relationship between Edmund and Baldrick evolves significantly; in the first series of the show
, Baldrick is more intelligent than Blackadder, but this dynamic is reversed in subsequent series, with Baldrick's intelligence decreasing as the show continued. He is the only character other than Edmund Blackadder to appear in every episode of the programme.
"I have a cunning plan" (usually delivered in a mock-Machiavellian
tone of voice). The "cunning plans" in question are dreamed up by Baldrick as a solution to a particular problem or crisis and are usually ridiculed scathingly by Blackadder on account of their implausibility, but Blackadder frequently resorts to using these plans when the situation becomes desperate.
Although Baldrick's main goal is mostly very hidden, with a clever eye it is seen that he makes several attempts throughout history to raise his social standing, similar to Blackadder although the latter had much more plans and success.
The actual catchphrase "I have a cunning plan" made its first appearance in the pilot episode, but it is not regularly used until the third series
; Blackadder had mentioned the phrase twice in the first series and Baldrick once. Baldrick had also claimed to have "a plan" in a "cunning" voice on one occasion in Blackadder II
. In the final episode of the last series, Blackadder Goes Forth
, Baldrick announces that he has a cunning plan to save the main characters from "going over the top", although it is never revealed what this plan might be (other than that it is "as cunning as a fox who's just been appointed Professor of Cunning at Oxford University"). Blackadder, perhaps realising he cannot postpone going into battle (and certain death) indefinitely, dismisses it, telling Baldrick "Whatever it was, I'm sure it was better than my plan to get out of here by pretending to be mad. I mean, who would have noticed another madman around here?"
A persistent feature among the Baldricks is their lack of sexual preference, which is often played upon for comic effect. Although Baldrick likes women, he sometimes ends up having encounters with other men, such as a sailor in "Money
" (Blackadder II
) in exchange for sixpence and Will Scarlet
(Blackadder: Back & Forth
). He also expresses interest in marrying male characters to increase his social status, such as Blackadder in "Bells
", Prince George in "Amy and Amiability" (Blackadder the Third
) and General Melchett in "Major Star" (Blackadder Goes Forth
). Nonetheless, Baldrick also shows a degree of attraction to women, shown in his conversation with a prostitute in "Money", and in "Amy and Amiability", when he expresses disappointment upon receiving a perfunctory kiss from Blackadder (instead of the voluptuous Lady Sarah Cheapside). Each Baldrick, at various points over the four series, is also willing - and at times eager - to indulge in crossdressing.
The only trait that is actually shared by all Baldricks is complete lack of hygiene and always having filthy, shaggy clothing. All Baldricks also have a different hat in the series(the first one has a pointy hat, the second has a big flat hat, the third has a dirty sea Captain's hat and the fourth has a military hat). Some Baldricks are also fascinated with turnips, although mainly the third one. The second Baldrick mainly cooked it for dinner and while also finding an amusingly shaped turnip funny while the fourth was in a "Turnip Workhouse". However, only the third Baldrick had no other goal in life but the acquisition of turnips. Baldrick proves more intelligent than Blackadder's other companions - such as Lord Percy or George - although only slightly. He is, however, often accorded more cruelty and mistreatment than he deserves.
, who is portrayed as slightly stupid in contrast to the intelligent, scheming Prince Edmund. Following this pilot, the writers decided to reverse this relationship when the first televised series was produced, so that Baldrick was the clever foil
to the idiotic Edmund. In 2010, The Guardian
reflected on this change in characterisation, suggesting that it had been a poor decision and commenting that it was "an interesting example of getting it right first time":
s and mucking out lepers
) and Son of Robin the Dung Gatherer, first met Prince Edmund
at the feast before the Battle of Bosworth Field
and using flattery became his Squire. The two, along with Lord Percy
, toasted their new friendship, unaware that from that point onwards, their descendants' lives would be eternally entwined.
Although cleverer than the Prince, Baldrick, knowing his place in the medieval pecking-order, holds him in awe. He often leads cheers in the Prince's honour (along with Lord Percy, who tries hard to join in), fills his head with illusions of grandeur, and often ends up doing his dirty work. This included carrying the decapitated body of Richard III
and sleeping with the Spanish Infanta, Edmund's fiancée, making her unchaste in hopes that this would prevent the marriage. The latter task resulted in several injuries, including a seriously blackened eye. When Baldrick is abandoned by Edmund in the final episode, a tear falls from his eye.
This Baldrick also has cunning plans that, contrary to most of the "cunning plans" of his descendants, mostly work, although they often initially seem ridiculous (and sometimes get messed up due to the actions of Lord Percy). For instance, when Edmund seeks to kill Dougal McAngus, Baldrick suggests that he gets an enormous great cannon, takes McAngus outside, makes him stick his head down the cannon and then blow it off. Edmund scoffs at this, and instead tries to kill McAngus using several different "cunning plans" of his own. After having failed miserably with all of these, he resorts to using Baldrick's original plan, which works.
It was this Baldrick who suggested the title 'The Black Adder' for Prince Edmund (Edmund wanted to be called 'The Black Vegetable'), which his descendants later adopted as a surname.
This Baldrick survived the last episode as he and Lord Percy had poisoned the wine to stop the Black Seal. But Percy poisoned the whole batch, killing the king, the queen, Prince Harry, the entire court and Edmund. He and Percy tried to stop them but they were too late, running in after the credits when everybody was already dead.
The "clever" Baldrick character was ditched after the first series, becoming steadily more imbecilic with each incarnation.
, rather than a friend, to Lord Blackadder
, who mistreats him, and, Baldrick claims, at first tried to kill him. He has been in Blackadder's family since 1532, but Blackadder says 'so has syphilis
'. He has a bedroom in Blackadder's house, but has also been forced to sleep in the gutter and on the roof. He has a tendency to eat dung
. Baldrick has been in Lord Edmund's service since he was two years old, which Blackadder says is why he is so sick of the sight of him. While his master treats him with utter contempt, he remains intensely loyal, showing a strong desire to please Blackadder.
This Baldrick is considerably less intelligent than his medieval ancestor, although not as dim as future Baldricks. A kindly soul, Baldrick's lack of formal education is compensated for by his basic streetwise cunning. While his "cunning plans" do sometimes have a strange, twisted and often perverse logic and cunning to them (one suggestion was that Blackadder repay his debts by making money as a male prostitute at the docks, another is to disguise a "mad, wild, killer bull" as a rooster and enter it in a cockfight
), he does possess an entertaining level of stupidity. In one episode
, Blackadder attempts to teach Baldrick how to add, asking if he had "two beans, and I add two more beans, what does that make?". Baldrick's conclusions ("Some beans", "Three beans... and that one", and "a very small casserole
"), lead Blackadder to comment "To you, Baldrick, the Renaissance
was just something that happened to 'other people', wasn't it?" and that "The ape-creatures of the Indus have mastered this". He misconstrued the equation in the middle of a later conversation, phrasing it as 'some beans plus some beans makes four beans' when he had in fact added four beans to four beans to make eight.
It was also in this series that the first signs of Baldrick's love of turnips was shown, in the episode Beer, where he and Percy famously discover a turnip shaped like a "thingy"
. Baldrick later describes the incident as "triffic". He is particularly delighted by the discovery, because it contrasts with his own "thingy" which is shaped like a turnip. In the same episode Baldrick reveals his recipe for "Turnip Surprise" - "the surprise is: there's nothing in it except the turnip". He is amazed when Blackadder points out that the Turnip Surprise is in fact simply a turnip.
