List of Blackadder characters
This article lists the characters (and the actors who played them) in the four series and three special episodes of the British sitcom Blackadder.
Blackadder was notable for featuring many repeating characters and actors, particularly Rowan Atkinson as the eponymous protagonist, Edmund Blackadder, and Tony Robinson as his sidekick Baldrick (who both appeared in all versions), together with numerous other actors in one-off parts.
(Numbers in brackets indicate series and episode – e.g. 3:1 Series 3, Episode 1. A single number means the whole of that series.)
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- Prince Edmund (The Black Adder) (1): The least intelligent (while highest-ranked) of the Blackadder clan depicted in the series. On becoming Prince he initially wanted to be called "Black Vegetable" before Baldrick convinced him it was a bad idea. He killed King Richard and kept seeing his ghost. He became Duke of Edinburgh and Lord of the Privy. It is a question as to whether or not he was born from the new king or from his mother having an affair. At one point he became the Archbishop of Canterbury, but, was eventually fired, to his relief. He married the 9-year-old Princess Leia of Hungary, which he wasn't 100% pleased about. He possibly has some witch-blood in him since his mother has learnt voodoo. He was eventually dethroned as Duke of Edinburgh and gathered the other 6 evilest men in all England and they became the Black Seal. They planned to kill the royal family (except Edmund) and claim the throne. Instead they betrayed Edmund. Edmund had his ears and hands cut off before a spike went up his back-side and the twist went for his privates. All his family and the Black seal drank poison and died, making him king. But, 30 seconds later, he drank poison and died. He was very cowardly and often didn't think things through. He despises, but, fears his family and dislikes Lord Percy. His best friend is Baldrick, but, even he is considered a smelly fool.
- Lord Blackadder (2): The great-grandson of Prince Edmund, Lord Blackadder is in the service of Queen Elizabeth I. He is one of the queen's "favorites," but is all too keenly aware of the limitations of this position (on several occasions, she threatens to cut his head off, and quite happily teams with Melchett to play practical jokes on him). He despises Lord Percy even more than his predecessor and thinks of Baldrick as a stupid animal. He and Melchett dislike but tolerate one another. Lord Blackadder spends most of his time dodging death, in a variety of forms, from a variety of sources. During his stint as High Executioner, for example, he executed the wrong man at the wrong time, facing a death warrant from the Queen. On another occasion, he was unable to pay back a $1000 pound loan that he had taken from the Black Monks, and was threatened with being impaled by the Baby Eating Bishop of Bath and Wells. He spent two years sailing the seas with Captain Rum, seeking a route around the Cape of Good Hope, but nearly dies when he discovers that the Good Captain has no crew and no ability to navigate. He is eventually murdered (along with everybody else in the court) by Ludwig the Indestructible.
- Mr. E. Blackadder (3), The Butler to the Prince Regent. He is sly, crafty and probably the smartest of all the Blackadders. He has problems keeping the Regent, George the Fourth, out of trouble. George is easy to trick and scam; Blackadder makes quite a profit out of selling all of his things when he's not looking. He treats Baldrick with a great deal of contempt, but doesn't physically abuse him nearly as much as his predecessors. Always looking for a way to improve his position, Mr. Blackadder finally gets his chance when George is challenged to a duel by the renowned swordsman, the Duke of Wellington. He switches clothes with the Prince Regent, and manages to defeat Wellington (who is not so good with a cannon, it seems, as he is with a sword). Wellington then murders "the butler" (George in disguise), leaving Blackadder as the Prince Regent. It should, perhaps, be noted that this is the only incarnation of Blackadder that we do not actually see slaughtered at the conclusion of the series. It can be assumed that he went on to become King, but we have no real proof of this.
- Captain Blackadder (4), a tired and sarcastic soldier. He joined the army before the war and earned his stripes in the battle of Mboto Gorge, where he, his armed soldiers, and Field Marshal Haig battled against pygmies armed with sharp kiwi and melons. He therefore finds the prospect of fighting against armed soldiers who could actually kill him both distasteful and stupid. When the 1st World War started he was sent to the trenches with Private Baldrick and Lieutenant George, whom he considers idiots but seems to have a genuine affection for. His service is further plagued by General Melchett, an old maniac with seemingly no common sense and less concern for the men under him, and Captain Kevin Darling, a short-tempered, by-the-books officer who panders to Melchett in hopes of staying far away from the front lines. He generally misses no opportunity to mock Darling's name and take him down a peg in Melchett's eyes. Captain Blackadder is a stone cold realist, and knows that if he and his men are sent "over the top," most or all of them are going to die, and therefore spends much of his time coming up with plans to avoid this possibility. In the end he, Baldrick, George and Darling are, in fact, sent over the top. It is left intentionally vague which (if any) of the four survive.
