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[[File:blackadder_6161.jpg|frame|[[Identical Grandson|They're all related?]] [[Sarcasm Mode|I never would have guessed!]]]]
{{quote|''"I am a fully rounded human being, with a degree from the university of life, a diploma from the [[School of Hard Knocks]], and three gold stars from the [[Precision F-Strike|kindergarten of getting the shit kicked out of me]]"''.
|'''Captain Edmund Blackadder''', ''Blackadder Goes Forth''}}
A deliciously vicious collection of [[Britcom|British comedies]], all centering around various generations of the Blackadder family as embodied in its sole visible member, Edmund -- a cynical, snide and outright caustic British nobleman (he'd be a [[Deadpan Snarker]] if he could just stop sneering) who never seems to succeed at most of his schemes, but never quite loses either (except usually at the end, where he dies horribly or wins spectacularly). Each Edmund in each generation is aided by a [[Bumbling Sidekick]] in the shape of his corresponding Baldrick, an ignorant and filthy manservant and dogsbody of unhealthy habits and preoccupations. His typical [[Foil]] is a classic [[
Season one, written by [[Rowan Atkinson]] and Richard Curtis, featured Blackadder as a hapless loser, Baldrick as his more cunning servant, and a series of Shakespearean in-jokes. Much of the humour was reliant on the sort of rubber-faced comic buffoonery Atkinson would later use in ''[[Mr. Bean]]''. The show had lots of expensive location footage but was not a ratings success. Nonetheless it was recommissioned for a second series, (albeit with a drastically reduced budget), which, after a change of direction, and writers, [[Grew the Beard]] and became extremely well-loved. The show was a smash hit from its second season onwards. Seasons two to four saw [[Ben Elton]] replace Atkinson on the writing team, the Blackadder character [[Retool|repurposed]] as the [[Deadpan Snarker]], and a greater emphasis on clever dialogue, running gags, and historical subversion. The retooled show became a comedy institution, although it has resisted several attempts at revival.
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Besides the great writing, ''Blackadder'''s success rests on the shoulders of stars Rowan Atkinson and Tony Robinson, whose comic instincts combine to produce some of the most delightfully snarky wit that has ever been seen on television. A similarly skilled supporting cast, including Miranda Richardson, [[Hugh Laurie]], Tim McInnerny, Rik Mayall, and [[Stephen Fry]] just added to the pleasure and the outrage.
* ''The Black Adder''. An alternate history set during the period of the [[Wars of the Roses]].
* ''Blackadder II''. [[The Virgin Queen|Elizabethan]] London.
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* ''Blackadder Goes Forth''. [[World War I]], in the trenches of the Western Front.
* ''Blackadder: The Cavalier Years''. Set during the English Civil War
* ''Blackadder's Christmas Carol''. Victorian era, an [[Affectionate Parody]] of ''[[A Christmas Carol]]''
* ''Blackadder Back & Forth''. The 21st Century Blackadder and Baldrick trip through time in a [[Doctor Who|TARDIS]].
All four seasons, but not the specials, are available on Netflix.
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There exists an unaired pilot episode of the first season, which can with some luck be found floating around on the internet. It featured Prince Black Adder as a [[Deadpan Snarker]] and Baldrick as the idiot dogsbody the fans came to know from season two onwards; unfortunately this direction was not kept, and instead the characters were rewritten and the humour based on inane physical [[Slapstick]]. Several jokes and scenes of the unaired pilot were recycled in various first season episodes.
Came second in ''[[Britain's
[[Blackadder/Recap|Recap]] still under construction, help will be much appreciated.
----
{{tropelist}}
== Tropes Present Across the Series ==
* [[The Ace]]: Lord Flashheart
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* [[Buffy-Speak]]: Several times.
** ''Blackadder II'' - Edmund is trying to avoid drinking because he [[Can't Hold His Liquor]].
{{quote|
** ''Blackadder the Third'' - Edmund is attempting to bring the dim-witted Prince up to speed on the state of the nation.
{{quote|
* [[Bumbling Sidekick]]: Baldrick is a well-love example of the trope (and indeed the former [[Trope Namer]]), appearing from the second and subsequent seasons.
* [[But You Screw One Goat!]]: A running gag across all four series.
** Lord Melchett, Lord Melchett, intelligent and deep. / Lord Melchett, Lord Melchett, a shame about the sheep!
* [[Butt Monkey]]: Baldrick is probably the most obvious, but Percy, George, Darling and Edmund himself all fit the bill in some way as well.
{{quote|
Blackadder, Blackadder – life deals him a bum hand! }}
* [[The Casanova]]: Flashheart.
* [[Catch Phrase]]:
{{quote|
'''Melchetts''': "[[But You Screw One Goat!|BAAAAA!]]"
'''Blackadder''': "...well quite." }}
* [[The Chain of Harm]]: Discussed (and simultaneously played out) in ''[[Blackadder]] III'':
{{quote|
'''Baldrick:''' And what do I do?