Baldrick once went on an "all mouse diet" by hanging a piece of cheese off of the end of his nose and lying with his mouth open, hoping that mice would scurry in. He later tried the same thing, with a mouse on the end of his nose to catch a cat, for variety.
Baldrick was also bridesmaid
at Lord Blackadder's abortive wedding. "Queenie" kept him as a pet, calling him Lassie (Baldrick did not complain) and he stuck two pencils up his nose, so that he could attend a Royal fancy dress party
as a pencil case.
. Like his Elizabethan ancestor he moonlights as an executioner, although in his case it is part of a cunning plan to save the life of Charles I of England
by replacing his head with a pumpkin. His plan doesn't work. When Blackadder is about to be captured he quickly disguises himself as a Roundhead
and leaves Baldrick to be killed instead. He is the son of a pig farmer and a bearded lady
.
) to Mr. E. Blackadder
, butler to Prince George. He lives in a pipe in the upstairs water closet of the Palace.
The third Baldrick is much more noticeably crude and unintelligent than those previous to him and maybe even the stupidest of all four Baldricks. Like his Elizabethan
ancestor, he is known to eat dung occasionally. He is also more childlike; when asked if he has any distinguishing features, referring to his nose he asserts, "I've got this huge growth in the middle of my face." There is not the slightest sign of "cunning" in any of his plans, which include:
Blackadder also claims that Baldrick has never changed his trousers, and implores him never to do so, for they are, Blackadder claims, akin to Pandora's Box
.
Although he is now on a closer social standing to Blackadder than before, he still receives the same (and possibly more) level of abuse as his Elizabethan ancestor. Blackadder punches him; kicks him; breaks a milk-jug over his head; smashes a huge turnip on his head; roasts him for a few minutes on a spit; grabs him by the shirt collar; threatens to cut him up into strips and tell the prince that he walked over a very sharp cattle grid in an extremely heavy hat; and promises five minutes of hellish tortures involving a small pencil, equaling anything possible from Beelzebub over all eternity. However, he does seem to have a higher level of friendship with Blackadder than the other series.
However, despite his noticeable flaws, this Baldrick has more success than any of the others. In an election rigged by Blackadder, he is elected Member of Parliament
for Dunny-on-the-Wold, a rotten borough
, although he was intended to be a puppet for Blackadder to manipulate (Blackadder's political opponents succeed in manipulating him instead). He is later made a Lord
by Prince George, and is therefore eligible to sit in the House of Lords
-- whether or not he ever does-so is another matter, as he is never again referred to by his title after episode 1. Baldrick also succeeds where no Baldrick has succeeded before or since, in calling Blackadder "a lazy, big nosed, rubber-faced bastard".
Baldrick spends the £400,000 he received as a Lord on an enormous turnip ("Well, I had to haggle.") which he refers to as "His Dream Turnip." However, Blackadder later destroys it by crushing it on Baldrick's head.
Baldrick isn't given any sort of first name until this third series, when he speculates that it might be "Sodoff", since in childhood when he played in the gutter
when he said to the other snipes, "Hello, my name's Baldrick," they would reply, "Yes, we know. Sod off, Baldrick!" A diplomatic Blackadder opts to record him as "S. Baldrick." The initial appears to have been adopted by his descendants.
This particular specimen of Baldrick can also be noted for his definition of "dog:" "Not a cat" and "C": "Big, blue wobbly thing what mermaids live in." His command with words is also demonstrated in his "magnificent octopus" (magnum opus
), a semi-autobiographical work that goes "Once upon a time, there was a lovely little sausage called Baldrick and it lived happily ever after".
Baldrick later presented this story to Dr. Samuel Johnson as a replacement for the first dictionary (which he burned by mistake). The story had an unexpected effect on Johnson - he was reminded that he had forgotten to put the word "sausage
" in his dictionary, and ran off in horror.
His heroes are the highwayman
"The Shadow" and The Scarlet Pimpernel
, (or the "Scarlet Pimple" as Baldrick believes his name to be). The former was executed as a result of Blackadder's informing, and the latter was poisoned by him.
This Baldrick grew up in a "haunted hovel," in which a vile, disgusting apparition would slowly make its way into his parents' bed at night. Curiously, this phantom vanished the very day Baldrick left home. In one cunning plan Baldrick tried to chop his mother's head off to solve the problem of her low ceiling.
As mentioned in the episode Sense and Senility, his uncle with the Baldrick surname once played as a "second codpiece
" for the leading character
of Macbeth, but only in the fight scenes. Blackadder concludes that the uncle was a "stunt codpiece" and inquires if he ever had a "large part," to which Baldrick answers that it "depends who was playing Macbeth."
Oddly enough, this Baldrick seems to have a bit of the idiot savant in him; Baldrick's explanation, although heard from someone else, of why George and Blackadder will be able to trade places is surprisingly smart and articulate, suggesting he might have an amazing memory with words, even if he doesn't understand what they mean.
He also occasionally exhibits a surprising amount of knowledge of current events. When Edmund orders him to hire a horse, he replies: "Hire you a horse? For ninepence? On Jewish New Year
? In the rain? A bare fortnight after the dreaded horse plague of old London Town? With the blacksmiths' strike in its fifteenth week and the Dorset horse fetishists fair tomorrow?" His reward for this is to be saddled, (literally,) with the job of horse himself.
Despite his lack of intelligence, though, he was, in Duel and Duality, able to manipulate Mrs. Miggins' casual conversation about how stupid Prince George was, (George himself was present,) so that it didn't offend George. Additionally, in Sense and Senility, he warns the Prince of a supposed plot to kill him.
's moustache shop. While still stupid, it seems that having to work for the exceedingly gullible Mr Blackadder has forced him to develop some of the savvy of his earlier ancestors. Unlike his previous (and later) ancestors, he has a simile of his own to match Blackadder's: "I just wish we weren't doing so well in the "bit-short-of-pressies-and-feeling-a-gullible-prat" ledger." He remains the only person to be fooled by Tiny Tom Scratchit's alleged lameness, however. He is also possibly the only person ever to spell "Christmas
" without getting any of the letters right (he apparently renders the word as "Kwelfnuve" then "corrects" it to "Kweznuz").
trench, serving under Captain Blackadder
and Lieutenant George. His hero is Lord Flashheart
.
The fourth Baldrick comes from the lowest of British late-Victorian and Edwardian society. Before the war he was scraping a living at the "Turnip Street Workhouse
". Upon the outbreak of hostilities the workhouse formed its own pals battalion
which Baldrick signed up to join. In the final episode he says that all his friends (and numerous pets) have died, suggesting that he is the last surviving member of the Turnip Street Workhouse Pals.
Equal in foulness to the third Baldrick, Private Baldrick also matches his immediate predecessor in terms of stupidity. His "cunning plans" verge on those of an poor insane person. Examples include carving his name on a bullet, in relation to the old saying "a bullet with your name on it", his explanation being that if he owns the bullet, it won't ever kill him as he won't ever shoot himself ('shame' comments Captain Blackadder), and the chances of there being two bullets with "Baldrick" on them are "very small indeed". He has also been known to eat cigarettes as seen in the last episode of the series.
He also is the only Baldrick to confront Blackadder after being hit
; he does so on one occasion, and is very conscious of class divisions. While this briefly attracts him to the ideals of the Russian Revolution, he is just as willing to marry General Melchett if it allows him to escape his lower-class status (though he later lets slip that he intends to be a "frozen horse" (Trojan Horse
) to "bring down the system from within")
In the first episode, Captain Cook
, he claims to be the first Baldrick in the entire family tree to have a brilliant plan (becoming cooks for HQ to escape the trenches), giving a speech saying, "Permission to write home immediately sir! This is the first brilliant plan a Baldrick's ever had. For centuries we've tried, and they've always turned out total pig swill! My mum will be pleased as punch." This mood was however, slightly dampened when Blackadder pointed out the minor flaw: Baldrick is "the worst cook in the entire world".
