| 1 | %% |
| 2 | %% |
| 3 | %% Administrivia/ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Add context to the entries before uncommenting them. |
| 4 | %% |
| 5 | %% |
| 6 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 7 | |
| 8 | [[index]] |
| 9 | * [[Characters/BlackadderEdmundBlackadder Edmund Blackadder]] |
| 10 | * [[Characters/BlackadderMainCharacters Main Characters]] |
| 11 | [[/index]] |
| 12 | |
| 13 | !The Black Adder |
| 14 | |
| 15 | [[folder:King Richard IV]] |
| 16 | !!King Richard IV |
| 17 | [[quoteright:203:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/brianblessed_1811.jpg]] |
| 18 | [[caption-width-right:203:''"CHISWICK! FRESH HORSES!"'']] |
| 19 | ->'''Played by:''' Creator/{{BRIAN BLESSED}} |
| 20 | |
| 21 | ->''"As the Good Lord said, love thy neighbour as thyself! [[DoubleStandard Unless he's Turkish,]] in which case, '''KILL THE BASTARD!!!'''"'' |
| 22 | |
| 23 | The historical Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York (1473- disappeared in 1483) all grown up. Official history says that Richard IV was murdered by his paternal uncle Richard III, but he actually became King of England for thirteen glorious years, most of them spent on chasing Turks. |
| 24 | ---- |
| 25 | * AccidentalMisnaming: He almost never gets his son's name right, [[spoiler:except when Edmund is dying]]. |
| 26 | * AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Is a king and once fought his way out of [[UsefulNotes/{{Istanbul}} Constantinople]], through a ten-thousand man garrison armed with scimitars. With a fruit knife. |
| 27 | * BigBad: Depends on the episode. Mostly in the Archbishop and the Queen's Spanish Beard. From a cleric's and Edmund's perspective at least. |
| 28 | * BigEater: Exemplified in 'The Archbishop', where his meal is contrasted with that of Queen Gertrude's. He really did intend to eat fresh horses. |
| 29 | * BlingOfWar: Usually seen wearing golden armour. |
| 30 | * BloodKnight: ''SSSLLAAAAAAAYYY!!!!'' |
| 31 | * BoisterousBruiser: Comes with the territory of being played by Creator/{{BRIAN BLESSED}}. |
| 32 | * TheCaligula: His motto? "Kill any Turk you see". Also has a tendency to kill Archbishops he finds troublesome. |
| 33 | * CompensatingForSomething: Thanks to the Queen's incessant reveals, there is some light shed to one of the reasons behind his over-the-top demeanour. |
| 34 | * EveryoneHasStandards: He might be a froth-mouthed, bloodthirsty, violent lunatic, but even he's visibly disgusted when a dying nobleman confesses that his many sins include repeated adultery with his own mother. |
| 35 | ** He's also implied to not be homophobic, as he greets Edmund politely when he mistakes him for [[CampGay Doncaster]]. |
| 36 | * GagPenis: Supposedly not very big, if the Queen is to be trusted. |
| 37 | * GeneralRipper: Against the Turks, and for some inexplicable reason the Swiss, whom he plans to massacre [[CavalryBetrayal even when they are fighting on his side.]] |
| 38 | * GenerationXerox: His historical father, Edward IV, was also a HotBlooded BloodKnight. |
| 39 | * HiddenDepths: Normally he is a bellowing, drunken BloodKnight, but in 'The Queen of Spain's Beard' we see him either creating or describing numerous, complicated diplomatic and military plans. |
| 40 | * HistoricalDomainCharacter: He is one of the "Princes in the Tower" grown up (in this imagining, not only is Theatre/RichardIII being evil a slander by Henry VII, but Henry also erased the existence of a dynasty). Part of the joke is the contrast between the [[UsedToBeASweetKid sweet kid]] Richard IV used to be, and what he has become as an adult. |
| 41 | * HotBlooded: See that quote? That is not just battle lust, he is like that all the time. |
| 42 | * {{Hypocrite}}: Despite hating the Turks he evidently has no problem sleeping with Turkish women. |
| 43 | * ImplacableMan: Having the Plague simply sends him into a berserker rage, believing everyone to be Turks. [[spoiler:Doesn't save him from the poison in the finale.]] |
| 44 | * JerkWithAHeartOfGold: [[AffablyEvil Perfectly polite and affable]] if you are not [[TheUnfavourite Edmund]] (or Turkish). He is even implied to treat [[CampGay Doncaster]] with respect. |
| 45 | * LargeHam: Creator/{{BRIAN BLESSED}} AT HIS BOMBASTIC BEST! |
| 46 | * NoIndoorVoice: You will hear him even if you turn the volume real low... |
| 47 | * ParentalFavoritism: He alternates between not having a clue that Edmund is his son and just straight-up giving him a ReasonYouSuckSpeech after appointing him as Archbishop of Canterbury. |
| 48 | -->'''Richard''': Don't be mistaken about this appointment, Egbert! I've always despised you.\ |
| 49 | '''Edmund''': Well, you are my father, of course! I mean, [[LampshadeHanging you're biased]].\ |
| 50 | '''Richard''': You, compared to your brother Harry... (laughs and pats Harry's shoulder) are as excrement as compared to cream!\ |
| 51 | '''Harry''': My Lord, you flatter me!\ |
| 52 | '''Edmund''': [[InsultBackfire And me, also]].\ |
| 53 | '''Richard''': So now that I've finally found a use for you, ''don't'' try to wriggle out of it! |
| 54 | * RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: In his case, "something" tends to mean "slaughtering Turks". |
| 55 | * TranquilFury: For all his bellowing and bluster, his most genuinely terrifying and chilling moment is when, after manipulating Edmund into becoming Archbishop of Canterbury, he very calmly informs Edmund that if he crosses him at any point ever, he will "do unto you what God did unto the Sodomites." |
| 56 | * WithThisHerring: He manages to defeat ten thousand Turks, while armed with only a small knife, typically used for peeling fruit. |
| 57 | [[/folder]] |
| 58 | |
| 59 | [[folder:Harry, Prince of Wales]] |
| 60 | !!Harry, Prince Of Wales |
| 61 | ->'''Played by:''' Robert East |
| 62 | |
| 63 | ->''"The verdict of this court is that the accused are found guilty of witchcraft. The maximum penalty that the law allows is that you be burned to death. However, in view of your previous good background, I am disposed to be lenient. Therefore, I sentence you to be burned '''alive'''."'' |
| 64 | |
| 65 | The King's favourite son, and his brother Edmund's main [[UnknownRival rival]]. While supposedly more intelligent, he still manages to fall for some of The Black Adder's schemes. |
| 66 | ---- |
| 67 | * AbsurdPhobia: According to his mother he's scared of spoons. |
| 68 | * ButNotTooBi: In "The Queen Of Spain's Beard", he is politically engaged to seven European noblewomen (one of whom, Princess Leia of Hungary, eventually gets engaged to Edmund), and one European noble''man'', Jeremy of Estonia. He does seem a bit taken aback by the latter, however, and it's implied that all these engagements were arranged by his father. |
| 69 | * CainAndAbel: The excessively clueless Abel to Edmund's no less clueless, but underhanded Cain. |
| 70 | * ComicallyMissingThePoint: Has a habit of doing this. The most notable being in '"Witchsmeller Pursuivant", when the Witchsmeller is burning alive, he doesn't even notice and thinks the man is talking about the weather being too warm to wear a cloak. |
| 71 | * TheDitz: One of his biggest questions in life is if his hand sins and he cuts it how he can cut his other sinful hand. |
| 72 | * HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: At no point does he cotton on to Edmund's various throne-usurping schemes. |
| 73 | ** Also completely oblivious to the fact that the [[CutHimselfShaving ridiculously improbable deaths]] of successive Archbishops were actually ''obvious'' assassinations ordered by his own father. |
| 74 | * MisplacedKindergartenTeacher: While commanding men on the battlefield: |
| 75 | -->'''Harry:''' Now, I'm afraid there's going to have to be a certain amount of... violence, but at least we know it's all for a good cause, hey? |
| 76 | * NiceToTheWaiter: Inverted. Harry is polite and cheerful when speaking to just about everyone... except, for no explained reason, one of the palace messengers, who he will berate and shout at with no provocation whatsoever. |
| 77 | * SkewedPriorities: When he thinks the castle is under attack, his first reaction is to worry about the drains. Also being a pious nut job, when asked about Edmund's chances (after his mutilation) he is considering whether his brother is going to heaven, instead of whether he is going to survive. |
| 78 | * UnknownRival: He doesn't see Edmund's feelings of rivalry, even when he is practically jumping in front of him, all but screaming. |
| 79 | * UpperClassTwit: Slightly smarter than Edmund, at least in everyday matters, but ''that'' is no great feat. (In street smarts, Edmund seems to have gotten the lion's share, always relatively speaking). Having said that, Harry is probably still the sanest member of his family. His main quirk is a seeming obsession with the castle drains. |
