Blackadder: Laughing at the Anti-Hero

 In 1983, BBC One produced something that was destined to become one of a kind in the Brit-com history: Blackadder, an historical sitcom split in four series of six half-hour episodes, all set in a different historical period of British history, beginning in 1485 and ending in 1917. The peculiarity of Blackadder, besides being not just the family-centered sitcom, is that its stories often capsize the known and accepted British History.

Although each chapter is set in a different time era, they all follow the (mis)fortunes of Edmund Blackadder, a member of a British family dynasty that, in each observed generation, reduces its social standing: from Prince, to Lord, to Royal butler, to regular army captain. The character is portrayed as quite unintelligent in the first series, while in the subsequent he becomes increasingly clever and shrewd as he is decreasing in social status.  Each of the Blackadders though is cynical, coward and opportunist and only cares about maintaining and increasing his own status and fortunes, regardless of the others. Inseparable parts of the lives and adventures of the four Blackadders are their servants, all from the Baldrick family line and with an increasing lack of intelligent and personal hygene through the four chapters of the saga.

After the first series, due to the high budget and the mixed reception from audience and critics, the BBC decided not to take up the option of a follow-up. However, in 1984, Michael Grade took over as the controller of BBC One and finally agreed that a second series could be made, although with a considerably reduced budget: Blackadder II was to be a studio-only production, with a live audience during recording, no shots on location and with Rowan Atkinson (Edmund Blackadder) stepping down from co-writing duties and Ben Elton taking his place. And was Elton himself that  suggested one of the major changes in the characters: Baldrick would become the stupid sidekick, while Edmund Blackadder would evolve into a cunning sycophant.

This was probably one of the best moves for the writers to make,  bringing life to some famous and exhilarating gag between the two. For example, whenever Blackadder found himself in a difficult situation, as was the case most of the time, Baldrick would invariably suggest a solution, starting with his catch phrase "I have a cunning plan". And, while his ideas were usually totally unhelpful, sometimes he would come up with a useful scheme. Curiously, one of Baldrick's ideas though remains a complete mystery: at the end of the fourth series he comes up with a last-minute cunning plan to save himself and Blackadder from advancing on the enemy, but the order to advance comes before Baldrick finds the time to explain his idea.