Private Baldrick's hobbies include cookery; his specialities include gourmet recipes involving rats.
This Baldrick is also a poet, composing The German Guns. During his time in the trenches, Baldrick also wrote a second poem.
S. Baldrick also does a Charlie Chaplin
impression (although some believe it to be a slug
balancing act, and General Melchett mistook it for a feeble impression of Buster Keaton
).
Apart from during Blackadder's demonstration of slapstick comedy in the same episode, Baldrick generally does not get physically abused by Blackadder, although Blackadder frequently insults Baldrick and his family.
The opening sequence to each episode of series 4 features a ceremonial parade in which the company led by Captain Blackadder marches past General Melchett on a reviewing stand. Baldrick appears as part of the regimental band, splendid in scarlet and blue full dress, but not only walking out of line but also playing that most unmartial of instruments: a triangle.
Despite his stupidity, Baldrick delivers a profound speech while in preparation for the "final push", tension is high, and Baldrick demands, "Why can't we just stop sir? Why can't we just say 'no more killing, let's all go home'? Why would it be stupid just to pack it in, sir? Why?" Neither Captain Blackadder nor Lieutenant George are able to come up with a good answer beyond an attempted accusation of defeatism from George.
Private Baldrick never got to tell the audience his final "cunning plan" to escape the trenches, as he is sent "over the top" before he can reveal it to Blackadder, George and Captain Darling
, though it possibly involved a splinter on the ladder. However, Baldrick stated that Blackadder was correct in the final plan being "as cunning as a fox
who's just been appointed Professor of Cunning at Oxford University". The episode's ending implies that Baldrick (along with all the other characters) is killed in that attack.
cleaner to the 20th century Lord Blackadder in Blackadder: Back and Forth. His first appearance is serving Blackadder's millennium
dinner, which he does wearing nothing but an amusing apron, on a whim. His cooking is similar to Private Baldrick's; he prepared dinner by coughing over an avocado. His underpants may date from the 18th century, or in any case smell as though they do, and turn out to be the cause of the extinction
of the dinosaur
s. Rather surprisingly he builds a working time machine
, making him "the greatest genius who ever lived." Or it would do, if he knew how it worked and hadn't just built it using a combination of the plans of Leonardo Da Vinci and an apparent skill at building Airfix
models being able to make up for his inability to read the plans. Following his master's rewriting of history, he becomes Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
- and possibly dictator
, as the television commentator observes that election
s have been abolished (although how much power he has with Edmund as king is questionable). His intelligence appears to be between that of the medieval Baldrick and the Elizabethan Baldrick. His "cunning plan" was possibly the only plan which a Blackadder ever thought was a good plan, albeit with a slight modification to it.
Also, Legionary Baldricus is a soldier
under Centurion Blaccadicus in the Roman Britain
section of Blackadder: Back & Forth
as part of the forces defending Hadrian's Wall
. He is apparently bilingual (although it's possible he's a local conscript and doesn't really understand Latin
). He wears his helmet back to front, and was presumably killed by the attacking "Scots
".
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...
historic comedy television series 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...
. Each one serves as Edmund 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...
's servant and sidekick and acts as a foil
Foil (literature)
In fiction, a foil is a character who contrasts with another character in order to highlight particular qualities of another character....
to the lead character. Each series of Blackadder is set in a different period in British history, and each Baldrick character (as with the character of Edmund) is a descendant of the Baldrick from the preceding series. Just as Blackadder exists in many incarnations throughout the ages, so does Baldrick; whenever there is a Blackadder there is a Baldrick serving him. They are all portrayed by Tony Robinson
Tony Robinson
Tony 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...
(although in the unaired pilot episode he was played by Philip Fox
Philip 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 relationship between Edmund and Baldrick evolves significantly; in the first series of the show
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...
, Baldrick is more intelligent than Blackadder, but this dynamic is reversed in subsequent series, with Baldrick's intelligence decreasing as the show continued. He is the only character other than Edmund Blackadder to appear in every episode of the programme.
Character
The character of Baldrick has become popularly associated with the comedic catch phraseCatch phrase
A catchphrase is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through a variety of mass media , as well as word of mouth...
"I have a cunning plan" (usually delivered in a mock-Machiavellian
Machiavellianism
Machiavellianism is, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, "the employment of cunning and duplicity in statecraft or in general conduct", deriving from the Italian Renaissance diplomat and writer Niccolò Machiavelli, who wrote Il Principe and other works...
tone of voice). The "cunning plans" in question are dreamed up by Baldrick as a solution to a particular problem or crisis and are usually ridiculed scathingly by Blackadder on account of their implausibility, but Blackadder frequently resorts to using these plans when the situation becomes desperate.
Although Baldrick's main goal is mostly very hidden, with a clever eye it is seen that he makes several attempts throughout history to raise his social standing, similar to Blackadder although the latter had much more plans and success.
- In the first series, Baldrick(a servant in the castle and a dung gatherer at the time) managed to gain favor with Lord Edmund Plantagenet by claiming he witnessed the King giving Edmund a special greeting(sarcastically). Edmund, impressed with Baldrick "admiring" him, appointed him his squire in the Battle of Bosworth Field. Later, when Richard III was killed(by Edmund), Baldrick helped him cover it up and managed to remain in Edmund's service after he became a Prince. Throughout the first series, Baldrick always assists Edmund and keeps him in the illusion he is admired until the last episode where he sadly gets fired and due to having worked years to even get into the castle goes to very low jobs. After Edmund left, he cried(either for losing his status or for actual attachment to the Prince). Fortunately, Baldrick managed to do one last thing for the Prince and with Lord Percy Percy's assistance, killed the Black Seal(six most evil men in England + his archenemy). Unfortunately, Percy accidentally also poisoned the royal family and Edmund. It is unknown what happened to him.
- In the second series, Baldrick's attempts to raise his social status bring much lower results due to his much smaller intelligence. His most visible attempt is in the first episode, where he tries to marry Lord Edmund Blackadder as his bridesmaid(after Kate eloped). Fortunately, Baldrick still has enough intelligence left to admire Blackadder and clearly has desire to please him. Unfortunately, Edmund despises him and even fires him once. This great obstacle was removed for a short period of time when Edmund was kidnapped by Prince Ludwig the Indestructible along with Lord Melchett, thus Baldrick was able to get into the royal court by becoming the Queen's personal pet. Few hours later he was murdered by Prince Ludwig along with Blackadder, Melchett, Queenie, Queenie's nanny and Lord Percy.
- In the third series, S.Baldrick has lost almost all intelligence and apparently has no desire to rise in social standing and claims in the first episode that his goal in life is the acquisition of turnips. Ironically, in the same episode, Baldrick is appointed to the House of Lords by Prince George and thus becomes upper class, one of the greatest achievements of the Baldrick family. He also wastes many thousands of pounds given to him by the Prince on his dream turnip(well, he had to haggle). Baldrick's turnip is crushed by Blackadder later and presumably his titles were erased as in the following episodes, he's back in lower class.
- In the fourth series, Private S.Baldrick's intelligence has slightly rised again enough that he desires a rise in social status. He attempts to gain social status in the first episode by marrying General Melchett. This of course does not succeed. He is also more aware of the classes than previous Baldricks and is angry when Blackadder hits him several times(other Baldricks never complain).