'''Blackadder:''' Nothing. You are [[Butt Monkey|last in God's great chain]]. }}
* [[Characterization Marches On]]: As already mentioned, Blackadder was far less competent in the first series whereas Baldrick was far more intelligent.
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* [[The Gump]]: Captain Blackadder from ''Blackadder Goes Forth'' is the only incarnation who isn't a friend/relative of a government figure. However, he did save Field Marshall Haig from a mango-wielding pygmy at Mboto Gorge. The intro to ''Blackadder: Back & Forth'' lampshades this with a montage of various incarnations throughout history, including one Desert Rat giving the bird to [[Winston Churchill]] behind his back.
* [[High Turnover Rate]]: Archbishop of Canterbury in the first series, Lord High Executioner in the second. And you can probably guess who gets both those jobs, just after the [[High Turnover Rate]] is commented on in detail.
{{quote|
* [[Historical Beauty Update]]: Discussed on the trope page.
* [[Historical In-Joke]]: The entire premise of the show (particularly the first series) with many references helpfully explained on the DVD collection for those of us unfamiliar with British history. The best of these is the final episode of the third series, which explains why the moronic Prince George is remembered by history as a man of wit and character.
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** Possibly true for Prince George and Lieutenant George.
** Also the Melchetts, Percys, Flashhearts and Kate (aka Bob)
* [[Idiosyncratic Episode Naming]]: Titles of season 2 episodes are one word long and pertain to the subject of the episode in question ("Bells" as in wedding bells, "Chains" referring to imprisonment); season 3 uses [[The Noun and the Noun]] (to reference ''[[Sense and Sensibility (novel)|Sense and Sensibility]]'' and ''[[Pride and Prejudice]]'', which are set in the same era) - for example "Dish and Dishonesty"; season 4 gives all bar one its titles military ranks with double meanings - "Private Plane," "Major Star," "General Hospital," etc- the exception being "Goodbyeee...", the last one, named after a popular [[World War
* [[Just Like Robin Hood]]: Parodied briefly.
* [[Kill'Em All]]: Played for laughs in the finales of seasons 1 and 2, then {{spoiler|played [[Drama Bomb Finale|tragically straight]] in the finale of season 4}}.
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* [[Unsympathetic Comedy Protagonist]]: Particularly the season three Blackadder, who is a thief and a murderer several times over by the finale.
** In season two, no one - including the balladeer - cares about him much:
{{quote|
Blackadder, Blackadder – who gives a toss? No one! }}
* [[
* [[Villain Protagonist]]: Played with in Edmund, although only the third really qualifies.
* [[With Friends Like These...]]: Blackadder to Percy in the first two series.
* [[World of Snark]]: The shallowness, stupidity, and downright arrogance of the world around him make Blackadder's hijinks as a [[Villain Protagonist]] [[Kick the Son of a Bitch|particularly satisfying]]
* [[Zany Scheme]]: Blackadder tends to have one for every occasion. Baldrick also cooks all sorts of these up...problem is, with his intelligence, most of them border on the ridiculous (Such as in season 3's "Nob and Nobility", where he suggests to Edmund that they wait until their heads have been cut off by French revolutionaries before they make an escape, in the manner of a headless chicken). His season 1 plans were perfectly feasible and at times even [[Hitman|worthy of Codename 47]]. That said though, Edmund does take him up on one plan in season 4. Percy also had his share of these in the first two seasons.
** Sometimes the situation is shown as being so desperate that Blackadder is forced to resort to one of Baldrick's plans due to the lack of any other alternatively (for example, trying to rewrite The Dictionary which take Samuel Johnson 10 years in only two nights).
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* [[Arranged Marriage]]: Edmund is arranged to marry the Infanta for diplomatic reasons. When the political situation changes, he ends up marrying an eight-year-old princess - which, oddly, was [[Truth in Television]].
* [[Bragging Theme Tune]]: The theme is a parody of this trope. Although it does say how wonderful Blackadder is, it does seem like the truth slips out.
* [[Burn the Witch]]: "Witchsmeller Pursuivant"
* [[Catch Phrase]]: King Richard IV's "'''[[Brian Blessed|CHISWICK!!]] [[Large Ham|FRESH HORSES!!]]'''
* [[Carnival of Killers]]: The "six most evil men in England" in "The Black Seal".
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* [[The Middle Ages]]: The setting of the first series. (See also [[The Late Middle Ages]])
* [[My Name Is Not Durwood]]: The King has a habit of calling Edmund by different names (Occasionally {{spoiler|(read: deliberately and [[Once an Episode]])}} forgetting Edmund's his son at all). The King finally calls him Edmund in the last episode {{spoiler|after he wakes from his torture-induced coma}}, leading to this exchange:
{{quote|
'''Edmund''': Father, you called me Edmund!
'''King Richard''': Sorry, Edgar. }}
* [[Pet the Dog]]: Edmund reading a bedtime story to his child wife at the end of "The Queen of Spain's Beard".
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* [[Title Drop]]: Parodied in the first episode when Edmund decides to take the name of The Black...Vegetable! Fortunately Baldrick suggests a better title for the series/his Lord.
