Baldrick is the name of several fictional characters featured in the long-running BBC historic comedy television series Blackadder. Each one serves as Edmund Blackadder's servant and sidekick and acts as a foil and arguably the best friend of the lead character (even though Blackadder is often shown to barely tolerate Baldrick's presence). Each series of Blackadder is set in a different period in British history, and each Baldrick character (as with the character of Edmund) is a descendant of the Baldrick from the preceding series. Just as Blackadder exists in many incarnations throughout the ages, so does Baldrick; whenever there is a Blackadder there is a Baldrick serving him. They are all portrayed by Sir Tony Robinson (although in the pilot episode, unaired until 2023, he was played by Philip Fox).
The relationship between Edmund and Baldrick evolves significantly; in the first series of the show, Baldrick is more intelligent than Blackadder, but this dynamic is reversed in subsequent series, with Baldrick's intelligence decreasing as the show continued. He is the only character other than Edmund Blackadder to appear in every episode of the programme.
'Baldrick' is a rare personal and family name. It is Germanic in origin, and has been present in Britain since the Norman Conquest of 1066.
Character The character of Baldrick has become popularly associated with the comedic catch phrase "I have a cunning plan." The "cunning plans" in question are dreamed up by Baldrick as a solution to a particular problem or crisis and are usually ridiculed scathingly by Blackadder for their implausibility, but Blackadder frequently resorts to using these plans when the situation becomes desperate.
Although Baldrick's main goal is mostly very hidden, with a clever eye it is seen that he makes several attempts throughout history to raise his social standing, similar to Blackadder although the latter had much more success. In the first series, Baldrick (a servant in the castle and a dung gatherer at the time) managed to gain favour with Lord Edmund Plantagenet by claiming he witnessed the King giving Edmund a special greeting (sarcastically). Edmund, impressed with Baldrick "admiring" him, appointed him his squire in the Battle of Bosworth Field. Later, when Richard III was killed (by Edmund), Baldrick helped him cover it up and managed to remain in Edmund's service after he became a prince. Throughout the first series, Baldrick always assists Edmund and keeps him in the illusion that he is admired until the last episode where Baldrick gets fired and, due to having worked for years to even get into the castle, goes to very low jobs. After Edmund left, he cried (either for losing his status or for actual attachment to the Prince). Baldrick managed to do one last thing for the Prince and, with Lord Percy Percy's assistance, killed the Black Seal (the six most evil men in England plus Blackadder's archenemy). Percy accidentally also poisoned the royal family and Edmund. It is unknown what happened to him. In the second series, Baldrick's attempts to raise his social status bring much lower results due to his much smaller intelligence. His most visible attempt is in the first episode, where he tries to marry Lord Edmund Blackadder as his bridesmaid (after Kate eloped). Baldrick still has enough intelligence left to admire Blackadder and clearly has a desire to please him. Nevertheless, Edmund despises Baldrick and even fires him once. This great obstacle was removed for a short period of time when Edmund was kidnapped by Prince Ludwig the Indestructible along with Lord Melchett, so that Baldrick was able to get into the royal court by becoming the Queen's personal pet. A few hours later, he was murdered by Prince Ludwig along with Blackadder, Melchett, Queenie, Nursie, and Lord Percy. In the third series, S. Baldrick has lost almost all intelligence and apparently has no desire to rise in social standing; in the first episode, he claims that his goal in life is the acquisition of turnips. Ironically, in the same episode, Baldrick is appointed to the House of Lords by Prince George and thus becomes upper class, one of the greatest achievements of the Baldrick family. He also haggles for a priceless turnip (£400,000). Baldrick's turnip is crushed by Blackadder later, and presumably, his titles are erased as in the following episodes he is once more lower class. In the fourth series, Private S. Baldrick's intelligence has slightly risen again, enough that he desires a rise in social status. He attempts to gain social status in the third episode by marrying General Melchett. This, of course, does not succeed. He is also more aware of the classes than previous Baldricks (and is apparently a supporter of the Russian Revolution), presumably the October Revolution led by Vladimir Lenin and the Bolsheviks, and is angry when Blackadder hits him several times (other Baldricks never complain). In the Millennium special, S. Baldrick constructs a fake time machine from Leonardo da Vinci's sketches, despite his inability to read (combatting this with his experience of constructing Airfix models). Baldrick's intelligence has risen to the level of the second Baldrick again and he accidentally makes a time machine. After a time-travel adventure, Lord Blackadder finds England an extension of France, William Shakespeare, having designed the ballpoint pen and no knowledge of Robin Hood whatsoever. Edmund takes all the things he gained on his journey (besides Elizabeth I's Crown) and, after another adventure, gets the idea to alter the timeline to become King. Predictably, Baldrick becomes his Prime Minister, finally becoming what he desired (as did Edmund), and is the second Baldrick to rise to upper class (although after Blackadder's alterations there may be more).