- In the Millennium special, S.Baldrick constructs a fake time machine by combining Leonardo da Vinci sketches with his ability to construct Airfix models. Baldrick's intelligence has risen to the level of the second Baldrick again and accidentally makes a real time machine. After a time-travel adventure, Lord Blackadder find England an extension of France, William Shakespeare having designed the ballpoint pen and no knowledge of Robin Hood whatsoever. Edmund takes all the things he gained on his journey(besides Elizabeth I's crown) and after another adventure, gets the idea to alter the timeline to become King. Predictably, Baldrick becomes his Prime Minister, finally becoming what he desired(as did Edmund) and is the second Baldrick to rise to upper class(although after Blackadder's alterations there may be more) .
The actual catchphrase "I have a cunning plan" made its first appearance in the pilot episode, but it is not regularly used until the third series
Blackadder the Third
Blackadder the Third is the third series of the BBC situation comedy Blackadder, written by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton, which aired from 17 September to 22 October 1987....
; Blackadder had mentioned the phrase twice in the first series and Baldrick once. Baldrick had also claimed to have "a plan" in a "cunning" voice on one occasion in 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...
. In the final episode of the last series, Blackadder Goes Forth
Blackadder Goes Forth
Blackadder Goes Forth is the fourth and final series of the BBC situation comedy Blackadder, written by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton, which aired from 28 September to 2 November 1989 on BBC One....
, Baldrick announces that he has a cunning plan to save the main characters from "going over the top", although it is never revealed what this plan might be (other than that it is "as cunning as a fox who's just been appointed Professor of Cunning at Oxford University"). Blackadder, perhaps realising he cannot postpone going into battle (and certain death) indefinitely, dismisses it, telling Baldrick "Whatever it was, I'm sure it was better than my plan to get out of here by pretending to be mad. I mean, who would have noticed another madman around here?"
A persistent feature among the Baldricks is their lack of sexual preference, which is often played upon for comic effect. Although Baldrick likes women, he sometimes ends up having encounters with other men, such as a sailor 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:...
" (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...
) in exchange for sixpence and Will Scarlet
Will Scarlet
Will Scarlet was a prominent member of Robin Hood's Merry Men. He was present in the earliest ballads along with Little John and Much the Miller's Son....
(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...
). He also expresses interest in marrying male characters to increase his social status, such as Blackadder in "Bells
Bells (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...
", Prince George in "Amy and Amiability" (Blackadder the Third
Blackadder the Third
Blackadder the Third is the third series of the BBC situation comedy Blackadder, written by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton, which aired from 17 September to 22 October 1987....
) and General Melchett in "Major Star" (Blackadder Goes Forth
Blackadder Goes Forth
Blackadder Goes Forth is the fourth and final series of the BBC situation comedy Blackadder, written by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton, which aired from 28 September to 2 November 1989 on BBC One....
). Nonetheless, Baldrick also shows a degree of attraction to women, shown in his conversation with a prostitute in "Money", and in "Amy and Amiability", when he expresses disappointment upon receiving a perfunctory kiss from Blackadder (instead of the voluptuous Lady Sarah Cheapside). Each Baldrick, at various points over the four series, is also willing - and at times eager - to indulge in crossdressing.
The only trait that is actually shared by all Baldricks is complete lack of hygiene and always having filthy, shaggy clothing. All Baldricks also have a different hat in the series(the first one has a pointy hat, the second has a big flat hat, the third has a dirty sea Captain's hat and the fourth has a military hat). Some Baldricks are also fascinated with turnips, although mainly the third one. The second Baldrick mainly cooked it for dinner and while also finding an amusingly shaped turnip funny while the fourth was in a "Turnip Workhouse". However, only the third Baldrick had no other goal in life but the acquisition of turnips. Baldrick proves more intelligent than Blackadder's other companions - such as Lord Percy or George - although only slightly. He is, however, often accorded more cruelty and mistreatment than he deserves.
Pilot episode
In 1982, prior to the first Black Adder series, a pilot episode was filmed which featured a number of characters who were later included in the first series. The episode, which was never televised, included an early version of the Baldrick character, played by Philip FoxPhilip Fox
Philip Fox was an American astronomer and an officer in the U.S. Army. He was the first director of the Adler Planetarium in Chicago, the first planetarium in the western hemisphere.-Biography:...
, who is portrayed as slightly stupid in contrast to the intelligent, scheming Prince Edmund. Following this pilot, the writers decided to reverse this relationship when the first televised series was produced, so that Baldrick was the clever foil
Foil (literature)
In fiction, a foil is a character who contrasts with another character in order to highlight particular qualities of another character....
to the idiotic Edmund. In 2010, The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
reflected on this change in characterisation, suggesting that it had been a poor decision and commenting that it was "an interesting example of getting it right first time":
The Black Adder
The medieval Baldrick was probably the only Baldrick of the four who could really be described as clever. Baldrick, an ex-dung shoveller (a respected position, which he had worked very hard to get - earlier jobs include milking pigPig
A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
s and mucking out lepers
Leprosy
Leprosy or Hansen's disease is a chronic disease caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis. Named after physician Gerhard Armauer Hansen, leprosy is primarily a granulomatous disease of the peripheral nerves and mucosa of the upper respiratory tract; skin lesions...
) and Son of Robin the Dung Gatherer, first met Prince Edmund
Prince Edmund (Blackadder)
Prince Edmund Plantagenet, Duke of Edinburgh is a fictional character in the first series of the BBC sitcom Blackadder.-Character overview:...
at the feast before the Battle of Bosworth Field
Battle of Bosworth Field
The Battle of Bosworth Field was the penultimate battle of the Wars of the Roses, the civil war between the House of Lancaster and the House of York that raged across England in the latter half of the 15th century. Fought on 22 August 1485, the battle was won by the Lancastrians...
and using flattery became his Squire. The two, along with 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...
, toasted their new friendship, unaware that from that point onwards, their descendants' lives would be eternally entwined.
Although cleverer than the Prince, Baldrick, knowing his place in the medieval pecking-order, holds him in awe. He often leads cheers in the Prince's honour (along with Lord Percy, who tries hard to join in), fills his head with illusions of grandeur, and often ends up doing his dirty work. This included carrying the decapitated body of Richard III
Richard III of England
Richard III was King of England for two years, from 1483 until his death in 1485 during the Battle of Bosworth Field. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty...
and sleeping with the Spanish Infanta, Edmund's fiancée, making her unchaste in hopes that this would prevent the marriage. The latter task resulted in several injuries, including a seriously blackened eye. When Baldrick is abandoned by Edmund in the final episode, a tear falls from his eye.
This Baldrick also has cunning plans that, contrary to most of the "cunning plans" of his descendants, mostly work, although they often initially seem ridiculous (and sometimes get messed up due to the actions of Lord Percy). For instance, when Edmund seeks to kill Dougal McAngus, Baldrick suggests that he gets an enormous great cannon, takes McAngus outside, makes him stick his head down the cannon and then blow it off. Edmund scoffs at this, and instead tries to kill McAngus using several different "cunning plans" of his own. After having failed miserably with all of these, he resorts to using Baldrick's original plan, which works.
It was this Baldrick who suggested the title 'The Black Adder' for Prince Edmund (Edmund wanted to be called 'The Black Vegetable'), which his descendants later adopted as a surname.
This Baldrick survived the last episode as he and Lord Percy had poisoned the wine to stop the Black Seal. But Percy poisoned the whole batch, killing the king, the queen, Prince Harry, the entire court and Edmund. He and Percy tried to stop them but they were too late, running in after the credits when everybody was already dead.