* [[Translator Buddy]]: The Spanish Infanta's translator, who provides a few cheap gags.
* [[Unusually Uninteresting Sight]]: [[
* [["The Villain Sucks" Song]]: You horrid little man!
* [[What Do You Mean It's Not Heinous?]]: In "The Archbishop", Baldrick shows off a range of priced curses signed by ecclesiastical figures, the cheapest of which reads "Dear Enemy, I curse you, and I hope something moderately unpleasant happens to you, like an onion falling on your head".
== Tropes Present in ''Blackadder II'' ==
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* [[Ax Crazy]]: Queenie enjoys beheading everyone and anyone for the slimmest of reasons. She just has other people do the beheading for her.
* [[Bawdy Song]]: Several examples in "Beer", all of which are also [[Drunken Song|Drunken Songs]].
{{quote|
See his little feet
And his little nosey-wose
Isn't the goblin sweet? }}
*** YES!
* [[Buffy-Speak]] (Notably in "Beer")
{{quote|
** In "Money", Edmund (usually a master of similes) says: "The grave opens up before me like a... big hole in the ground."
* [[But You Screw One Goat!]] / [[Noodle Incident]]
{{quote|
Lord Melchett, Lord Melchett - a shame about the sheep! }}
* [[Can't Hold His Liquor]]: Edmund, in "Beer"
{{quote|
The art of boozing he has not mastered. }}
* [[Chew Toy]]: Baldrick obviously, but also Percy, which is a bit of a [[Woobie]] since he is sincerely a good friend of exceptional loyalty. Everyone (especially Edmund) is this to Queenie, too.
* [[Cloudcuckoolander]]: Nursie. Queenie, too, and also Percy to a certain extent.
* [[Couch Gag]]: Three per episode: In the opening credits, the episode title is accompanied by the object to which it refers. In the closing credits, the theme song has different lyrics and the minstrel accosts Edmund in different ways, although the last one ("Chains") has Edmund finally catch the bugger and drown him.
* [[Curse Cut Short]]: In "Beer":
{{quote|
* [[Despair Speech]]: A very short one, which is also a [[Shout-Out]] to ''[[Richard II]]'':
{{quote|
* [[Dry Crusader]]: the Whiteadders are these--at least until the end of the episode.
* [[Eats Babies]]: [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin|The Baby-Eating Bishop of Bath and Wells]].
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* [[Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep"]]: Nursie. Since her real name is Bernard, it's [[Justified Trope|understandable]].
* [[Everyone Is Satan in Hell]]: The Whiteadders ''are'' this trope, in its in-universe form. They may be getting better, now that Lord Whiteadder has broken his vow of silence and they've both discovered the joys of being drunk.
* [[Evil Versus Evil]]: Edmund vs Prince Ludwig the Indestructible
* [[Fiery Redhead]]: Queenie
* [[Freud Was Right]]: In-universe; she doesn't realize it, but Queenie's description of her dreams suggest that [[Incredibly Lame Pun|The Virgin Queen badly wants to get laid]]:
{{quote|
* [[Freudian Excuse]]: Prince Ludwig.
* [[Freudian Slippery Slope]]: Blackadder greeting his wealthy aunt and uncle in "Beer" (though it's likely he was doing it on purpose to less-than-subtly drop hints that he wanted to discuss his inheritance):
{{quote|
* [[Fridge Logic]]: Prince Ludwig permanently impersonating Queen Elizabeth nicely explains the whole virgin queen thing.
** Also, Prince Ludwig is very likely an ancestor of Prince George (George IV) from Blackadder the third. George IV's great grandfather was Georg Ludwig of Germany. Which explains the uncanny resemblance (both are played by Hugh Laurie)
* [[Friendship Moment]]: Hilariously subverted in "Money": Percy loyally offers his life savings to get Blackadder out of debt, only to have Blackadder casually reveal that he has long since stolen and spent the savings in question. And even BALDRICK was in on it.
* [[God Save Us From the Queen]]: ''Blackadder II'' features Queen Elizabeth I as a petulant schoolgirl. A petulant schoolgirl with power of life and death over the whole of the Kingdom of England.
* [[Groin Attack]]: Twice in "Bells": Blackadder kicks Percy down there, and shortly afterwards, Percy shoots Baldrick with an arrow.
** Also part of the plan Blackadder and Melchett use to escape their German captors in "Chains."
{{quote|
* [[Hello, Sailor!]]: The episode "Potato" is ''full'' of jokes about gay sailors, because it revolves around explorers and sea voyages. In "Money," Baldrick winds up being pimped out to sailors down at the docks.
* [[I Want to Bear His Children]]: "Ink and Incapability" features an extensive [[Dream Sequence]] which isn't obvious at first, but which starts getting weirder and weirder, culminating in this exchange, which leads Edmund to realize he's dreaming:
{{quote|'''Dr. Johnson''': I think it's an awful dictionary. Full of feeble definitions and ridiculous verbiage.