- Ebenezer Blackadder (Blackadder Christmas Carol), owns a moustache shop, aided by Baldrick, from which he makes a modest living every year. He is the nicest man in all England, giving away all of his money and property to anyone pretending they are in need. Of course, all of his friends and neighbors see him as an easy mark, and take advantage of him shamefully. For once, Baldrick seems to be the more intelligent of the two, as he tries to convince Blackadder not to give so freely. One Christmas Eve, after giving away the years profits, the Christmas Tree, the modest Christmas gifts, and even his tiny Turkey to greedy visitors, Blackadder is visited by a friendly spirit. The spirit shows Blackadder how his descendents will suffer if he continues to be so self-sacrificing, and how they will come to rule the galazy if he changes his ways. Not a fool, Ebenezer decides to embark on a new way of life immediately!
- Lord Blackadder V (Back and Forth): A modern-day trickster and a charmer. On the eve of the new millenium, he invites his friends over for dinner, thinking to make a few quid off of them through an elaborate practical joke. Using what he claims are plans from one of DaVinci's notebooks, he has Baldrick build a time machine; he then bets his friends that he can go back in time and obtain any object that they desire. To his surprise the time machine, intended as a prop, actually works, and he winds up changing history. But then, when has a Blackadder ever complained about an opportunity to better himself? Blackadder is later revealed as the King of England, with Baldrick as his puppet Prime Minister.
Where there is a Blackadder, there is always a Baldrick, to serve, assist, and generally frustrate the latter. Friend (somewhat), lackey, servant, and general dogsbody to the Blackadder line, Baldrick is a bit lacking in brains, but makes up for it in loyalty. He has little to no ambition - when presented with 400,000 pounds for bribing lords to vote against sacking the Prince Regent, he immediately goes out and buys a gigantic turnip. When asked how on earth he found a turnip that cost 400,000 pounds, he responded, 'I had to haggle."
Baldrick is often in a kitchen position, which is too bad since his culinary skills are beyond atrocious. Another consistent characteristic is his hygiene, which leaves a great deal to be desired and is a constant cause of sarcastic comments from Blackadder.
Over the centuries, Baldrick seems to be gradually gaining somewhat of a brain. In Back and Forth he is capable of following a blueprint to build a functioning time machine, and has some of the more cogent comments spoken (although the caustic Blackadder ridicules them). In Christmas Carol, he attempts to gently convince Blackadder that he may be going a bit overboard in the seasonal giving. Too bad it took a ghost to force him to listen.
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- Bishop Flavius Melchett, a wise and gentle bishop-Blackadder Back and Forth
- General Melcheus (in Roman Britain). He wears a skirt that is above pant level and speaks more Latin than his colleagues.- Blackadder Back and Forth
- Lord Melchett (a sort of William Cecil character), mild-mannered and an advisor to Queen Elizabeth I, (2)
- General Melchett, a blustering buffoon and presumed descendant of Lord Melchett. (4)
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- Lord Percy Percy, assistant to Prince Edmund (The Black Adder) and a bit of a stuttering fool.
- Lord Percy Percy II, despised by Lord Blackadder, but always trying to be friendly. He serves Queen Elizabeth also.
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- Kevin Darling, (4)
- Archdeacon Darling, He is kinder to Blackadder than his ancestors-Blackadder Back and Forth
- Duke of Darling (British general at the Battle of Waterloo)/ Duc de Darling (French general at the same battle) – Blackadder Back and Forth
George (not explicitly related) – Hugh Laurie
An attractive girl who poses as a man called Bob, before revealing her true gender and becoming romantically involved with Flashheart (2 and 4)
A vulgar yet successful rival of Blackadder (2 and 4)
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- a decidedly Flashheart-like Robin Hood in Back and Forth.
Recurring actors
Recurring guest stars
Non-recurring major characters
- Patsy Byrne received huge plaudits for her crucial role as Nursie in all six episodes of Blackadder II but never featured in either of the subsequent series, either as a regular character or one-off. Her only future roles in Blackadder were in Blackadder Back and Forth and Blackadder's Christmas Carol, when she briefly reprised Nursie during scenes set in the Blackadder II era and then in Carol's Christmas future scenes, also playing a member of the "triple husbandoid" to Queen Asphyxia, credited as 'Bernard' (though not named in the special this was the name Nursie claimed to have been born under in Series II).
- Similarly, Helen Atkinson-Wood was a welcome addition to the cast for the role of Mrs Miggins in all six episodes of Blackadder the Third, but did not appear again in the programme.
Other, by series
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1
2
3
4
Specials