| 80 | ** More pronounced in the original pilot episode, where Harry is depicted as having much the same childish personality as Percy. He is a total idiot in the main series, but a definitely more organised and articulate one than the pilot's version. |
| 81 | * WarriorPoet: Becomes a parody of one, as his battle speech is not likely to satisfy either the poetically-inclined or the plain bloodthirsty ones (unlike his father and uncle), as his tone of voice and his choice of words is more or less like a teacher's to the kindergarteners under his custody with the rather simplistic and half-assed argument about a certain amount of violence that is for a good purpose. |
| 82 | * WarriorPrince: Seen riding into battle at the Battle of Bosworth Field (1485). |
| 83 | [[/folder]] |
| 84 | |
| 85 | [[folder:Queen Gertrude]] |
| 86 | !!Queen Gertrude of Flanders |
| 87 | ->'''Played by:''' Elspet Gray |
| 88 | [[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/blackaddergertrude.jpg]] |
| 89 | ->''"Now, would I, Edmund... Do I tell people that your brother Harry is scared of spoons? Or that your father has [[TeenyWeenie very small private parts?]]"'' |
| 90 | |
| 91 | Edmund's mother and Queen of England. While portrayed as prudish, she had an affair with Douglas [=McAngus=], who may have been the natural father of The Black Adder. |
| 92 | ---- |
| 93 | * AllWomenArePrudes: Seems to regard sex as a bit of an inconvenience, but it's implied it's less about the act itself, since she had an affair with another nobleman, and more to do with Richard IV just not being very good at it. |
| 94 | * ArentYouGoingToRavishMe: [[SubvertedTrope "In a moment...!"]] |
| 95 | * BehindEveryGreatMan: The King is a warmonger with one foot in reality at best; Gertrude is not only a reasonable authority figure, but is implied to have magic powers. |
| 96 | %%zce* CloudCuckoolander |
| 97 | * ComicallyMissingThePoint: All the time. |
| 98 | * HotWitch: [[spoiler:Revealed to be one at the end of "Witchsmeller Pursuivant"]]. |
| 99 | * MyGirlIsASlut: The Queen wasn't alone on those cold winter nights... |
| 100 | * ObfuscatingStupidity: In "Witchsmeller Pursuivant", she pretends to be ComicallyMissingThePoint again when Edmund calls after her when she leaves his jail cell, [[spoiler:having already given him the means to escape]]. |
| 101 | * WhatTheHellIsThatAccent: Has an odd, non-specifically European accent. (Her name implies Flemish.) |
| 102 | %%zce* WomenAreWiser: Compared to her husband at least. |
| 103 | [[/folder]] |
| 104 | |
| 105 | [[folder:King Richard III]] |
| 106 | !!King Richard III |
| 107 | ->'''Played by:''' Creator/PeterCook |
| 108 | |
| 109 | ->''"Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more. Consign their parts most private to a Rutland tree!"'' |
| 110 | [[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/blackadderrichardiii.jpg]] |
| 111 | Unlike history has told us, Richard the Third was actually a kind man who was well-loved. And while he did die at Bosworth Field, he was not killed by Henry Tudor, but by an idiotic Yorkist (namely Prince Edmund). |
| 112 | ---- |
| 113 | * AgeLift: Historically, he was thirty-two when he died at Bosworth Field. Here, while his age is never given, he has two adult great-nephews. |
| 114 | * AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence: Once he realizes no one else can see him and he can't expose Edmund as his killer, his ghost departs to the afterlife, with a few annoyed parting words. |
| 115 | * BlingOfWar: Wears a very elaborate suit of armor at Bosworth Field, as befits his status. |
| 116 | * DeadpanSnarker: He sums up his experience at the Battle of Bosworth Field thusly: |
| 117 | --> "Somebody cut my head off at one point, but otherwise everything went swimmingly." |
| 118 | * HeroWithBadPublicity: Sort of. Henry VII rewrites history to portray him as being a tyrant who murdered Edward V and the young boy who would become Richard IV, when in fact he loved his relations (except Edmund). Having said that, the series doesn't reveal what ''did'' happen to Edward V. Richard might know more than he says... |
| 119 | * HistoricalHeroUpgrade: In real life it's believed he murdered his two nephews, but here he loved them both deeply and was considered a good king. |
| 120 | * ImStandingRightHere: Edmund is the only person who can see his ghost. As a result, when Richard III sits between Richard IV and Harry at the post-battle banquet, the two talk across him as if he weren't there (which, as far as they are concerned, he isn't). |
| 121 | * JerkassToOne: Contrary to historical writings, Richard is stated a kind and beloved king to everyone. Except his slimy great-nephew Edmund, who he instantly decides he loathes and decides to use as arrow fodder. It seems Edmund just brings this sort of attitude out of everyone. Fittingly this isolated showing of contempt costs him his life. |
| 122 | * OlderThanTheyLook: From looking at him, you would never guess he has two adult great-nephews. |
| 123 | * RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Leads his men in the Battle of Bosworth Field, and actually ''wins''. Then Edmund gets involved... |
| 124 | * WeHaveReserves: Very accepting of the term and the use of ''arrow fodder'' during the battle of Bosworth Field. Keep in mind that he says that about his great-nephew, whom he has just met and that is his EstablishingCharacterMoment! |
| 125 | [[/folder]] |
| 126 | |
| 127 | [[folder:Dougal [=McAngus=]]] |
| 128 | !!Dougal [=McAngus=], Duke of Argyll |
| 129 | ->'''Played by:''' Alex Norton |
| 130 | [[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mcangus.jpg]] |
| 131 | ->''"Actually, I'm quite interested in the wigs."'' |
| 132 | |
| 133 | A war hero and friend of the King who gets all of Edmund's Scottish lands. His father may also be the Black Adder's father, through an affair with Queen Gertrude. Dougal and Edmund are suspected to be half-brothers, but they antagonize each other. |
| 134 | ---- |
| 135 | * {{BFS}}: Uses one against Edmund, breaking his normal-sized sword with a single swing. |
| 136 | * FieryRedhead: When he is not leading the King's armies against the Turks, he is out hunting or duelling. |
| 137 | * HandsomeLech: To the point that he's even happy to make dirty comments about Queen Gertrude. |
| 138 | * LukeIAmYourFather: [[spoiler:It's implied that he and Edmund are half-brothers via Queen Gertrude's affair with Dougal's father]]. |
| 139 | * TooDumbToLive: Baldrick's first "cunning plan" actually works on him. [[spoiler:Edmund persuades him to put his head in a cannon before it's fired.]] |
| 140 | * VerbalBackspace: Has a moment after deriding Edmund. |
| 141 | -->'''[=McAngus=]''': Same old story; the Duke of Edinburgh and about as Scottish as the Queen of England's tits! ''[he remembers Gertrude is sat beside him]'' Och, nae offence your Majesty. |
| 142 | * ViolentGlaswegian: When bringing tributes to the queen, he empties a bag of severed heads onto the table. He apologises, stating that it was his overnight bag. |
| 143 | [[/folder]] |
| 144 | |
| 145 | [[folder:Infanta Maria of Spain]] |
| 146 | !!Infanta Maria of Spain |
| 147 | ->'''Played by:''' Creator/MiriamMargolyes |
| 148 | |
| 149 | A Spanish princess who Edmund becomes engaged to for political reasons, to her delight, and his horror. |
| 150 | ---- |
| 151 | * AbhorrentAdmirer: To Edmund. |
| 152 | * ExtremeLibido: Very sexually aggressive, to the extent of probing Edmund's mother to find out what he's like in bed. |
| 153 | * {{Gonk}}: At least Edmund thinks so. She's fairly rotund and usually wears a goofy goggle-eyed look. |
| 154 | * LoveAtFirstSight: Is all over Edmund from the second she sees him. The feeling is not mutual. |
| 155 | [[/folder]] |
| 156 | |
| 157 | [[folder:Don Speekenglish]] |
| 158 | !!Don Speekenglish |
| 159 | ->''Played by:'' Creator/JimBroadbent |
| 160 | |
| 161 | The Infanta's translator. |
| 162 | |
| 163 | ---- |
| 164 | * AbsurdlyDedicatedWorker: Translates for the Infanta everywhere, [[spoiler:even while she's having sex with Baldrick.]] |
| 165 | * MistakenForGay: Thanks to translating the Infanta's declarations of love, before Edmund sees the Infanta. Edmund punches him on the nose, while Percy jokes he must be Jeremy of Estonia. |
| 166 | * PunnyName: A professional Spanish-English translator whose name's literally "Speak English." |
| 167 | * WhatTheHellIsThatAccent: Speaks in a hilariously baffling approximation of a Mediterranean accent. |
| 168 | [[/folder]] |
| 169 | |
| 170 | [[folder:Princess Leia]] |
| 171 | !!Princess [[Franchise/StarWars Leia]] of Hungary |
| 172 | ->'''Played by:''' Natasha King |
| 173 | |