'''Blackadder''': Are you sure?
'''Dr. Johnson''': I've never been more sure of anything in my life sir.
'''Blackadder''': I love you, Dr. Johnson, and I want to have your babies.}}
* [[Insult Backfire]]: In "Beer", two incidents involving Lady Whiteadder:
{{quote|
'''Lord Percy Percy''': (Completely nonchalant) Oh yes. }}
* [[Insult Misfire]]
{{quote|
'''Lady Whiteadder''': How dare you speak to my husband like that! }}
* [[Irony as She Is Cast]]: Miriam Margolyes, who played the Puritanical Lady Whiteadder, is not only openly gay but Jewish.
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* [[Noodle Incident]]: In Potato it is revealed a horse was elected Pope. The details of this vibrant, dynamic, and exciting Papacy has sadly been lost to history.
* [[One-Note Cook]]: Mrs. Ploppy, in "Head".
{{quote|
'''Blackadder''': And you cook for them what they desire.
'''Mrs. Ploppy''': Oh, yes, sir. Provided they ask for sausages. Otherwise, they tend to get a tiny bit disappointed. Sausage is all I got. }}
* [[One-Scene Wonder]]
{{quote|
Lord Flashheart, Lord Flashheart - you're sexier by far! }}
* [[Only Sane Man]]: Along with Blackadder, Melchett also tends to steer towards this, obviously humouring Queenie throughout the series. He's still considerably more loopy, however, especially once we learn about a [[Noodle Incident|past affair]] involving a [[But You Screw One Goat!|sheep]]... that [[The Reveal|wasn't quite]] [[Squick|as it seemed]].
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* [[Psychopathic Manchild|Psychopathic Womanchild]]: Queenie
* [[The Renaissance]]: Well, most of the time.
{{quote|
* [[Retool]]
* [[Royal Brat]]: Queenie
* [[Shaped Like Itself]]: When Blackadder asks the Young Crone how to find the Wise Woman in "Bells":
{{quote|
'''Blackadder:''' [[Deadpan Snarker|...she is wise?]] }}
* [[Shout-Out]]: In "Bells", Blackadder says "Come, [[Kiss Me Kate]]!"
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* [[Two-Timer Date]]: Blackadder's attempt to hold simultaneous parties in "Beer".
* [[What Do You Mean It's Not Heinous?]]: In "Head", Blackadder has accidentally had Lord Farrow executed (or so he thinks) ''before'' his wife is supposed to meet him one last time, so is forced to impersonate him by putting a bag over his head. In a meeting with Lady Farrow beforehand, he tries to prepare her for this by saying her husband has 'changed', which she takes to mean he's been tortured:
{{quote|
'''Blackadder:''' We have put... ''([[Dramatic Pause]])'' ...a bag over his head! }}
* [[What Happened to the Mouse?]]: In series 2, when Lord Farrow is believed to have been executed before he met his wife, Edmund attempts to [[Crowning Moment of Funny|impersonate him with...]] [[Paper-Thin Disguise|a bag on his head]]. It is later revealed that Baldrick has executed Ponsonby in place of Farrow, so Edmund must then [[Crowning Moment of Funny|impersonate Ponsonby with...]] [[Paper-Thin Disguise|a bag on his head. And a lisp. Hopping.]]. So, when Edmund was impersonating the actually-alive Farrow, where was he if not in his cell?
** If they thought Farrow was Ponsonby and vice versa, presumably at the time, Farrow was in Ponsonby's cell.
* [[Wholesome Crossdresser]]: Flashheart, depending on your definition of 'wholesome'.
== Tropes Present in ''Blackadder the Third'' ==
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* [[Anachronism Stew]]: The series is set in the Regency era (1811-1820) yet features [[William Pitt the Younger]] who died in 1806 (and was actually 24 when he was elected), [[Samuel Johnson]] finishing his dictionary, which happened in 1755, the French Revolution (1790s), and planning the Battle of Trafalgar, which was in 1805.
* [[Bawdy Song]]:
{{quote|
Had an enormous horn... }}
* [[Beleaguered Assistant]]: Blackadder
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* [[Bottomless Magazines]]: Amy's flintlock pistol [[Rule of Funny|never seems to need reloading]] in "Amy and Amiability".
* [[Breaking the Fourth Wall]]: This lovely bit at the beginning of "Duel and Duality":
{{quote|
'''Baldrick''': Yeah, and I could be played by some tiny tit in a beard. }}
* [[Buffy-Speak]]: Blackadder: "Disease and depravation stalk our land like... two giant... ''stalking'' things." Also: "We're about as similar as two completely dis-similar things in a pod."
* [[Captain Morgan Pose]]: The actors teach The Prince Regent to do a pose while they are training him in public speaking.
* [[The Coroner Doth Protest Too Much]]: The returning officer and lone voter in Dunny-on-theWold [[Blatant Lies|apparently]] died, respectively, from accidentally brutally cutting his head off while combing his hair, and accidentally brutally stabbing himself in the stomach while shaving.