The "clever" Baldrick character was ditched after the first series, becoming steadily more imbecilic with each incarnation.
Blackadder II
The Elizabethan Baldrick (died 1566) is the servant and bondsmanBondsman
Bondsman may refer to:* A bail bondsman.* A bondservant. See indentured servant....
, rather than a friend, to Lord Blackadder
Lord Blackadder
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...
, who mistreats him, and, Baldrick claims, at first tried to kill him. He has been in Blackadder's family since 1532, but Blackadder says 'so has syphilis
Syphilis
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the spirochete bacterium Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum. The primary route of transmission is through sexual contact; however, it may also be transmitted from mother to fetus during pregnancy or at birth, resulting in congenital syphilis...
'. He has a bedroom in Blackadder's house, but has also been forced to sleep in the gutter and on the roof. He has a tendency to eat dung
Feces
Feces, faeces, or fæces is a waste product from an animal's digestive tract expelled through the anus or cloaca during defecation.-Etymology:...
. Baldrick has been in Lord Edmund's service since he was two years old, which Blackadder says is why he is so sick of the sight of him. While his master treats him with utter contempt, he remains intensely loyal, showing a strong desire to please Blackadder.
This Baldrick is considerably less intelligent than his medieval ancestor, although not as dim as future Baldricks. A kindly soul, Baldrick's lack of formal education is compensated for by his basic streetwise cunning. While his "cunning plans" do sometimes have a strange, twisted and often perverse logic and cunning to them (one suggestion was that Blackadder repay his debts by making money as a male prostitute at the docks, another is to disguise a "mad, wild, killer bull" as a rooster and enter it in a cockfight
Cockfight
A cockfight is a blood sport between two roosters , held in a ring called a cockpit. Cockfighting is now illegal throughout all states in the United States, Brazil, Australia and in most of Europe. It is still legal in several U.S. territories....
), he does possess an entertaining level of stupidity. In one episode
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:...
, Blackadder attempts to teach Baldrick how to add, asking if he had "two beans, and I add two more beans, what does that make?". Baldrick's conclusions ("Some beans", "Three beans... and that one", and "a very small casserole
Casserole
A casserole, from the French for "saucepan", is a large, deep dish used both in the oven and as a serving vessel. The word casserole is also used for the food cooked and served in such a vessel, with the cookware itself called a casserole dish or casserole pan...
"), lead Blackadder to comment "To you, Baldrick, the Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
was just something that happened to 'other people', wasn't it?" and that "The ape-creatures of the Indus have mastered this". He misconstrued the equation in the middle of a later conversation, phrasing it as 'some beans plus some beans makes four beans' when he had in fact added four beans to four beans to make eight.
It was also in this series that the first signs of Baldrick's love of turnips was shown, in the episode Beer, where he and Percy famously discover a turnip shaped like a "thingy"
Phallus
A phallus is an erect penis, a penis-shaped object such as a dildo, or a mimetic image of an erect penis. Any object that symbolically resembles a penis may also be referred to as a phallus; however, such objects are more often referred to as being phallic...
. Baldrick later describes the incident as "triffic". He is particularly delighted by the discovery, because it contrasts with his own "thingy" which is shaped like a turnip. In the same episode Baldrick reveals his recipe for "Turnip Surprise" - "the surprise is: there's nothing in it except the turnip". He is amazed when Blackadder points out that the Turnip Surprise is in fact simply a turnip.
Baldrick once went on an "all mouse diet" by hanging a piece of cheese off of the end of his nose and lying with his mouth open, hoping that mice would scurry in. He later tried the same thing, with a mouse on the end of his nose to catch a cat, for variety.
Baldrick was also bridesmaid
Bridesmaid
The bridesmaids are members of the bride's wedding party in a wedding. A bridesmaid is typically a young woman, and often a close friend or sister. She attends to the bride on the day of a wedding or marriage ceremony...
at Lord Blackadder's abortive wedding. "Queenie" kept him as a pet, calling him Lassie (Baldrick did not complain) and he stuck two pencils up his nose, so that he could attend a Royal fancy dress party
Fancy Dress Party
The Fancy Dress Party is a political party in England. They were formed in 1979 as a frivolous alternative to the mainstream electoral parties, and can be seen as a forerunner of the more prominent Official Monster Raving Loony Party...
as a pencil case.
Blackadder: The Cavalier Years
Baldrick (possibly died 1649) is servant to Sir Edmund BlackadderBlackadder: The Cavalier Years
Blackadder: The Cavalier Years is a 15 minute one-off edition of Blackadder set during the English Civil War, shown as part of Comic Relief's Red Nose Day on Friday 5 February . The episode included series regulars Rowan Atkinson as Sir Edmund Blackadder, Tony Robinson as Baldrick, and Stephen Fry...
. Like his Elizabethan ancestor he moonlights as an executioner, although in his case it is part of a cunning plan to save the life of Charles I of England
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
by replacing his head with a pumpkin. His plan doesn't work. When Blackadder is about to be captured he quickly disguises himself as a Roundhead
Roundhead
"Roundhead" was the nickname given to the supporters of the Parliament during the English Civil War. Also known as Parliamentarians, they fought against King Charles I and his supporters, the Cavaliers , who claimed absolute power and the divine right of kings...
and leaves Baldrick to be killed instead. He is the son of a pig farmer and a bearded lady
Bearded Lady
A bearded lady or bearded woman is a woman who has a visible beard. These women have long been a phenomenon of legend, curiosity, ridicule, and more recently, political statement and fashion statement. A small number of women are able to grow enough facial hair to have a distinct beard...
.
Blackadder the Third
The Baldrick of Regency Britain works as an "underscrogsman" (apprentice dogsbodyDogsbody
A dogsbody, or less commonly dog robber in the Royal Navy, is a junior officer, or more generally someone who does drudge work. A rough American equivalent would be a "gofer" or a "grunt", a "lackey", or "toady".-History:...
) to Mr. E. Blackadder
Mr. E. Blackadder
Edmund Blackadder, Esq. is the main character in the third series of the BBC sitcom Blackadder. He was played by Rowan Atkinson.The series was set in the reign of George III of the United Kingdom . The character is in keeping with the trend of the series Blackadder is lower in rank in this series,...
, butler to Prince George. He lives in a pipe in the upstairs water closet of the Palace.
The third Baldrick is much more noticeably crude and unintelligent than those previous to him and maybe even the stupidest of all four Baldricks. Like his 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...
ancestor, he is known to eat dung occasionally. He is also more childlike; when asked if he has any distinguishing features, referring to his nose he asserts, "I've got this huge growth in the middle of my face." There is not the slightest sign of "cunning" in any of his plans, which include:
- escaping the guillotineGuillotineThe guillotine is a device used for carrying out :executions by decapitation. It consists of a tall upright frame from which an angled blade is suspended. This blade is raised with a rope and then allowed to drop, severing the head from the body...
by waiting until your head has been cut off, then "springing into action" and running "around and around the farmyard, and out the farmyard gate," in the style of a chicken, and - replacing the burnt first copy of Samuel JohnsonSamuel JohnsonSamuel Johnson , often referred to as Dr. Johnson, was an English author who made lasting contributions to English literature as a poet, essayist, moralist, literary critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer...
's dictionaryA Dictionary of the English LanguagePublished on 15 April 1755 and written by Samuel Johnson, A Dictionary of the English Language, sometimes published as Johnson's Dictionary, is among the most influential dictionaries in the history of the English language....
by taking the string, which has been salvaged, and putting in some new pages. Blackadder clarifies that Baldrick is suggesting that he re-write the entire dictionary in a single night. Blackadder, purely out of desperation, attempts this anyway, before getting stuck at "AardvarkAardvarkThe aardvark is a medium-sized, burrowing, nocturnal mammal native to Africa...