| 174 | ->''"Hello Edmund. You look funny."'' |
| 175 | |
| 176 | A princess that Edmund is betrothed to after an engagement with the Spanish Infanta backfired to the Prince's joy. Edmund was expecting an adult princess, but Leia is actually an underage girl. |
| 177 | ---- |
| 178 | * CheerfulChild: Almost ''too'' cheerful. She doesn't seem worried about her husband being burnt alive in "Witchsmeller Pursuivant". |
| 179 | * ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: Leia appears as Edmund's wife in two episodes, but is not part of the season finale and does not die with the rest of the royal family. She is simply never mentioned again. How exactly Prince Edmund had descendants is unclear since his wife was still a teenager when he died, but it's assumed that Lord Blackadder et al. are descended from [[BastardBastard illegitimate offspring]]. The different series never subscribed to a strict continuity between series, so it was never really a concern how that worked. |
| 180 | * MayDecemberRomance: Only about 11 when hastily married to Edmund. He does show some actual affection for her, although it's clear that nothing sexual ever took place. |
| 181 | * MoralityPet: Edmund is noticeably nicer towards her than he is towards anyone else. Shortly after their wedding, Edmund decides that she is too young for him to bed. So he spends their wedding night by narrating bedtime stories to Leia, about bears, and elves, and fairies. |
| 182 | [[/folder]] |
| 183 | |
| 184 | [[folder:Witchsmeller Pursuivant]] |
| 185 | !!The Witchsmeller Pursuivant |
| 186 | ->'''Played by:''' Frank Finlay |
| 187 | |
| 188 | ->''"BLOODY MILK! It was a mixture of milk and blood!"'' |
| 189 | [[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/witchsmeller.jpg]] |
| 190 | An overdramatic witch hunter who puts the Black Adder on trial. |
| 191 | ---- |
| 192 | * AmoralAttorney: Has no qualms using obviously ludicrous evidence and arguments to get the verdict he wants. |
| 193 | * AssholeVictim: After trying to sentence Edmund and his friends to death for petty reasons, you'd be hard-pressed to feel sorry for him when [[spoiler:he ends up being burnt alive]]. |
| 194 | * BadPeopleAbuseAnimals: It's implied he kills Edmund's horse, Black Satin, between the first and second day of the trial. Even before that, he has a woman in town burned at the stake... along with her ''[[AllWitchesHaveCats cat]]!'' |
| 195 | * BerserkButton: The subject of nearly all of Edmund's insults and how ''adamant'' he was on burning him afterwards would suggest the Witchsmeller ''doesn't'' take fondly to making fun of his nose. |
| 196 | * BurnTheWitch: Tries to have Edmund, Baldrick, and Percy burned at the stake, [[spoiler:but ''he'' is the one who ends up burned in the end.]] |
| 197 | * DisproportionateRetribution: Overhears Edmund making some obviously empty threats against him, and so gets Edmund, [[GuiltByAssociationGag along with Baldrick and Percy]], all sentenced to burn at the stake. |
| 198 | * EstablishingCharacterMoment: When meeting Prince Harry he claims that he "serves two purposes -- to protect the good, and to crush evil". He demonstrates this by pulling out two eggs, one with "good" and one with "evil" written on them -- and proceeds to crush them both, claiming that "sometimes that which seems good turns out to be evil" when Harry points this out. In actuality, however, this shows that he really doesn't care about whether or not the people he's burning actually are witches. |
| 199 | * EvilIsPetty: He will quite gleefully frame people for witchcraft and see them burned for the most minor of infractions against him. And Edmund insulted him within earshot... |
| 200 | * FangsAreEvil: He has rather long and pointed fangs, and he's a very petty asshole who tries to have Edmund ''[[DisproportionateRetribution burned at the stake]]'' for insulting him. |
| 201 | * FrameUp: Accuses Edmund of being a witch simply because [[DisproportionateRetribution Edmund insulted him while in earshot]], and presents obviously false evidence and testimony to get him convicted. |
| 202 | * HateSink: While [[EvilIsHammy extremely hammy]] and [[LaughablyEvil hilarious]], the Witchsmeller Pursuivant is still a [[{{Jerkass}} petty jackass]] who tries to get three men [[BurnTheWitch burned at the stake]] for the crime of [[DisproportionateRetribution making fun of him]]. Oh, and he [[BadPeopleAbuseAnimals has multiple animals killed]], too. |
| 203 | * InsaneTrollLogic: You could fill a book with the amount of insane troll logic he uses to accuse Edmund, Baldrick, and Percy of being witches. It would include ducks, carrots, cats, horses and poodles. |
| 204 | * KangarooCourt: Accuses Edmund of witchcraft, then serves as the prosecutor in Edmund's witch trial. All the while, he's ramping up the crowd in an effort to get him ConvictedByPublicOpinion, and it's obvious that no matter how [[AmoralAttorney obviously false]] the evidence or testimony is, Edmund will 100% be found guilty. |
| 205 | * KarmicDeath: He gets burned to death, as he did to so many (likely innocent) people before him, by what is implied to be the one real witch that he ironically never suspected. |
| 206 | * KickTheDog: He interrogates Edmund's ''horse'' to death in order to obtain a signed "confession" that Edmund is the servant of Satan. |
| 207 | * LargeHam: Has a legitimate claim to being the largest ham in the entire ''Blackadder'' series, rivalling even the likes of Richard IV and General Melchett. |
| 208 | * LaserGuidedKarma: Depicted as a sadistic maniac who falsely accuses and burns people for witchcraft in droves, [[DisproportionateRetribution intentionally out of personal spite]] using [[InsaneTrollLogic pure lunacy]]. [[spoiler:He ends up burned alive by what is heavily implied to be real witchcraft he overlooked.]] |
| 209 | * LaughablyEvil: He's a horrible person, but damn if the [[KangarooCourt witch trial]] he puts on isn't one of the funniest and most [[LargeHam scenery-chewing]] moments of the first season. |
| 210 | * MakeTheDogTestify: One of the "witnesses" the Witchsmeller calls to the stand is Edmund's beloved horse, Black Satin. When [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome nothing comes of it]], he [[BadPeopleAbuseAnimals has Black Satin killed]] and obtains a "confession" ostensibly from the horse's own mouth. |
| 211 | * MeaningfulName: "Pursuivant" comes from a French word meaning "follow after", and he'll follow after any leads, [[AmoralAttorney whether forged or not]], in order to get suspected witches [[BurnTheWitch burned at the stake]]. |
| 212 | * ObviouslyEvil: Let's see... [[RedEyesTakeWarning glowing red eyes]], [[InTheHood sinister hooded cloak]], [[FangsAreEvil pointy teeth]], [[SinisterSchnoz big nose]], [[WildHair long messy hair]], [[EvilIsHammy chews the scenery at every possible opportunity]]... [[HorribleJudgeOfCharacter Definitely a good guy]]. |
| 213 | * RedEyesTakeWarning: In his first appearance, he is cloaked in a crowd of peasants with glowing red eyes the only part of his face visible. |
| 214 | * ShadowedFaceGlowingEyes: In his first on-screen appearance, all you can see beneath his cloak is a pair of [[RedEyesTakeWarning glowing red eyes]]. |
| 215 | * SinisterSchnoz: Edmund even calls him "Old Big Nose", and comes to regret it when he's singled out as the Witchsmeller's first victim. |
| 216 | * SmarterThanYouLook: He is at first established as a standard maniacal witch hunter. As Edmund finds out the hard way however, he isn't ''that'' deluded and knows when he's being insulted. Some of his convictions are in fact intentional frame ups, simply because he didn't like the poor bugger. |
| 217 | * VillainBall: [[spoiler:Being a maniacal witch-hunter with quite a kill count, he's already of dubious intent ''at best''. But it's intentionally framing Edmund out of a petty grudge that incurs the wrath of a ''real'' witch.]] |
| 218 | * VoodooDoll: [[spoiler:He's eventually burned alive when a doll made in his likeness falls out of Edmund's coat and into the fire, ending his reign of terror for good.]] |
| 219 | * TheWitchHunter: Although this job appears to consist of convicting people he doesn't like on farcical evidence. He manages to completely miss the only confirmed witch in the kingdom, [[spoiler:to his cost.]] |
| 220 | [[/folder]] |
| 221 | |
| 222 | [[folder:Black Seal]] |
| 223 | !!The Black Seal |
| 224 | ->'''Played by:''' Various [[note]]Sir Wilfred Death (John Hallam), Three-Fingered Pete (Roger Sloman), Guy de Glastonbury (Patrick Malahide), Sean the Irish Bastard (Ron Cook), Friar Bellows (Paul Brooke), Jack Large (Mick Walter).[[/note]] |
| 225 | [[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/blackseal.jpg]] |