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* [[Death by Sex]]: {{spoiler|Prince George}} in "Duel and Duality," despite Blackadder's best efforts to prevent it.
* [[Dream Sequence]]: In "Ink and Incapability"
{{quote|
* [[Dude, Not Ironic]]:
{{quote|
'''Baldrick''': Yes, it's like goldy and bronzy only it's made out of iron. }}
* [[Duel to the Death]]: "Duel and Duality"
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* [[Mr. Fanservice]]: Hugh Laurie in make-up and tights has been known to make a lot of straight women (and a few lesbians) perk up.
* [[Face Palm]]: Blackadder, when {{spoiler|Lord Topper}} revealed his disguise.
* [[Fictional Political Party]]: Going hand-in-hand with the [[Election Night]] trope (above), the episode "Dish and Dishonesty" uses these, too, in its parody of British election conventions. After the constituent of rotten borough Dunny-on-the-Wold (consisting of nothing more than a tiny plot of land, many farm animals, and only one voter) suddenly died, Prince Regent and Blackadder decide to run Baldrick as their own candidate and tip Parliament in their favor. Baldrick runs on behalf of the "Adder Party," a name that becomes much more appropriate when it turns out that Blackadder was both the borough's Returning Officer and lone voter after both died in freak "accidents." Other fictitious parties on the ballot included "Keep Royalty White, Rat Catching and Safe Sewage Residents' Party" and the "Standing at the Back Dressed Stupidly and Looking Stupid Party" (whose party line stands for "the compulsory serving of asparagus at breakfast, free corsets for the 'under-fives,' and [[The Triple|the abolition of slavery]]" - though the last one was just put in as a joke).
** The last two are a [[Shout-Out]] to two real minor perennial candidates at British elections at the time the show was broadcast--Bill Boaks, who usually stood as something like "Democratic Monarchist Road Safety White Resident", and Screaming Lord Sutch of the Official Monster Raving Loony Party.
* [[Her Codename Was Mary Sue]]: Blackadder's novel ''Edmund: A Butler's Tale'' sounds like this, based on what he tells Baldrick about it.
* [[Identical Grandson]]: In addition to the previously mentioned usage, this series features Blackadder's Scottish cousin [[Violent Glaswegian|MacAdder]], played by Atkinson in a [[Wig, Dress, Accent|curly red wig, a kilt and a deliberately bad accent]] and Vincent Hanna playing "his own great great great grandfather".
* [[Informed Attribute]]: Done deliberately - Blackadder and Baldrick both reference Prince George's disgusting obesity - as the historical figure indeed was - even though he's played by the lanky Hugh Laurie.
* [[Inter Class Romance]]: From the episode "Amy and Amiability":
{{quote|
'''Amy''': But what about you and Mum?
'''Hardwood''': Well, yes I grant thee when I first met her I was the farmer's son and she was just the lass who ate the dung, but that was an exception.
'''Amy''': And Aunty Dot and Uncle Ted.
'''Hardwood''': Yes, yes; all right, he was a pig poker and she was the Duchess of Argyle, but-
'''Amy''': And Aunty Ruth and Uncle Isiah, she was a milkmaid and he was-
'''Hardwood''': The Pope! Yes, yes, all right. }}
* [[Leaning on the Fourth Wall]]: During the episode 'Duel And Duality'.
{{quote|
'''Baldrick''': Yeah, and I could be played by some tiny tit in a beard.
'''Blackadder''': Quite. }}
** And in 'Amy and Amiability':
{{quote|
* [[Legacy of Service]]: The Baldricks to the Blackadders.
* [[
* [[My Name Is Not Durwood]]: The Prince Regent calls Blackadder "Bladder" at the end of "Sense and Senility", even after Blackadder tells him not to.
* [[Nice Job Breaking It, Hero]]: A fatal example of this occurs in the last episode, when {{spoiler|Prince George}} screws up Blackadder's plan to save his life by blabbing about the whole thing in front of the Duke of Wellington, who intended to kill him. Wellington doesn't actually believe him, but gets so pissed off at the fact that {{spoiler|the Prince, who is disguised as Blackadder and vice-versa}} is acting disrespectfully to his "master" that he whips out his pistol and shoots him dead.
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** I think you misunderstood. [[Blatant Lies|he said "lovely". "Prince George is a lovely."]]
* [[Swapped Roles]]: "Duel and Duality"
{{quote|
'''Blackadder:''' "...and the ''Pauper''", sir.
'''George:''' Oh, yes, yes. [[Sustained Misunderstanding|"The Prince and the Porpoise and the Pauper".]] }}
* [[Unaccustomed as I Am to Public Speaking]]: Parodied by George.
* [[Uncanny Family Resemblance]]: Edmund's Scottish cousin MacAdder, in "Duel and Duality".
* [[
* [[Villain Protagonist]]: Mr. E. Blackadder likely qualifies as one, being an implied serial killer (during the election episode), as well as having two famous actors arrested and executed for treason in "Sense and Senility", sending Amy Hardwood to the noose in "Amy and Amiability" and killing Topper and Smedley in "Nob and Nobility". So he's ''directly'' responsible for killing or having killed at least seven people during the course of six episodes (although Amy had tried to kill him first, and Smedley's death was accidental).