."
Blackadder also claims that Baldrick has never changed his trousers, and implores him never to do so, for they are, Blackadder claims, akin to Pandora's Box
Pandora's box
Pandora's box is an artifact in Greek mythology, taken from the myth of Pandora's creation around line 60 of Hesiod's Works and Days. The "box" was actually a large jar given to Pandora , which contained all the evils of the world. When Pandora opened the jar, all its contents except for one item...
.
Although he is now on a closer social standing to Blackadder than before, he still receives the same (and possibly more) level of abuse as his Elizabethan ancestor. Blackadder punches him; kicks him; breaks a milk-jug over his head; smashes a huge turnip on his head; roasts him for a few minutes on a spit; grabs him by the shirt collar; threatens to cut him up into strips and tell the prince that he walked over a very sharp cattle grid in an extremely heavy hat; and promises five minutes of hellish tortures involving a small pencil, equaling anything possible from Beelzebub over all eternity. However, he does seem to have a higher level of friendship with Blackadder than the other series.
However, despite his noticeable flaws, this Baldrick has more success than any of the others. In an election rigged by Blackadder, he is elected Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Dunny-on-the-Wold, a rotten borough
Rotten borough
A "rotten", "decayed" or pocket borough was a parliamentary borough or constituency in the United Kingdom that had a very small electorate and could be used by a patron to gain undue and unrepresentative influence within Parliament....
, although he was intended to be a puppet for Blackadder to manipulate (Blackadder's political opponents succeed in manipulating him instead). He is later made a Lord
Lord
Lord is a title with various meanings. It can denote a prince or a feudal superior . The title today is mostly used in connection with the peerage of the United Kingdom or its predecessor countries, although some users of the title do not themselves hold peerages, and use it 'by courtesy'...
by Prince George, and is therefore eligible to sit in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
-- whether or not he ever does-so is another matter, as he is never again referred to by his title after episode 1. Baldrick also succeeds where no Baldrick has succeeded before or since, in calling Blackadder "a lazy, big nosed, rubber-faced bastard".
Baldrick spends the £400,000 he received as a Lord on an enormous turnip ("Well, I had to haggle.") which he refers to as "His Dream Turnip." However, Blackadder later destroys it by crushing it on Baldrick's head.
Baldrick isn't given any sort of first name until this third series, when he speculates that it might be "Sodoff", since in childhood when he played in the gutter
Gutter
panels of a comic strip or comic book page*Gutter , the space between panes of postage stamps that creates configurations of "gutter pairs" or "gutter blocks"*Gutter, in interface design, the blank spaces that separate rows and columns in screen...
when he said to the other snipes, "Hello, my name's Baldrick," they would reply, "Yes, we know. Sod off, Baldrick!" A diplomatic Blackadder opts to record him as "S. Baldrick." The initial appears to have been adopted by his descendants.
This particular specimen of Baldrick can also be noted for his definition of "dog:" "Not a cat" and "C": "Big, blue wobbly thing what mermaids live in." His command with words is also demonstrated in his "magnificent octopus" (magnum opus
Masterpiece
Masterpiece in modern usage refers to a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or to a work of outstanding creativity, skill or workmanship....
), a semi-autobiographical work that goes "Once upon a time, there was a lovely little sausage called Baldrick and it lived happily ever after".
Baldrick later presented this story to Dr. Samuel Johnson as a replacement for the first dictionary (which he burned by mistake). The story had an unexpected effect on Johnson - he was reminded that he had forgotten to put the word "sausage
Sausage
A sausage is a food usually made from ground meat , mixed with salt, herbs, and other spices, although vegetarian sausages are available. The word sausage is derived from Old French saussiche, from the Latin word salsus, meaning salted.Typically, a sausage is formed in a casing traditionally made...
" in his dictionary, and ran off in horror.
His heroes are the highwayman
Highwayman
A highwayman was a thief and brigand who preyed on travellers. This type of outlaw, usually, travelled and robbed by horse, as compared to a footpad who traveled and robbed on foot. Mounted robbers were widely considered to be socially superior to footpads...
"The Shadow" and The Scarlet Pimpernel
The Scarlet Pimpernel
The Scarlet Pimpernel is a play and adventure novel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy, set during the Reign of Terror following the start of the French Revolution. The story is a precursor to the "disguised superhero" tales such as Zorro and Batman....
, (or the "Scarlet Pimple" as Baldrick believes his name to be). The former was executed as a result of Blackadder's informing, and the latter was poisoned by him.
This Baldrick grew up in a "haunted hovel," in which a vile, disgusting apparition would slowly make its way into his parents' bed at night. Curiously, this phantom vanished the very day Baldrick left home. In one cunning plan Baldrick tried to chop his mother's head off to solve the problem of her low ceiling.
As mentioned in the episode Sense and Senility, his uncle with the Baldrick surname once played as a "second codpiece
Codpiece
A codpiece is a covering flap or pouch that attaches to the front of the crotch of men's trousers and usually accentuates the genital area. It was held closed by string ties, buttons, or other methods...
" for the leading character
Macbeth (character)
Macbeth is the title character in William Shakespeare's Macbeth . The character is based on the historical king Macbeth of Scotland, and is derived largely from the account in Holinshed's Chronicles , a history of Britain. Macbeth is a Scottish noble and a valiant military man. He is portrayed...
of Macbeth, but only in the fight scenes. Blackadder concludes that the uncle was a "stunt codpiece" and inquires if he ever had a "large part," to which Baldrick answers that it "depends who was playing Macbeth."
Oddly enough, this Baldrick seems to have a bit of the idiot savant in him; Baldrick's explanation, although heard from someone else, of why George and Blackadder will be able to trade places is surprisingly smart and articulate, suggesting he might have an amazing memory with words, even if he doesn't understand what they mean.
He also occasionally exhibits a surprising amount of knowledge of current events. When Edmund orders him to hire a horse, he replies: "Hire you a horse? For ninepence? On Jewish New Year
Rosh Hashanah
Rosh Hashanah , , is the Jewish New Year. It is the first of the High Holy Days or Yamim Nora'im which occur in the autumn...
? In the rain? A bare fortnight after the dreaded horse plague of old London Town? With the blacksmiths' strike in its fifteenth week and the Dorset horse fetishists fair tomorrow?" His reward for this is to be saddled, (literally,) with the job of horse himself.
Despite his lack of intelligence, though, he was, in Duel and Duality, able to manipulate Mrs. Miggins' casual conversation about how stupid Prince George was, (George himself was present,) so that it didn't offend George. Additionally, in Sense and Senility, he warns the Prince of a supposed plot to kill him.
Blackadder's Christmas Carol
Mr. Baldrick is assistant in Ebenezer BlackadderEbenezer Blackadder
Ebenezer Blackadder is one of the many Blackadder descendants from the BBC sitcom of the name. Unlike his ancestors, however, he is the only member of the Blackadder family whose name is not Edmund to feature in the television shows.-Overview:...
's moustache shop. While still stupid, it seems that having to work for the exceedingly gullible Mr Blackadder has forced him to develop some of the savvy of his earlier ancestors. Unlike his previous (and later) ancestors, he has a simile of his own to match Blackadder's: "I just wish we weren't doing so well in the "bit-short-of-pressies-and-feeling-a-gullible-prat" ledger." He remains the only person to be fooled by Tiny Tom Scratchit's alleged lameness, however. He is also possibly the only person ever to spell "Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
" without getting any of the letters right (he apparently renders the word as "Kwelfnuve" then "corrects" it to "Kweznuz").