| 226 | ->''"Good evening... and surrender. Your money or your life. Damn!! I'm always doing this. Did I say "Your money or your life? Sorry, slip of the tongue, your money '''and''' your life. Sorry."'' |
| 227 | |
| 228 | After Prince Edmund is stripped of his titles, he decides to recruit the most evil men in England to overthrow his father. |
| 229 | ---- |
| 230 | * AristocratsAreEvil: Sir Wilfred Death, by virtue of his knighthood, and Guy de Glastonbury, by virtue of his politesse. |
| 231 | * BastardBastard: Sean, the Irish Bastard. |
| 232 | * BestialityIsDepraved: Apparently Jack Large is not above bull-buggering. |
| 233 | * BlackKnight: Sir Wilfred Death, if his "sir" is a genuine Knight title. |
| 234 | * CardCarryingVillain: The whole lot of them. |
| 235 | -->"May good thrive!"\ |
| 236 | "OVER OUR DEAD BODIES!" |
| 237 | * CarnivalOfKillers: The Black Seal was their rather inventive name. |
| 238 | * ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: Edmund has a hard enough time keeping them in check, but [[spoiler:when they realise that The Hawk is the biggest bastard of them all, they turn on Edmund in an instant.]] |
| 239 | * DepravedDwarf: Jack Large, or Unspeakably Violent Jack, as he's better known. |
| 240 | * DirtyOldMonk: Do not entrust Friar Bellows with your daughter's chastity. |
| 241 | * DragonInChief: For Edmund. To be precise they aren't wilier than him, but their toughness, sadism and cruelty faaaar outclass Edmund's so they easily overshadow and overrule him. |
| 242 | * TheDreaded: Excluding Sir Wilfred, the others are terrified of Jack Large. Horses whinny in terror at the mere mention of his name. |
| 243 | * EvenEvilHasStandards: Not exactly standards, but the rest of the crew is [[HorrifyingTheHorror scared]] when Sir Wilfred suggest taking Jack as the Sixth member, because his notoriety precedes him. Subverted once they meet him though, they find him an okay fella and get along fine and it turns to ArsonMurderAndAdmiration. |
| 244 | * EvilCripple: Three-Fingered Pete as an archer is not restricted by the number of his fingers or by good sportsmanship. |
| 245 | * EvilIsOneBigHappyFamily: They get along well with each other (excluding Edmund) despite (or because of) being a bunch of [[CardCarryingVillain Card Carrying Villains]]. |
| 246 | * EvilIsPetty: Sean the Irish bastard seems to be known as a ''bastard'' specifically because of this, robbing the blind while they're begging. |
| 247 | * FauxAffablyEvil: Guy de Glastonbury is perfectly polite and charming when holding up travellers for their money ''and'' their life. |
| 248 | * GargleBlaster / ImmuneToDrugs: Sean the Irish Bastard gets up after being poisoned, proclaiming the spiked wine to have "a bit of a sting in its tail" before [[TooDumbToLive drinking a second cup and dying.]] |
| 249 | * GoodScarsEvilScars: Three-Fingered Pete sports a large scar across his cheek and, true to his name, [[{{Fingore}} is missing two fingers.]] |
| 250 | * TheHighwayman: Guy de Glastonbury is one of these, though he prefers to kill the people afterward; as he puts it "Your money ''and'' your life". |
| 251 | * HotBlooded: Jack Large, a singularly vicious brawler manages to be even more hot-blooded than the rest of them. |
| 252 | * HypocriticalHumour: Friar Bellows, a supposed minister, gets so fed up with everyone else's hot-blooded attitudes interrupting Blackadder's attempts to explain what's what that he takes the Lord's name in vain to get them to shut up. |
| 253 | * IronicNickname: Edmund tries call Jack Large "Large Jack" (a sort of reverse [[Myth/RobinHood Little John]]) but Jack reacted with fury on how it was about his height (or lack thereof.) |
| 254 | * {{Jerkass}}: Sean the Irish Bastard didn't get his name because of his parentage, but rather because he's a real ''bastard'' (it's why Sir Wilfred chose him). He's introduced stealing from blind beggars. |
| 255 | * LegionOfDoom: The six most evil men in the land... [[MyFriendsAndZoidberg and Edmund.]] |
| 256 | * MisterBig: Jack Large, an in-joke regarding the famously huge "Little John". |
| 257 | * NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Several of them, most notably Sir Wilfred Death. |
| 258 | * OnlySaneMan: Friar Bellows is the only one of them capable of shutting up long enough to listen to Edmund's plan. He also points out that a messenger with the Black Plague would kill them. |
| 259 | * PsychoKnifeNut: Sean goes for sneak-attacks in shadowy narrows therefore he prefers something [[DeviousDaggers discreet and swift]]. Even though drinking makes him everything but. |
| 260 | * RedBaron: Jack Large is also known as "Unspeakably Violent Jack, the [[BestialityIsDepraved Bull-Buggering]] Beast Killer of No Fixed Abode". |
| 261 | * RunningGag: A sound of a bottle being uncorked follows Sean the Irish Bastard wherever he goes. |
| 262 | * SelfMadeOrphan: Most of them murdered their own families, although the Friar killed Sean's. |
| 263 | --> '''Sean''': Good on you, Father! |
| 264 | * SinisterMinister: Friar Bellows has a lust not only for virgins but also for murder (and he still has nothing on the [[EatsBabies Baby Eating Bishop Of Bath And Wells]] from ''II''.) |
| 265 | * TokenMinority: Sean the ''Irish'' Bastard. |
| 266 | * TooDumbToLive: Sean actually survives the first cup of poison, the only person to do so, gets up and ''has a second one'' because he "liked the sting in its tail". That one finishes him off. |
| 267 | * VillainousFriendship: They hate Edmund but all seem to like one another really well. Sean is perfectly happy to hear the Friar killed his much-hated family for him. |
| 268 | * VillainWithGoodPublicity: If anything, the Friar knows how to to act like a good Samaritan in front of his God-fearing and yet gullible flock. It is easy for him to then backstab them. |
| 269 | %%** CoolSword: Sir Wilfred Death |
| 270 | %%** BowAndSwordInAccord: Guy de Glastonbury carries a small crossbow. |
| 271 | %%** ChainPain: Friar Bellows seems to use his rosary as a garroting weapon, given that he brandishes it when the others have drawn their weapons. |
| 272 | %%** ExtremityExtremist: Jack, who favours his fists and his feet. And his head. |
| 273 | [[/folder]] |
| 274 | |
| 275 | [[folder:The Hawk]] |
| 276 | !!Phillip "The Hawk" of Burgundy |
| 277 | ->'''Played by:''' Patrick Allen, John Barrard (disguised) |
| 278 | [[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/blackadderhawk.jpg]] |
| 279 | ->''"I return at last after fifteen years. Waiting, plotting, nurturing my hatred and planning my revenge. Yes, fifteen years of living in France teaches a man to hate. Fifteen years of wearing perfume, fifteen years of eating frogs, fifteen years of saying 'Par-don' and all because of you."'' |
| 280 | |
| 281 | The smartest and meanest man in England, and Edmund's childhood rival who returns after fifteen years at France. His criminal record and superior intelligence leads the "Black Seal" to betray the Black Adder. |
| 282 | ---- |
| 283 | * BeardOfEvil: In contrast to the clean-shaven Edmund. |
| 284 | * BigBad: He becomes the undisputed leader of the Black Seal as he is the evilest and most ambitious one, effortlessly replacing Edmund. |
| 285 | * CoolAndUnusualPunishment: Is very fond of dishing these out. |
| 286 | * DiabolusExNihilo: Is never mentioned until about halfway through the last episode of the first series, when Edmund mentions him as being his greatest adversary. Seconds later he appears in person, and immediately takes over as the bad guy. |
| 287 | * EmbarrassingNickname: "The Thrush". |
| 288 | * EvilerThanThou: How he wins the allegiance of the Black Seal. Unusually, it's actually Edmund himself who unwittingly pushes the rest of the Black Seal into switching to him, thanks to his thoughtlessly listing the Hawk's many misdeeds. |
| 289 | * KnightOfCerebus: Most of the previous villains seen in the first series, including the rest of the Black Seal, had been played for laughs. The Hawk, on the other hand, is a mostly straightforward villain who immediately proves an extremely dangerous threat, succeeds in turning the Black Seal to his cause, and inflicts a horrific fate on Edmund, only being stopped from becoming king thanks to Baldrick and Percy. |
| 290 | * LargeHam: Has a dramatic way of speaking. When he tells Edmund his motive for revenge, he punctuates it by swinging his sword around. |
| 291 | * LatexPerfection: He somehow disguises himself as a tiny old Morris dancer, but when he removes his disguise Edmund still doesn't recognise him until he [[PaperThinDisguise removes his fake bushy eyebrows]]. |
| 292 | * NearVillainVictory: His efforts actually ''do'' result in the death of the entire Plantagenet family... except only indirectly, thanks to Percy's stupidity, and it ends up being Henry Tudor who seizes the vacant throne. |