** Correction: Smedley's death was intended--Blackadder just didn't know that he ''was'' Smedley. {{spoiler|Or the Scarlet Pimpernel.}}
* [[You Look Familiar]]: Tim McInnerny, Miranda Richardson, and [[Stephen Fry]] all made guest appearances in various episodes.
== Tropes Present in ''Blackadder: The Cavalier Years'' ==
* [[The Cavalier Years]]
* [[No Celebrities Were Harmed]]: [[Stephen Fry]]'s portrayal of King Charles in "The Cavalier Years" is a thinly-veiled-if-at-all-veiled impression of [[British Royal Family|Prince Charles]].
== Tropes Present in ''Blackadder Goes Forth'' ==
* [[Actually Pretty Funny]]:
{{quote|
'''George''': Well, not good I'm afraid. As far as I can see from the evidence, you're as guilty as a puppy sitting beside a pile of poo.
'''Blackadder''': ''(bitterl)*'' ...Charming. }}
** While it's not intentional, Blackadder is mighty amused when Melchett says his new girlfriend (actually George in drag) has "more spunk than most girls."
* [[Amoral Attorney]]: Blackadder wants to hire a very good one for his court-martial.
{{quote|
* [[Armchair Military]]: Melchett, and also Darling - until the finale.
** It's notable that Darling enjoys his easy assignment and is trying to get an even easier one in the Royal Women's Auxiliary Balloon Corps.
* [[Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking]]: "The blood, the noise, the endless ''poetry''!"
* [[
** [[Justified Trope|Justified]], in that the whole thing was [[Played for Laughs]].▼
* [[Badass Mustache]]: General Melchett is hardly a badass, but damn if his lip-cover isn't an impressive specimen!
* [[Bawdy Song]]: Melchett and George's version of "Row, Row, Row Your Boat".
{{quote|
Gently down the stream!
Belts off, trousers down!
Isn't life a scream?!
Hooray!
'''Blackadder''': [[Deadpan Snarker|Fabulous. University education; you can't beat it.]] }}
** You forgot the hip thrust at "Hooray!".
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* [[Charge Into Combat Cut]]: One of the most famous examples of this trope, in which the scene cuts from Blackadder and co. charging over the trench to {{spoiler|a field full of poppies}}.
* [[Comically Missing the Point]]: In the final episode, Darling begs Melchett not to send him to the front lines because he doesn't want to die; Melchett just thinks Darling is getting sentimental and saying "I'll miss you too much". Of course, considering [[Kill'Em All|what happens next]], "comical" might not be the right word...
* [[Creator
* [[Credits Gag]]: "Tyrannosaurus Rex" credited as "Dinosaur".
* [[Disguised in Drag]]: George, in "Major Star", leading to [[Attractive Bent Gender]] when Melchett falls for "Georgina".
* [[Drama Bomb Finale]]: In a rare highly successful example at the very end of season four.
* [[Downer Ending]]: Series four finale; even more remarkable is that the [[Kill'Em All|same basic ending]] was played for laughs in series one and two. [[Reality Subtext]] is to blame for the [[Mood Whiplash]]. To put it into perspective, it aired on Remembrance Sunday with no complaints whatsoever. (Well, almost none - one woman wrote to the ''[[wikipedia:Radio Times|Radio Times]]'' to ask why a comedy would want to show people the terrible things that happened, reminding her of her own husband. Another woman wrote in to ''Points of View'' thanking them for such a beautiful tribute.) Though the original ending planned, as seen [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbR9-etyN6I here], wasn't nearly as dramatic or moving - general consensus is that it was a good thing they changed it.
** The {{spoiler|
* [[Evil Gloating]]: But terminated gloriously.
{{quote|
'''Flashheart''': '''[[Take That|WHAT A POOF!]]'''" }}
* [[Hanging Judge]]: General Sir Anthony Cecil Hogmanay Melchett becomes one in a military court. He's completely ready to have Blackadder shot for shooting '''his''' prize pigeon.
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* [[Incredibly Lame Pun]]: Blackadder manages a look of unparallelled contempt while his own firing squad are providing such gems as assuring him that they ''aim'' to please.
* [[Inherently Funny Words]]: Blackadder's delivery of "Bob" added it to this category - Rowan Atkinson had to over-accentuate the the first "B" phonetic to [[Inspirationally Disadvantaged|overcome his stutter]]. Given that 'Bob' is clearly a girl, his pronunciation adds foot-high inverted commas and derisive sarcasm to what in theory isn't that funny. He does this on all words with b's throughout the series and his pronunciation is part of what makes the word play more hilarious than witty.
*** It also should be said that Rowan Atkinson used the EXACT same tone and diction when he said "his" name in series 2.
** Also, General Melchett's speech about how "pooh-pooh" can have devastating effects on morale in which [[Crowning Moment of Funny|he repeats the term "pooh-pooh" an inordinate number of times.]]