Blackadder Goes Forth
Private Baldrick (presumed dead 1917) is a private in a First World WarWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
trench, serving under Captain Blackadder
Captain Blackadder
Captain Edmund Blackadder is the main fictional character in the fourth and final series of the popular BBC sitcom Blackadder, Blackadder Goes Forth...
and Lieutenant George. His hero is 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....
.
The fourth Baldrick comes from the lowest of British late-Victorian and Edwardian society. Before the war he was scraping a living at the "Turnip Street Workhouse
Workhouse
In England and Wales a workhouse, colloquially known as a spike, was a place where those unable to support themselves were offered accommodation and employment...
". Upon the outbreak of hostilities the workhouse formed its own pals battalion
Pals battalion
The Pals battalions of World War I were specially constituted units of the British Army comprising men who had enlisted together in local recruiting drives, with the promise that they would be able to serve alongside their friends, neighbours and work colleagues , rather than being arbitrarily...
which Baldrick signed up to join. In the final episode he says that all his friends (and numerous pets) have died, suggesting that he is the last surviving member of the Turnip Street Workhouse Pals.
Equal in foulness to the third Baldrick, Private Baldrick also matches his immediate predecessor in terms of stupidity. His "cunning plans" verge on those of an poor insane person. Examples include carving his name on a bullet, in relation to the old saying "a bullet with your name on it", his explanation being that if he owns the bullet, it won't ever kill him as he won't ever shoot himself ('shame' comments Captain Blackadder), and the chances of there being two bullets with "Baldrick" on them are "very small indeed". He has also been known to eat cigarettes as seen in the last episode of the series.
He also is the only Baldrick to confront Blackadder after being hit
Major Star (Blackadder)
"Major Star" is the third episode of Blackadder Goes Forth, the fourth series of the BBC sitcom Blackadder.-Summary:The Russian Revolution produces two more appalling results: an offensive by Germany and a really offensive Charlie Chaplin impression by Baldrick.-Plot:Blackadder is feeling bored, so...
; he does so on one occasion, and is very conscious of class divisions. While this briefly attracts him to the ideals of the Russian Revolution, he is just as willing to marry General Melchett if it allows him to escape his lower-class status (though he later lets slip that he intends to be a "frozen horse" (Trojan Horse
Trojan Horse
The Trojan Horse is a tale from the Trojan War about the stratagem that allowed the Greeks finally to enter the city of Troy and end the conflict. In the canonical version, after a fruitless 10-year siege, the Greeks constructed a huge wooden horse, and hid a select force of men inside...
) to "bring down the system from within")
In the first episode, Captain Cook
Captain Cook (Blackadder)
"Captain Cook" is the first episode of Blackadder Goes Forth, the fourth series of the BBC sitcom Blackadder.-Summary:When Field Marshal Haig unveils his new strategy to advance on the German trenches , Blackadder volunteers to be the Official War Artist.-Plot:The episode starts with...
, he claims to be the first Baldrick in the entire family tree to have a brilliant plan (becoming cooks for HQ to escape the trenches), giving a speech saying, "Permission to write home immediately sir! This is the first brilliant plan a Baldrick's ever had. For centuries we've tried, and they've always turned out total pig swill! My mum will be pleased as punch." This mood was however, slightly dampened when Blackadder pointed out the minor flaw: Baldrick is "the worst cook in the entire world".
Private Baldrick's hobbies include cookery; his specialities include gourmet recipes involving rats.
This Baldrick is also a poet, composing The German Guns. During his time in the trenches, Baldrick also wrote a second poem.
S. Baldrick also does a Charlie Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE was an English comic actor, film director and composer best known for his work during the silent film era. He became the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War I...
impression (although some believe it to be a slug
Slug
Slug is a common name that is normally applied to any gastropod mollusc that lacks a shell, has a very reduced shell, or has a small internal shell...
balancing act, and General Melchett mistook it for a feeble impression of Buster Keaton
Buster Keaton
Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton was an American comic actor, filmmaker, producer and writer. He was best known for his silent films, in which his trademark was physical comedy with a consistently stoic, deadpan expression, earning him the nickname "The Great Stone Face".Keaton was recognized as the...
).
Apart from during Blackadder's demonstration of slapstick comedy in the same episode, Baldrick generally does not get physically abused by Blackadder, although Blackadder frequently insults Baldrick and his family.
The opening sequence to each episode of series 4 features a ceremonial parade in which the company led by Captain Blackadder marches past General Melchett on a reviewing stand. Baldrick appears as part of the regimental band, splendid in scarlet and blue full dress, but not only walking out of line but also playing that most unmartial of instruments: a triangle.
Despite his stupidity, Baldrick delivers a profound speech while in preparation for the "final push", tension is high, and Baldrick demands, "Why can't we just stop sir? Why can't we just say 'no more killing, let's all go home'? Why would it be stupid just to pack it in, sir? Why?" Neither Captain Blackadder nor Lieutenant George are able to come up with a good answer beyond an attempted accusation of defeatism from George.
Private Baldrick never got to tell the audience his final "cunning plan" to escape the trenches, as he is sent "over the top" before he can reveal it to Blackadder, George and Captain Darling
Kevin Darling
Darling is the name of several fictional characters played by Tim McInnerny in the British mock-historical sitcom Blackadder. Introduced in its fourth iteration, Blackadder Goes Forth, Captain Kevin Darling is main character Captain Edmund Blackadder 's intellectual peer and bitter rival; while...
, though it possibly involved a splinter on the ladder. However, Baldrick stated that Blackadder was correct in the final plan being "as cunning as a fox
Fox
Fox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
who's just been appointed Professor of Cunning at Oxford University". The episode's ending implies that Baldrick (along with all the other characters) is killed in that attack.
Blackadder: Back & Forth
Baldrick is a septic tankSeptic tank
A septic tank is a key component of the septic system, a small-scale sewage treatment system common in areas with no connection to main sewage pipes provided by local governments or private corporations...
cleaner to the 20th century Lord Blackadder in Blackadder: Back and Forth. His first appearance is serving Blackadder's millennium
Millennium
A millennium is a period of time equal to one thousand years —from the Latin phrase , thousand, and , year—often but not necessarily related numerically to a particular dating system....
dinner, which he does wearing nothing but an amusing apron, on a whim. His cooking is similar to Private Baldrick's; he prepared dinner by coughing over an avocado. His underpants may date from the 18th century, or in any case smell as though they do, and turn out to be the cause of the extinction
Extinction
In biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...
of the dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
s. Rather surprisingly he builds a working time machine
Time travel
Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space. Time travel could hypothetically involve moving backward in time to a moment earlier than the starting point, or forward to the future of that point without the...
, making him "the greatest genius who ever lived." Or it would do, if he knew how it worked and hadn't just built it using a combination of the plans of Leonardo Da Vinci and an apparent skill at building Airfix
Airfix
Airfix is a UK manufacturer of plastic scale model kits of aircraft and other subjects. In Britain, the name Airfix is synonymous with the hobby, a plastic model of this type is often simply referred to as "an airfix kit" even if made by another manufacturer....
models being able to make up for his inability to read the plans. Following his master's rewriting of history, he becomes Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
- and possibly dictator
Dictator
A dictator is a ruler who assumes sole and absolute power but without hereditary ascension such as an absolute monarch. When other states call the head of state of a particular state a dictator, that state is called a dictatorship...