| 293 | * RedBaron: "The Hawk" (and in his youth, the notably less impressive "The Thrush"). |
| 294 | * SelfMadeOrphan: Murdered his entire family. This could be the actual reason for his exile. |
| 295 | [[/folder]] |
| 296 | |
| 297 | [[folder:Henry Tudor]] |
| 298 | !! Henry VII Of England |
| 299 | -> '''Played by''' Peter Benson |
| 300 | [[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/blackadderhenryvii.jpg]] |
| 301 | |
| 302 | The head of the House of Tudor and Richard's rival for the throne of England, Henry Tudor loses the Battle Of Bosworth Field, but manages to escape capture thanks to Edmund's incompetence and greed, and goes into hiding. |
| 303 | ---- |
| 304 | * ConsummateLiar: Even assuming he is a decent ruler, it does not extend to his recalling of the historical events that he participated in. |
| 305 | * ForegoneConclusion: DoubleSubverted. The premise of the series is that Henry Tudor actually lost the Battle of Bosworth Field, setting the stage for the events of the first season. However, given that he is introduced as king rewriting history so that he actually won at Bosworth Field, he will ascend the throne at some point after the events of the season finale. |
| 306 | * HistoricalDomainCharacter: Like Richard III, Henry Tudor was one of the historical kings of England and the first of the Tudor dynasty (his son became the famous Henry VIII). |
| 307 | * ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He sounds like this compared to the bloodlust of Richard III and IV but judging by his actions after seizing power, it might not be true. Like a lot of other things... |
| 308 | * SavedByCanon: History has already recorded his reign and the first episode explains how his rule came about, so his survival is never in question. |
| 309 | * StarterVillain: Only serves as an antagonist for the first part of the first episode, and has no influence on later events. |
| 310 | * WrittenByTheWinners: After taking the throne, Henry rewrote the history books, erasing Richard IV's reign entirely and claiming that he had won the Battle of Bosworth field and reigned ever since. He also took the opportunity to demonize Richard III as a psychotic, deformed madman. |
| 311 | [[/folder]] |
| 312 | |
| 313 | !Blackadder II |
| 314 | [[folder:Nursie]] |
| 315 | !!Nursie/Bernard |
| 316 | ->'''Played By''': Patsy Byrne |
| 317 | [[quoteright:180:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/blackadder_s2_nursie_8753.jpg]] |
| 318 | |
| 319 | ->"Out you popped, out of your Mummy's tummy and everybody shouting : "It's a boy, it's a boy!". And somebody said "But it hasn't got a winkle!". And then I said [[ComicallyMissingThePoint "A boy without a winkle? God be praised, it is a miracle. A boy without a winkle!"]] And then Sir Thomas More pointed out that a boy without a winkle is a girl. And everyone was really disappointed." |
| 320 | |
| 321 | Queenie's former nurse, and constant companion. She's long since descended into senility. |
| 322 | |
| 323 | * {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Even more so than Queenie. She spends most of her time expounding on the bodily details of Queenie's infancy, rather than anything relevant to the rest of the characters. |
| 324 | * DirtyOldWoman: Blackadder describes her as a "sad, insane old woman with an udder fixation." |
| 325 | * EmbarrassingFirstName: Bernard. Her siblings are named Donald, Eric and Basil. She doesn't seem that bothered by it. |
| 326 | %%zce* EveryoneCallsHerBarkeep: No wonder. |
| 327 | * {{Expy}}: Of the traditional portrayal of the Nurse from ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'' [[note]]who internal evidence shows was actually in her mid-thirties, but is generally depicted as a dotty old woman[[/note]]. |
| 328 | * GenderBlenderName: Bernard, yeah. She also had three sisters: Donald, Eric and Basil. |
| 329 | * NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: She's a far less sane version of Elizabeth's real nanny, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blanche_Parry Blanche Parry]]. |
| 330 | * OldRetainer: She's been with Elizabeth since birth; perhaps that's why she's the only person the Queen never threatens to execute. |
| 331 | [[/folder]] |
| 332 | |
| 333 | [[folder:Kate/Bob]] |
| 334 | !!Kate/Bob |
| 335 | ->'''Played By''': Gabrielle Glaister |
| 336 | [[quoteright:160:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/301110_bob_6615.gif]] |
| 337 | |
| 338 | -> "Father, I must speak. I can be silent no longer. All day long you muttered to yourself, gibber, dribble, moan and bat your head against the wall, yelling "I want to die". Now you may say I'm leaping to conclusions but you're not ''completely'' happy, are you?" |
| 339 | |
| 340 | * {{Bifauxnen}}: "Bob" is attractive enough that she manages to catch the eye of the staunchly heterosexual Blackadder even before the big reveal. |
| 341 | * PaperThinDisguise: The only things she did that even remotely resemble disguising as a man is cut her hair slightly shorter and call herself "Bob". Still fooled Edmund though. |
| 342 | * ShoutOut: To Shakespeare's frequent use of crossdressing women as well as is frequent use of Kate as a name for [[PluckyGirl feisty young women]]. |
| 343 | * SweetPollyOliver: Disguises herself as a man to get a job to support her father, who preferred her to become a prostitute. |
| 344 | * WholesomeCrossdresser: Feels more comfortable dressed as a man and Changes into Lord Flashheart's clothes when he runs away with her. |
| 345 | --> '''Kate:''' You see, I found I actually preferred wearing boys clothes. |
| 346 | [[/folder]] |
| 347 | |
| 348 | [[folder:Captain Rum]] |
| 349 | !!Captain Redbeard Rum |
| 350 | ->'''Played By''': Creator/TomBaker |
| 351 | [[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/captainrum.jpg]] |
| 352 | -> "Truth to be told, I don't know the way to the Cape of Good Hope anyway! |
| 353 | |
| 354 | * AchievementsInIgnorance: Somehow managed to navigate to ''Australia'' despite not knowing how to get from England to France. |
| 355 | * AnArmAndALeg: Lost both his legs to a sailing accident long before meeting Blackadder. |
| 356 | * TheAlcoholic: Not that finding alcoholic seamen was difficult in those days. |
| 357 | * ButNotTooBi: He has a reputation for being found "[[HelloSailor up the old seadog]]," but falls for and proposes to Nursie the moment they meet. |
| 358 | * CaptainCrash: Does not have the slightest sense of navigational ability; his reputation as a captain revolves mostly around sailing around the Isle of Wight until everyone gets dizzy, then head back to England. |
| 359 | * HairMemento: When he's eaten by cannibals, Edmund saves his beard as a memento for Nursie. |
| 360 | * HeroicSacrifice: Rum gives his life so that his fellow sailors would live... and the natives they'd found would have something to go with their potatoes. |
| 361 | * LargeHam: Tom Baker, playing a mad, drunken captain. |
| 362 | * MadLibsCatchphrase: "You have a woman's [x], m'lord!" |
| 363 | * MilesGloriosus: He's got a dozen stories of ridiculously far-fetched survival in improbable situations. Whether they've actually happened is... pretty unlikely. Though the one about losing his legs is presumably true, since he hasn't got any. |
| 364 | * NoSenseOfDirection: He has no idea how to find France. Y'know, that country right next to Britain? With him at the helm, the ship winds up in the middle of nowhere, and it takes several months to get back. |
| 365 | * SeadogBeard: A long, bushy [[CaptainColorbeard red beard]]. |
| 366 | * TalkLikeAPirate: Safe to say he does this. His introductory line is a six-second-long "Aaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrr... me laddy." |
| 367 | [[/folder]] |
| 368 | |
| 369 | [[folder:Lord and Lady Whiteadder]] |
| 370 | !!Lord Nathaniel Whiteadder and Lady Whiteadder |
| 371 | ->'''Lord Whiteadder played by:''' Daniel Thorndike\ |
| 372 | '''Lady Whiteadder played by:''' Miriam Margolyes |
| 373 | |
| 374 | Lord Blackadder's Puritan uncle and aunt. |
| 375 | ---- |
| 376 | * AgainstMyReligion: It seems like everything is an abomination to them, from lying and drinking alcohol to sitting in chairs and mashing God's blessed turnip. |
| 377 | * AmbiguouslyRelated: Lady Whiteadder shares the same actress as Infanta Maria Escalosa and Queen Victoria, implying that they are somehow related. |
| 378 | * TheFundamentalist: They are extremely religious, with Lord Whiteadder having taken a vow of silence. Both of them wear white clothing and four crosses each. [[spoiler:Near the end, it's implied that Lord Whiteadder actually isn't that religious, as he breaks his vow of silence when his wife's not in the room]]. |