{{quote|
'''Blackadder:''' Well, perhaps a little.
'''Melchett:''' Well, then, damn it all! What more evidence do you need? The pooh-poohing alone is a court martial offense!
'''Blackadder:''' I can assure you, sir, that the pooh-poohing was purely circumstantial.
'''Melchett:''' Well, I hope so, Blackadder. You know, if there's one thing I've learnt from being in the Army, it's never ignore a pooh-pooh. I knew a Major, who got pooh-poohed, made the mistake of ignoring the pooh-pooh. He pooh-poohed it! Fatal error! 'Cause it turned out all along that the soldier who pooh-poohed him had been pooh-poohing a lot of other officers who pooh-poohed their pooh-poohs. In the end, we had to disband the regiment. Morale totally destroyed... by pooh-pooh! }}
*** Melchett is also a fan of 'gobeldegook' and makes a note to use it more often in conversation.
*** "Wibble"
* [[Jerk with a Heart of Gold]]: Blackadder, to a very slight extent. He's still not remotely a nice person, but he can bring himself to feel sympathy for Darling and wish the others good luck in the final episode. Also, despite being a soldier, he is the only Blackadder in the four seasons ''not'' to commit murder - unless you count Speckled Jim and Mboto Gorge, where they "massacred the peace-loving pigmies of the Upper Volta and stole all their fruit" according to Darling. He also seems genuinely horrified when he learns he's sent an innocent woman to the firing squad in "General Hospital"; hard to imagine his heartless Regency ancestor being so shaken. He is genuinely complimentary regarding George's painting ability too (though planning to use it for his own ends). Sincere compliments from a Blackadder are as rare as something very rare.
{{quote|
'''George''': Well, you know, one doesn't want to blow one's own trumpet.
'''Blackadder''': You might at least have told us you ''had'' a trumpet! }}
** It's worth noting that this Blackadder, in contrast with his forebears, is uninterested in scheming his way to power or wealth. He's merely trying to [[Series Goal|save himself]]. {{spoiler|Too bad [[Failure Is the Only Option]].}}
** Though lest you get too fond of him, it's better to remember that he made his career in the military by killing unarmed civilians in Africa, and doesn't show a hint of remorse for being an instrument for the ugliest side of the British colonialism.
* [[Kangaroo Court]]: Blackadder's court martial in "Corporal Punishment".
* [[Mad Brass]] / [[General Failure]]: General "Insanity" Melchett.
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* [[Obfuscating Insanity]]: Briefly attempted by Blackadder in "Goodbyeee", until he overhears Melchett tell the others that he had to shoot an entire platoon for pulling the same stunt. Of course, as he trenchantly observes at the end, it probably wouldn't have worked anyway. "[[World Gone Mad|I mean, who would have noticed another madman around here?]]"
* [[Obfuscating Stupidity]]: George might be an example of this, as in "Private Plane" he demonstrates a distressing combination of wooden-headed stupidity and remarkably keen insight.
{{quote|
'''George''': You shot him.
'''Melchett''': That's right. It was the kindest thing to do after he'd been run over by that car.
'''George''': Your car, sir.
'''Melchett''': Yes, yes, my car, but that too was an act of mercy after he was savaged by that dog.
'''George''': Your dog! }}
** Nurse Mary, in "General Hospital", uses a mild version of this. ("My fluffy-bunny act", as she calls it.)
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* [[Overranked Soldier]]: General Melchett.
* [[Precision F-Strike]]: In the final episode.
{{quote|
** Averted in the same episode with a [[Narrative Profanity Filter]]:
{{quote|
* [[Pun-Based Title]]: It is, after all, the ''fourth'' series.
** As well as the episode titles, which play on various military ranks.
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* [[Second Face Smoke]]: Nurse Mary does this to Blackadder.
* [[Something That Begins With Boring]]: Which ends rather unusually.
{{quote|
'''Blackadder''': What?
'''George''': Bomb.
'''Blackadder''': I can't hear a bomb.
'''George''': Listen very carefully.
''(The faint whistling of a bomb can be heard)''
'''Blackadder''': Ah, yes...
'''''KA-BOOM''''' }}
* [[Smoking Hot Sex]]: Blackadder and Nurse Mary, in "General Hospital".
{{quote|
* [[Smug Snake]]: Captain Darling
* [[Soldiers
* [[Sudden Downer Ending]]: ''Blackadder Goes Forth'' is set in the trenches of WWI, and the writers didn't want to be accused of making light of one of the most tragic moments in British history, so the last episode {{spoiler|becomes steadily more serious and somber as all of the characters but General Melchett (and he's quite callous about sending Darling to his doom) are ordered over the top in what is assumed to be a suicide charge. While the cast are all shown to have died in ''The Black Adder'' and ''Blackadder II'', this time it's not played for comedy at all.}}
* [[Sweet Polly Oliver]]: Bob, in "Major Star".
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* [[Time for Plan B]]: Every episode.