, as the television commentator observes that election
Election
An election is a formal decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy operates since the 17th century. Elections may fill offices in the legislature, sometimes in the...
s have been abolished (although how much power he has with Edmund as king is questionable). His intelligence appears to be between that of the medieval Baldrick and the Elizabethan Baldrick. His "cunning plan" was possibly the only plan which a Blackadder ever thought was a good plan, albeit with a slight modification to it.
Also, Legionary Baldricus is a soldier
Roman army
The Roman army is the generic term for the terrestrial armed forces deployed by the kingdom of Rome , the Roman Republic , the Roman Empire and its successor, the Byzantine empire...
under Centurion Blaccadicus in the Roman Britain
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
section of 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 part of the forces defending Hadrian's Wall
Hadrian's Wall
Hadrian's Wall was a defensive fortification in Roman Britain. Begun in AD 122, during the rule of emperor Hadrian, it was the first of two fortifications built across Great Britain, the second being the Antonine Wall, lesser known of the two because its physical remains are less evident today.The...
. He is apparently bilingual (although it's possible he's a local conscript and doesn't really understand Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
). He wears his helmet back to front, and was presumably killed by the attacking "Scots
Picts
The Picts were a group of Late Iron Age and Early Mediaeval people living in what is now eastern and northern Scotland. There is an association with the distribution of brochs, place names beginning 'Pit-', for instance Pitlochry, and Pictish stones. They are recorded from before the Roman conquest...
".
Other Baldricks
- Bert Baldrick, dogsbody to Thomas GainsboroughThomas GainsboroughThomas Gainsborough was an English portrait and landscape painter.-Suffolk:Thomas Gainsborough was born in Sudbury, Suffolk. He was the youngest son of John Gainsborough, a weaver and maker of woolen goods. At the age of thirteen he impressed his father with his penciling skills so that he let...
's butler, is mentioned by the third Baldrick as his cousin, who says that Bert says that "all portraits look the same because they're painted to a romantic ideal rather than the idiosyncratic facial features of the person in question." Bert Baldrick, Blackadder observes, must have a far larger vocabulary than Sodoff Baldrick. - Baldrick, slave to Grand Admiral Blackadder of the Dark Segment in the future section of Blackadder's Christmas Carol. He doesn't actually get to do much except stand around in a posing pouch. In an alternate future in which he is the Grand Admiral, he manages to destroy his own forces.
- One of the eight RavenRavenRaven is the common name given to several larger-bodied members of the genus Corvus—but in Europe and North America the Common Raven is normally implied...
s at the Tower of LondonTower of LondonHer Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
is named Baldrick, presumably in response to the BlackadderBlackadderBlackadder 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...
series. - The Comic Relief publication of the complete Blackadder scripts (Blackadder: The Whole Damn Dynasty 1485–1917) contains "Baldrick's Family treeFamily treeA family tree, or pedigree chart, is a chart representing family relationships in a conventional tree structure. The more detailed family trees used in medicine, genealogy, and social work are known as genograms.-Family tree representations:...
", which mainly comprises all the children of a Baldrick being called Baldrick. Occasionally there are some exceptions. Some of the other entries in Baldrick's family tree include the common coldCommon coldThe common cold is a viral infectious disease of the upper respiratory system, caused primarily by rhinoviruses and coronaviruses. Common symptoms include a cough, sore throat, runny nose, and fever...
, dung beetles, ticks, Earls CourtEarls CourtEarls Court is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. It is an inner-city district centred on Earl's Court Road and surrounding streets, located 3.1 miles west south-west of Charing Cross. It borders the sub-districts of South Kensington to the East, West...
(change for Ealing), RuislipRuislipRuislip is a suburban area, centred on an old village in Greater London, and is part of the London Borough of Hillingdon.It was formerly also a parish covering the neighbouring areas of Eastcote, Northwood, Ruislip Manor and South Ruislip in the area. The parish appears in the Domesday Book, and...
, Pot plant, Paul GascoignePaul GascoignePaul John Gascoigne , commonly referred to as Gazza, is a retired English professional footballer.Playing in the position of midfield, Gascoigne's career included spells at Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, Lazio, Rangers, Middlesbrough, Everton and Gansu Tianma, where he scored at least a goal...
, Ronald ReaganRonald ReaganRonald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
and his children RonnieRon ReaganRonald Prescott "Ron" Reagan sometimes known as Ronald Reagan, Jr., is a former talk radio host and chief political analyst for KIRO radio in Seattle until his show was canceled on August 8, 2007...
and Thingie. A neolithicNeolithicThe Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
ancestor by the name of Bad Reek is mentioned as being present at the construction of StonehengeStonehengeStonehenge is a prehistoric monument located in the English county of Wiltshire, about west of Amesbury and north of Salisbury. One of the most famous sites in the world, Stonehenge is composed of a circular setting of large standing stones set within earthworks...
. The sixth wifeCatherine ParrCatherine Parr ; 1512 – 5 September 1548) was Queen consort of England and Ireland and the last of the six wives of King Henry VIII of England. She married Henry VIII on 12 July 1543. She was the fourth commoner Henry had taken as his consort, and outlived him...
of Henry VIIIHenry VIII of EnglandHenry 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...
is also claimed to be a Baldrick, on account of the king being "old, half-mad and suffering from syphilisSyphilisSyphilis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the spirochete bacterium Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum. The primary route of transmission is through sexual contact; however, it may also be transmitted from mother to fetus during pregnancy or at birth, resulting in congenital syphilis...
at the time, [and so] was happy to get anything he could". - Uncle Baldrick, who is never seen but who Baldrick says was an actor who played MacbethMacbethThe Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
's second codpiece ("Macbeth wore him in the fight scenes"..."Ah, so he was a stunt codpiece".). When asked if his uncle had "a large part" he replied that it depended on which actor played Macbeth. - Private S. Baldrick's father, who is never seen but who Baldrick says was a nun (when the judge asked him his profession, he said "None"). His mother is frequently mentioned, and Blackadder says that she is a resident of London Zoo, has a complexion which is worse than Punch, from Punch and Judy, the famous puppet show, and Baldrick is her only human child. His grandfather died from being run over by a traction engineTraction engineA traction engine is a self-propelled steam engine used to move heavy loads on roads, plough ground or to provide power at a chosen location. The name derives from the Latin tractus, meaning 'drawn', since the prime function of any traction engine is to draw a load behind it...
. His grandmother "smoked herself to death" so that Baldrick's family could afford the album of Lord Flasheart's cigarette cards. - Robin Baldrick, the medieval Baldrick's father. All that is known about him is that he is a dung gatherer. He is never seen and is only mentioned once, in the opening credits of The Black SealThe Black Seal"The Black Seal" is the final of six episodes of the first series of the BBC One sitcom Blackadder .- Plot :On Saint Juniper's Day, 29 January 1498, King Richard IV snubs Prince Edmund, taking away his Duchy and leaving him with the sole dignity of Lord Warden of the Royal Privies, while awarding...
when the narrator referred to Baldrick as "Baldrick, Son of Robin the Dung Gatherer".
The Baldrick dynasty
- Legionary Baldricus – Roman BritainRoman BritainRoman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
- Robin Baldrick the Dung Gatherer - Middle Ages Baldrick's father
- Baldrick, Bachelor of the Parish of Chigwell – Middle Ages
- Baldrick – Elizabethan
- Baldrick – English Civil WarEnglish Civil WarThe English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
- Lord Sodoff Baldrick – Regency
- Bert Baldrick – Regency Baldrick's cousin
- Mr. Baldrick – 1858
- Private S. Baldrick – World War I