| 379 | * HolierThanThou: Lady Whiteadder frequently calls Edmund a "wicked child" for whatever he does that she considers a sin. |
| 380 | * HypocriticalHumor: [[spoiler:As it turns out, Lord Whiteadder isn't as religious or as unreasonable as his wife, breaking his vow of silence to tell his nephew thanks for the dinner. The episode also ends with both him and Lady Whiteadder as drunk as the rest of the characters.]] |
| 381 | * InformedAttribute: Edmund says they're rich (which is his motivation for trying to make a good impression on them), but due to their opposition to "extravagance," they don't make any display of wealth at all other than their [[TheRichHaveWhiteStuff white clothing]]. They don't even own chairs. |
| 382 | * LargeHam: Lady Whiteadder spends much of her appearance loudly and pompously denouncing things that offend her religious sensibilities. |
| 383 | * NoFullNameGiven: Lady Whiteadder isn't given a first name. |
| 384 | * PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Primarily 'villainous' in the sense that they're the antagonising force of the episode they appear in (they're coming to visit, and Blackadder's sole goal is making sure that he remains in their good graces, and thus [[{{Greed}} their wills]]), though their crazed fanaticism doesn't do them any favours. |
| 385 | -->'''Lady Whiteadder''': Cold is God's way of telling us to ''burn more Catholics!'' |
| 386 | * UncertainDoom: Given that Sir Blackadder in ''The Cavalier Years'' is referred to as the sole descendant of the Blackadder dynasty, that implies the Whiteadder family died out or fell into obscurity. |
| 387 | [[/folder]] |
| 388 | |
| 389 | [[folder:The Bishop of Bath and Wells]] |
| 390 | !!The Baby-Eating Bishop of Bath and Wells |
| 391 | ->'''Played By''': Creator/RonaldLacey |
| 392 | [[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bishopofbathandwells.jpg]] |
| 393 | -> "I will have my money or... YOUR BOTTOM WILL WISH IT HAD NEVER BEEN BORN!" |
| 394 | |
| 395 | * ArsonMurderAndAdmiration: |
| 396 | -->'''Bishop:''' You fiend! Never have I encountered such corrupt and foul-minded perversity! Have you ever considered a career in the Church? |
| 397 | -->'''Edmund:''' No, I could never get used to the underwear. |
| 398 | * AssShove: The ultimate fate of anyone who doesn't pay their loans. "It's '''''POKER TIME!'''''" |
| 399 | * BigBad: In the episode "Money" where he appeared he gave the Queenie a run for her money as an individual threat with authority, or more accurately he gave Edmund a run for ''his'' money that almost ended with Edmund despairing and even giving a dejected goodbye to the Queenie and Melchett. |
| 400 | * ChildEater: No children, Blackadder? In that case, he'll skip breakfast and get down to business. |
| 401 | * DirtyOldMonk: A [[CardCarryingVillain self-proclaimed colossal pervert]] who regularly plays "Nuns and Novices" with prostitutes. |
| 402 | * TheDreaded: Has enough of a reputation that name-dropping him is apparently a good way to get rid of unwanted visitors. Unless he ''is'' the unwanted visitor. |
| 403 | * EatsBabies: After drowning them during christenings. |
| 404 | * EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: He is only ever referred to as the Baby-Eating Bishop of Bath and Wells. |
| 405 | * ExtremeOmnisexual: Summed up here: |
| 406 | --> "You see, I am a colossal pervert. No form of sexual depravity is too low for me. Animal, vegetable or mineral, I'll do anything ''to'' anything." |
| 407 | * FatBastard: Unsurprisingly given his [[EatsBabies dietary habits]]. But [[BerserkButton don't call him "Fatso" if you know what's good for you.]] [[TooDumbToLive If you do, more than likely]] "It's '''''POKER TIME!'''''" |
| 408 | * IncomingHam: "I ''AM'' THE BABY EATING BISHOP OF BATH AND WELLS!" |
| 409 | * LargeHam: Possibly the hammiest character in all of Series 2, matched only by Prince Ludwig and Lady Whiteadder. |
| 410 | * LoanShark: Assistant manager of the Bank of the Black Monks of St. Herod ("Banking with a smile and a stab"). Their motto: "Repayment or revenge." He admits to Blackadder that he [[PsychoForHire hates it when people pay up, as he rather enjoys what he gets to do to those who don't.]] |
| 411 | * NeverHeardThatOneBefore: It seems he and the Church have long since lost patience with those who try to get out of repayment by claiming they've lost their wallets. Blackadder is taken to see the gravestone of the last bugger who did this, and how it details his horrible bottom-agony related fate. |
| 412 | * SinisterMinister: He visits prostitutes, eats children, and kills people who don't pay their debts by shoving red-hot pokers up their backsides. And this is all PlayedForLaughs. |
| 413 | * VillainWithGoodPublicity: In spite of the aforementioned baby-eating, he's apparently of good standing with the Queen and his parishioners. "As far as my flock is concerned, my one vice is a tipple before evensong." Blackadder gets the upper hand by endangering his reputation. |
| 414 | [[/folder]] |
| 415 | |
| 416 | !Blackadder The Third |
| 417 | [[folder:Mrs. Miggins]] |
| 418 | !!Mrs. Miggins |
| 419 | ->'''Played By''': Helen Atkinson-Wood |
| 420 | [[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mrsmiggins.jpg]] |
| 421 | |
| 422 | * AllLoveIsUnrequited: At one point she confesses hoping that Blackadder would settle down with her and they would await the slither of tiny Adders. Blackadder responds that he'd rather start a family with Baldrick than with her. |
| 423 | * AscendedExtra: Mrs. Miggins' Pie Shop was mentioned once in ''Blackadder II'', presumably owned by her ancestor. Here the pie shop is not only a recurring location, but she is a supporting character. |
| 424 | * DifferentInEveryEpisode: Her costuming and coffeeshop usually reflect whatever subject the plot is centered on -- in "Duel and Duality" she wears tartan, in "Nob and Nobility" the shop is infested with exiled Frenchmen and she's changed the menu to reflect it, and "Sense and Senility" has her in heavy stage makeup. |
| 425 | * TheDitz: Freely cops to the fact she has "a brain the size of a sultana". |
| 426 | * LethalChef: Blackadder calls her coffee "hot brown water with grit in it" and her "French" menu uses horse's willies as sausages. Her "Scarlet Pimpernel Sauce" is made of frogs. |
| 427 | * ThrowTheDogABone: After a whole season being abused by Blackadder, she throws in with his cousin [=MacAdder=] and goes off to Scotland with him ([=MacAdder=] does seem pretty convinced she'll die up there, though). |
| 428 | [[/folder]] |
| 429 | |
| 430 | [[folder:Pitt the Younger]] |
| 431 | !!Prime Minister William Pitt, the Younger |
| 432 | ->'''Played By''': Simon Osborne |
| 433 | [[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/blackadderpitt.jpg]] |
| 434 | -> "Sirs, as I said to Chancellor Metternich at the Congress of Strasbourg: Pooh to you with knobs on!" |
| 435 | |
| 436 | * AgeLift: The real Pitt the Younger was an adult when he took office, but it's way funnier to portray him as so much "younger" that he's an actual teenager. |
| 437 | * ArchEnemy: Immediately sets himself up as this to Prince George, by attempting to remove him from the civil list and impoverish him. Though his attempt fails thanks to the House of Lords, and Pitt's never seen on-screen again after the first episode, he and George apparently remain sworn enemies. |
| 438 | * CreateYourOwnVillain: At least some of Pitt's hatred for George is his exorbitant spending, which is being fed by Blackadder stealing his socks. |
| 439 | * FreudianExcuse: He seeks to destroy the Prince mainly because the Prince's entitled stupidity is the sort of thing he had to deal with in school, where the rich kids used poor kids as living toast racks. |
| 440 | * InsufferableGenius: For a certain value of "genius" of course, considering he's evidently an extremely skilled politician, but still has a pretty limited education seeing how he became Prime Minister in his mid-late teens. Either way, he more than nails down the "insufferable" part of the trope, constantly bombarding Blackadder and the Prince with juvenile insults whenever they speak, and only comes off as the lesser of two evils due to George being even more obnoxious and completely clueless. |
| 441 | * NotSoAboveItAll: While he rightfully points out the shocking amount that Prince George spends on frivolous items, Pitt encourages his younger brother to bribe and intimidate people in the Dunny-on-the-Wold by-election. |
| 442 | * {{Wangst}}: InUniverse. Because he's a teenager. So after boasting about how he's going to ruin the Prince and Blackadder, he then quietly asks if the downy hair emerging on his chest is normal, and how to deal with getting so lonely, before finally beginning to recite a poem he wrote about it that begins "Why do nice girls hate me?" At this point, Blackadder calls him a "nauseating adolescent" and tells him to get out. |