The catchphrase "I have a cunning plan" made its first appearance in the pilot episode, but it is not regularly used until the third series; Blackadder had mentioned the phrase twice in the first series and Baldrick once. Baldrick had also claimed to have "a plan" in a "cunning" voice on one occasion in ' Blackadder II'. In the final episode of the last series, Blackadder Goes Forth, Baldrick announces that he has a cunning plan to save the main characters from "going over the top", although it is never revealed what this plan might be (other than that it is "as cunning as a fox who's just been appointed Professor of Cunning at Oxford University"). Blackadder, perhaps realising he cannot postpone going into battle (and certain death) indefinitely, dismisses it, telling Baldrick "Whatever it was, I'm sure it was better than my plan to get out of here by pretending to be mad. I mean, who would have noticed another madman around here?".
A persistent feature among the Baldricks is their lack of sexual preference, which is often played upon for comic effect. Although Baldrick likes women, he sometimes ends up having encounters with other men, such as a sailor in "Money" (Blackadder II) in exchange for sixpence and Will Scarlet (Blackadder: Back & Forth). He also expresses interest in marrying male characters to increase his social status, such as Blackadder in "Bells", Prince George in "Amy and Amiability" (Blackadder the Third) and General Melchett in "Major Star" (Blackadder Goes Forth). Nonetheless, Baldrick also shows a degree of attraction to women, shown in his conversation with a prostitute in "Money", and in "Amy and Amiability", when he expresses disappointment upon receiving a perfunctory kiss from Blackadder (instead of the voluptuous Lady Sarah Cheapside). Each Baldrick, at various points over the four series, is also willingand at times eagerto indulge in crossdressing.
The only trait that is actually shared by all Baldricks is complete lack of hygiene and always having filthy, shaggy clothing. All Baldricks also have a different hat in the series (the first one has a Phrygian cap, the second has a Tudor bonnet, the third has a tricorne hat and the fourth has a Lenin-inspired trench cap). Some Baldricks are also fascinated with turnips, although mainly the third one. The second Baldrick mainly cooked it for dinner and while also finding an amusingly shaped turnip funny, while the fourth was in a "Turnip Street Workhouse". However, only the third Baldrick had no other goal in life but the acquisition of turnips. Baldrick proves more intelligent than Blackadder's other companionssuch as Lord Percy Percy or Georgealthough only slightly. He is, however, often accorded more cruelty and mistreatment than he deserves.
Character development
Pilot episode In 1982, prior to the first Black Adder series, a pilot episode was filmed which featured a number of characters who were later included in the first series. The episode, which was not televised until 2023, included an early version of the Baldrick character, played by Philip Fox, who is portrayed as slightly stupid in contrast to the intelligent, scheming Prince Edmund. Following this pilot, the writers decided to reverse this relationship when the first televised series was produced, so that Baldrick was the clever foil to the idiotic Edmund. In 2010, The Guardian reflected on this change in characterisation, suggesting that it had been a poor decision and commenting that it was "an interesting example of getting it right first time":
The Black Adder
The medieval Baldrick was probably the only Baldrick of the four who could really be described as clever. Baldrick, an ex-dung shoveller (a respected position, which he had worked very hard to get – earlier jobs include milking pigs and mucking out lepers) and Son of Robin the Dung Gatherer, first met Prince Edmund at the feast before the Battle of Bosworth Field and using flattery became his Squire. The two, along with Lord Percy, toasted their new friendship, unaware that from that point onwards, their descendants' lives would be eternally entwined.
Although cleverer than the Prince, Baldrick, knowing his place in the medieval pecking-order, holds him in awe. He often leads cheers in the Prince's honour (along with Lord Percy, who tries hard to join in), fills his head with illusions of grandeur, and often ends up doing his dirty work. This included carrying the decapitated body of Richard III and sleeping with the Spanish Infanta, Edmund's fiancée, making her unchaste in hopes that this would prevent the marriage. The latter task resulted in several injuries, including a seriously blackened eye. When Baldrick is abandoned by Edmund in the final episode, a tear falls from his eye.
This Baldrick also has cunning plans that, contrary to most of those of his descendants, mostly work. For instance, when Edmund seeks to kill Dougal McAngus, Baldrick suggests that he gets a cannon, takes McAngus outside, makes him stick his head down the cannon and then blow it off. Edmund scoffs at this, and instead tries to kill McAngus using several different "cunning plans" of his own. After having failed miserably with all of these, he resorts to using Baldrick's original plan, which works.
It is Baldrick who suggests the title "The Black Adder" for Prince Edmund, which his descendants later adopt as a surname.
This Baldrick survived the last episode as he and Lord Percy had poisoned the wine to stop the Black Seal. But Percy poisoned the whole batch, killing the king, the queen, Prince Harry, the entire court and Edmund. He and Percy tried to stop them but they were too late, running in after the credits when everybody was already dead.
The "clever" Baldrick character was abandoned after the first series, becoming steadily more foolish with each incarnation.
Blackadder II