* [[Telegraph Gag STOP]]: In "Major Star", used as a joke by Blackadder to insult [[Charlie Chaplin]], and in the same episode Chaplin takes revenge in the same format.
{{quote|
...
'''Captain Darling:''' We received a telegram from Mr Chaplin himself at Sennett Studios: Twice nightly filming of my films in trenches: excellent idea STOP But must insist that E. Blackadder be projectionist STOP P.S. Don't let him ever... STOP. }}
* [[Unfortunate Names]]: Captain Darling. The creators said that as soon as they came up with the name for him, he went from a totally empty character to one who'd been steeped in a lifetime's worth of bitterness and resentment from being called "darling" by everyone.
* [[Unwanted Rescue]]: In "Private Plane", Blackadder and Baldrick are captured by the Germans and told they'll be spending the rest of the war [[Cool and Unusual Punishment|teaching home economics to a bunch of German convent girls]]. They're looking forward to this, until George and Flashheart turn up to "save" them. Flashheart actually works out that they were trying to get away from the front and forces them both to come with him.
* [[Verbal Tic]]: General Melchett's trademark "Baa!" has been variously attributed to madness, asthma, and an ancestor's illicit relationship with Flossie the sheep. [[Stephen Fry]] has said it really originated from his imagining that Melchett had haemorrhoids and would yell out every time he sat down or got up.
* [[Wham! Line]]: At the very end:
{{quote|
'''George''': You don't think...
'''Baldrick''': Maybe the war's over? Maybe it's peace.
'''Darling''': Thank God. We lived through it. The Great War, 1914 to 1917. }}
** In the scene just prior:
{{quote|
'''Blackadder''': Yes, Lieutenant?
'''George''': I'm...scared, sir. }}
* [[What Happened to the Mouse?]]: We never do find out if Blackadder or Darling were able to prevent Nurse Mary's firing squad execution in time.
* [[World War
* [[Worthy Opponent]]: The [[Red Baron]] thinks Flashheart is one. Flashheart [[No-Nonsense Nemesis|does not agree]].
▲* [[You Fail Law Forever]]: "Corporal Punishment" was this [[Turned Up to Eleven]]. The judge and prosecutor both have clear conflicts of interest in the trial, to the point where the judge is actually called to testify for the prosecution. Surprisingly, though, {{spoiler|the Minister of War realizes that the whole trial was a farce, and reverses the decision}}.
▲** [[Justified Trope|Justified]], in that the whole thing was [[Played for Laughs]].
* [[You Look Familiar]]: Miranda Richardson appears as Nurse Mary in "General Hospital".
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* [[Annoying Laugh]]: Ebenezer Blackadder's niece Millicent.
* [[Call Back]]: In ''Blackadder Back and Forth'' Baldrick references Blackadder's line "as cunning as a fox that's just been appointed professor of cunning at Oxford University" from the end of ''Blackadder Goes Forth''.
* [[Decapitation Presentation]]: ''Cavalier Years'': Baldrick's cunning plan to substitute a pumpkin instead of a head sort of fell apart when this moment came.
* [[Extreme Doormat]]: Actually Blackadder himself in ''Christmas Carol'', starting off as kindy generous soul (who is naturally endlessly exploited for charity). A visit from a Christmas Spirit inadvertently reveals his legacy will be destroyed due to his meekness, leading him to become an even crueler schemer than his descendants.
* [[Hot Consort]]: Marian in ''Blackadder Back & Forth'', to {{spoiler|King Edmund III}}.
* [[Naked Apron]]: Baldrick serves dinner in ''Blackadder Back & Forth'' while wearing an apron patterned like a maid uniform. [[Fan Disservice|And nothing under it]].
* [[Shakespeare in Fiction]]: ''Blackadder: Back & Forth''.
* [[Shout-Out]]: In ''Blackadder Back & Forth'' the brief space battle is between two Earth Defence Directorate starfighters and a Draconian fighter.
* [[Throw the Dog a Bone]]: Things finally end happily for (one descendant of) Edmund and Baldrick in ''Blackadder: Back & Forth'' as they alter time and history for fame and fortune.
* [[Yet Another Christmas Carol]]: An inversion and parody. Indeed, when Ebenezer Blackadder, the [[White Sheep|only good and friendly member of the Blackadder bloodline]], sees that his descendant would rule all of the universe if he became a spiteful miser like his ancestors (instead of being a slave to future Baldrick, which would happen if he were to remain kind and generous), he lampshades it gleefully:
{{quote|
{{reflist}}
{{BAFTA TV Award for Best Comedy (Programme or Series)}}
[[Category:Comedy Series]]
[[Category:British Series]]
[[Category:Historical
[[Category:Christmas Special]]
[[Category:World War
[[Category:The Eighties]]
[[Category:Britcom]]
▲[[Category:Blackadder]]
[[Category:TV Series]]
[[Category:Britain's Best Sitcom]]
[[Category:Military and Warfare Television]]
[[Category:Live-Action TV of the 1980s]]
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