| 443 | [[/folder]] |
| 444 | |
| 445 | [[folder:Dr. Johnson]] |
| 446 | !!Dr. Samuel Johnson |
| 447 | ->'''Played By''': Creator/RobbieColtrane |
| 448 | [[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/drjohnsonblackadder.jpg]] |
| 449 | -> "I simply observed, sir, that I am felicitous, since during the course of the penultimate solar sojurn, I terminated my uninterrupted categorization of the vocabulary of our post-Norman tongue." |
| 450 | |
| 451 | * AxCrazy: Spending ten years writing his dictionary -- during which both his parents died, his wife cheated on him on an industrial scale, none of which he paid the slighted attention to -- has made him more than a little unhinged, and he's quite prepared to kill anyone who lets anything happen to it. |
| 452 | * BerserkButton: As you'd expect, having anything happen to the dictionary he spent ten years writing sets him off to the point of being ready to commit murder. Finding out that he's missed a word as common as "sausage" out of the dictionary also causes him to storm out in anger. |
| 453 | * {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: He has some... interesting metaphors. Bearing in mind, he is quite mad. |
| 454 | * CutHisHeartOutWithASpoon: Initially seems generally calm when discussing the hypothetical situation of his dictionary becoming lost. Until... |
| 455 | -->'''Dr. Johnson:''' If any man did so, I would cut out his entrails, and ''feed it to the cat!'' |
| 456 | * EveryoneHasStandards: Utterly psychotic he may be, but he's willing to hold off murdering in order to maintain a general good humour. |
| 457 | * NoPlansNoPrototypeNoBackup: Deems making a copy of his dictionary to be "time-consuming and completely unnecessary" considering he doesn't intend to lose it, damage it, or have some moronic servant throw it on the fire. Which proves more than a little problematic when the latter ends up happening anyway. |
| 458 | * SesquipedalianLoquaciousness: The quote above is how he tells George that he's pleased about having finished his dictionary the previous night. |
| 459 | * TemptingFate: Proudly proclaims that he's not left a single word out of his dictionary. Even ignoring the {{Perfectly Cromulent Word}}s that Edmund throws his way, it turns out that he missed "aardvark" and "sausage". |
| 460 | [[/folder]] |
| 461 | |
| 462 | [[folder:French Ambassador]] |
| 463 | !!French Ambassador |
| 464 | ->'''Played By''': Creator/ChrisBarrie |
| 465 | [[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/frenchambassador.jpg]] |
| 466 | ->"Gentlemen, welcome to the last day of your lives!" |
| 467 | |
| 468 | * AssInAmbassador: After capturing Blackadder, Baldrick, and Frou-Frou, he sentences them all to death; the latter for being an aristocrat, and the former two [[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain because]] he just doesn't like the English. On top of that, he comes across as a generally unpleasant person during his screentime, even if his insults aren't terribly effective. |
| 469 | * BiggerIsBetterInBed: Inverted; he bears a grudge against the English for the stereotype of all Frenchmen being great lovers when he is, in his own words, "hung like a baby carrot and a couple of petit pois". |
| 470 | * TheDogBitesBack: After Blackadder, still not knowing exactly who he is, asks to be taken to the ambassador using YouNoTakeCandle speech and pantomimed gestures, he takes great delight in explaining the actual situation using similarly pantomimed gestures before sentencing the three to death. |
| 471 | * EvenEvilHasStandards: Whatever torture Madame Guillotine (really Smedley) whispered in his ear as ''her'' final sentence of Edmund and Balders, it must have been beyond gruesome to make him, a hardened extremist who turned someone into pate, ready to gag. |
| 472 | * EverybodyCallsHimBarkeep: We never find out what his actual name is, with the dialogue and credits only referring to him as "ambassador" -- and even that's a self-proclaimed title after he killed the previous ambassador. |
| 473 | * ImAHumanitarian: He claims to have made his predecessor into pate and strongly implies that he ate it. |
| 474 | * KlingonPromotion: He kills the previous, pro-aristocracy ambassador and takes over the position himself. |
| 475 | * LameComeback: His and Frou-Frou's attempts at insulting each other mostly just consist of comparing each other to animals. |
| 476 | * NearVillainVictory: One that even he himself isn't aware of; he comes very close to eliminating the revolutionaries' greatest enemy, the Scarlet Pimpernel without ever realising he had him in custody. |
| 477 | * RightForTheWrongReasons: He sentences Frou-Frou to death for being an aristocrat, not realising that he's actually dealing with an ''English'' aristocrat rather than a French one. |
| 478 | * WhatHappenedToTheMouse: He's last seen [[EvenEvilHasStandards running out]] of the prison cell gagging after Madame Guillotine (really Smedley) gives him a particularly disgusting impression of what she intends to do to Blackadder and Baldrick. It's not clear whether Frou-Frou (really Topper) took the chance to dispose of him, or if he was simply distracted while the trio made their escape. |
| 479 | [[/folder]] |
| 480 | |
| 481 | [[folder:Keanrick and Mossop]] |
| 482 | !!David Keanrick and Enoch Mossop |
| 483 | ->'''Played By''': Hugh Paddick (Keanrick); Creator/KennethConnor (Mossop) |
| 484 | [[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/keanrickmossop.jpg]] |
| 485 | -> "AAAH! Hot potato, orchestra stalls, Puck will make amends!" |
| 486 | |
| 487 | * AmbiguouslyGay: In addition to them both having stereotypically CampGay mannerisms, when Blackadder approaches them and says he has "a proposition" (which they mistakenly take as him coming onto them), their only objection is the fact that they just met Blackadder, rather than his gender. |
| 488 | * {{Hypocrite}}: They both mock the speech that Blackadder prepared for the Prince Regent -- the RealLife counterpart of which is widely regarded as one of the real Prince George's (later George IV's) greatest speeches -- and then do a reading of their hideously awful self-penned play ''The Bloody Murder of the Foul Prince Romero and his Enormously Bosomed Wife''. |
| 489 | ** They preach artistic integrity, but they make no attempt to improve Prince George's acting skills, praising his terrible attempts at performance, and so not delivering the service they are being lucratively paid for. |
| 490 | * {{Jerkass}}: While Blackadder's repeatedly mentioning "''Theatre/{{Macbeth}}''" in their presence naturally drives this up, they already behave in a pretty jerkish fashion towards him even when they first meet in Mrs. Miggins' pie shop. |
| 491 | * LargeHam: To be fair, this is pretty much traditional in British stage acting, but even so these two turn it up a notch, both in their plays and when in the private company of Prince George. |
| 492 | * MoneyDearBoy: In-universe; they talk at length about how important their audience is to them, but immediately blow said audience off for the prestige (and presumably pay) of working with the Prince Regent. |
| 493 | * MuggingTheMonster: They constantly belittle and patronise Blackadder, disdaining him as a "mere butler"... something which backfires spectacularly on them when he convinces the incredibly gullible Prince George that they're anarchists and assassins. |
| 494 | * TooDumbToLive: Rehearsing a scene comprised entirely of describing how you want to brutally kill a prince while staying in the home of a prince who's both a complete idiot and currently extremely paranoid that he's going to be assassinated by anarchists wasn't the brightest idea. |
| 495 | [[/folder]] |
| 496 | |
| 497 | [[folder:[=MacAdder=]]] |
| 498 | !![=MacAdder=] |
| 499 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/macadder.jpg]] |
| 500 | %%[[caption-width-right:350:some caption text]] |
| 501 | ->'''Played By:''' Creator/RowanAtkinson |
| 502 | |
| 503 | Mr Blackadder's Scottish cousin. |
| 504 | ---- |
| 505 | * DumbMuscle: He's not very bright, but according to his cousin he's a dangerous fighter. |
| 506 | * HiddenDepths: Despite only being a kipper salesman, he's apparently a skilled swordsman and described by his cousin as being the "most dangerous man ever to wear a skirt in Europe". |
| 507 | * NoFullNameGiven: [=MacAdder=] isn't given a first name, though his wife Morag and children Jamie and Angus are named. |
| 508 | * {{Irony}}: |
| 509 | ** Claims to be the rightful king of England, and technically he's right since he's a descendant of Prince Edmund, while in the same episode he appears in [[spoiler:his cousin steals the identity of the Prince, and presumably becomes king years later]]. |
| 510 | ** The fact that he isn't named Blackadder is quite ironic, as in real life Blackadder is a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clan_Blackadder Scottish last name and a clan]]. |
| 511 | [[/folder]] |
| 512 | |
| 513 | [[folder:King George III]] |
| 514 | !!King George The Third |
| 515 | ->'''Played By''': Creator/GertanKlauber |
| 516 | [[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/georgeiiiblackadder.jpg]] |
| 517 | -> "Someone said my son was here. I wish him to marry this rosebush, and I want to make the wedding arrangements." |
| 518 | |
| 519 | * ZeroPercentApprovalRating: Pretty much every time he's mentioned, everyone talks about how bad a ruler he is, only slightly edged out by his son who doesn't have the defence of insanity to explain his ridiculous behavior. |
| 520 | * AdaptationalNationality: PlayedWith. The real King George III was born in Britain and was actually the first of the House of Hanover to speak English as his native language. Here, his German heritage is played up [[PlayedForLaughs for comedy's sake.]] |
| 521 | * CloudCuckooLander: Inbreeding, encroaching senility and plain old aristocratic lunacy hasn't done him any favors. |
| 522 | * TheGhost: Is mentioned several times over the series, but doesn't appear in person until the last few minutes. |
| 523 | * HistoricalDomainCharacter: The actual King of Britain of the era. |
| 524 | * HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: Played with; he first appears minutes after [[spoiler:his son has been shot by Wellington]] and tells the disguised Blackadder "this is the first time I've truly felt fatherly towards you". Apparently he's a good enough judge of character to tell what a blundering idiot George is, but not enough to work out how untrustworthy Blackadder is. |
| 525 | [[/folder]] |
| 526 | |
| 527 | !Blackadder Goes Forth |
| 528 | [[folder:Bob Parkhurst]] |
| 529 | !!Bob "Bobbie" Parkhurst |
| 530 | ->'''Played By''': Gabrielle Glaister |
| 531 | [[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/driverparkhurst.jpg]] |
| 532 | ->"Permission to slip into something more uncomfortable, sir." |
| 533 | |
| 534 | General Melchett's driver, she's actually a young girl who desires to help in the war just like her brothers. |
| 535 | ---- |
| 536 | * AmbiguouslyRelated: Since Kate left Lord Blackadder for Lord Flashheart, it's possible that Bob and Captain Flashheart are distantly related. |
| 537 | * TheDriver: For Melchett. When Flashheart gets stranded in the trenches he demands she be sent to pick him up, almost certainly so he can hit on her on the way back to HQ. |
| 538 | * IdenticalGrandson: She looks and acts much like her 16th century ancestress, though it's implied her actual name is Roberta since in her second appearance she starts using the unisex name "Bobbie". |
| 539 | * PaperThinDisguise: It doesn't fool Blackadder this time around. When [[RecursiveCrossdressing she actually dresses as a girl for a stage show]], Melchett and Darling think it is a poor attempt at a drag act. |
| 540 | * SweetPollyOliver: She dressed up as a man so she could join the army and fight in the war like her brothers. By "Private Plane" she seems to have abandoned the disguise and is seen wearing a women's uniform around HQ. |
| 541 | ** The Women's Auxiliary Army Corps was formed in 1917. Perhaps she heard about the creation of the WAAC between "Major Star" and "Private Plane", presented herself to a WAAC officer and admitted her deception, and the WAAC issued her with a uniform and posted her back to General Melchett's HQ. |
| 542 | [[/folder]] |
| 543 | |
| 544 | [[folder:The Red Baron]] |
| 545 | !!Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen |
| 546 | ->'''Played By''': Creator/AdrianEdmondson |
| 547 | [[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/blackadderredbaron.jpg]] |
| 548 | -> "How lucky you English are to find the toilet so amusing. For us, it is a mundane and functional item. For you, the basis of an entire culture." |
| 549 | |
| 550 | * AcePilot: More than one ace is cheating though so... |
| 551 | * CastingGag: He often worked with Creator/RikMayall, and generally was a tormentor to Mayall's characters. In this show, Mayall (playing Flashheart) [[KilledMidSentence kills him mid sentence]] and calls him a poof. |
| 552 | * CoolAndUnusualPunishment: His planned FateWorseThanDeath for Blackadder is to have him teaching at a German girl's school for the rest of his life, completely unaware that that would actually be paradise for Blackadder. |
| 553 | * EuropeansAreKinky: Baldrick's concerns about Germans doing anyone are proven correct when Richthofen tells him he'll be out 'round the back of the supply bunker if Baldrick's interested... |
| 554 | * {{Expy}}: He's obviously supposed to be the equivalent of Ludwig from the second season, but IdenticalGrandson isn't in play because Laurie is playing a different, also German descended role in this series. |
| 555 | * HistoricalBadassUpgrade: {{Inverted|Trope}}; the real Manfred von Richthofen was a WW 1 cavalry officer who trained as a pilot once it became clear that cavalry was obsolete, and who then insisted on being a fighter pilot because he didn't want to fly transports, and who then became the highest-scoring ace of the war, with 80 confirmed victories. He once flew his plane ''through a thunderstorm'' just to see what it was like, and commented afterwards that he was lucky to get away with it and wouldn't do it again unless ordered to. When he was killed, he wasn't even properly shot down: he was fatally wounded in the chest and went on to ''land his plane'' with only light damage, before dying in his seat, before being given a funeral with fully military honours by his enemies. Who ''wept'' at the funeral. The fictional Richthofen, while still an AcePilot, is an idiot Bond villain type who gets shot. Much funnier, though. |
| 556 | * {{Kaiserreich}}: He is very German. |
| 557 | * RedBaron: The Original. |
| 558 | * SmugSnake: One wonders if he is related to Prince Ludwig. |
| 559 | * StraightGay: Certainly seems to have a thing for Lord Flashheart. He also stands as being the only person (aside from Flasheart) in all ''Blackadder'' to proposition Baldrick. |
| 560 | * UnknownRival: Obsessed with defeating Lord Flashheart, who really doesn't give a shit. |
| 561 | * WickedCultured: But an unenlightened one on what constitutes torture. |
| 562 | * WorthyOpponent: How he sees Lord Flashheart. Flash, alas, just sees a poof who needs shooting. |
| 563 | * WrongGenreSavvy: He believes he and Flashheart are locked in a great game of one-upmanship and are worthy opponents and expects them to have a long and friendly chat before a duel to the death. Flashheart just shoots him. |
| 564 | [[/folder]] |
| 565 | |
| 566 | [[folder:Field Marshal Haig]] |
| 567 | !!Field Marshal Haig |
| 568 | ->'''Played By''': Geoffrey Palmer |
| 569 | [[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/blackadderhaig.jpg]] |
| 570 | |
| 571 | * ArmchairMilitary: It's clearly been a while since he was last out in the field. His sole appearance in the series sees him standing over a battlefield map and carelessly tossing the soldier figures over his shoulder after they "die". |
| 572 | * GeneralRipper: Unlike Melchett, who is just too stupid to see how idiotic and ineffectual his tactics are, the model army he plays with indicates that Haig knows full well the massive price in blood that his strategies demand for minor territorial gains, [[TheSociopath and simply doesn't give a damn.]] |
| 573 | * HistoricalVillainUpgrade: The show goes for the "lion led by donkeys" portrayal of Haig, depicting him as a man utterly indifferent to the deaths of his soldiers. The real Haig ''did'' preside over very costly offensives, but he pushed them in an attempt to relieve his French allies. Most people who worked with Haig described him as an empathetic man who failed to grasp the realities of modern warfare, which was common among generals of his age. And after the war, he did devote the rest of his life to helping veterans of the war. |
| 574 | * IOweYouMyLife: Blackadder once saved him from a pygmy who was wielding a deadly mango fruit, and cashes in the favour he's owed years later. Unfortunately for him, Haig just tells him to try the ObfuscatingInsanity tactic that he'd already tried and failed with earlier in the episode and [[UngratefulBastard then hangs up]]. |
| 575 | * KarmaHoudini: Like Melchett, he not only lives through the war (assuming Blackadder history unfolds like ours), but is highly decorated for his actions during it. |
| 576 | [[/folder]] |
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