Blackadder Goes Forth
Left to right: (Back) Tim McInnerny: Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, (Front) Rowan Atkinson and Tony Robinson in Blackadder Goes Forth
Genre	Situation comedy
Created by	Richard Curtis & Ben Elton
Starring	Rowan Atkinson Tony Robinson Hugh Laurie Stephen Fry Tim McInnerny
Theme music composer	Howard Goodall
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Language(s)	English
No. of series	1
No. of episodes	6
Production
Producer(s)	John Lloyd
Running time	30 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel	BBC One
Picture format	PAL 4:3
Audio format	Stereo
Original run	28 September 1989 – 2 November 1989
Chronology
Preceded by	Blackadder the Third
External links
Official website

Blackadder Goes Forth was the fourth and final series of the BBC situation comedy Blackadder, written by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton, which aired from 28 September to 2 November 1989. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (500x781, 45 KB)[edit] Summary http://www. ... Tim McInnerny as Lord Percy Percy in Blackadder II. Tim McInnerny (stress on the penultimate syllable of McInnerny) was born September 18, 1956 and is a British actor. ... This article or section cites very few or no references or sources. ... James Hugh Calum Laurie, OBE (born 11 June 1959) is an English actor, comedian and writer known as Hugh Laurie. ... Rowan Sebastian Atkinson (born 6 January 1955) is an English comedian, actor and writer, famous for his title roles in the British television comedies Blackadder and Mr. ... Tony Robinson (born August 15, 1946) is an English actor, broadcaster and political campaigner, known for playing the part of Baldrick in the BBC TV series Blackadder and for hosting a number of shows on Channel 4, the most noteworthy being Time Team. ... This article or section seems to contain too many examples (or of a poor quality) for an encyclopedia entry. ... Richard Curtis in London, 1999 Richard Curtis CBE, (born 8 November 1956), is a New Zealand-born British screenwriter, best known for the TV programmes Blackadder and The Vicar of Dibley as well as movies such as Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, and Love Actually. ... Benjamin Charles Elton (born 3 May 1959) is an English comedian, writer and director. ... Rowan Sebastian Atkinson (born 6 January 1955) is an English comedian, actor and writer, famous for his title roles in the British television comedies Blackadder and Mr. ... Tony Robinson (born August 15, 1946) is an English actor, broadcaster and political campaigner, known for playing the part of Baldrick in the BBC TV series Blackadder and for hosting a number of shows on Channel 4, the most noteworthy being Time Team. ... James Hugh Calum Laurie, OBE (born 11 June 1959) is an English actor, comedian and writer known as Hugh Laurie. ... This article or section cites very few or no references or sources. ... Tim McInnerny as Lord Percy Percy in Blackadder II. Tim McInnerny (stress on the penultimate syllable of McInnerny) was born September 18, 1956 and is a British actor. ... Howard Goodall Howard Goodall (born 1958 in Bromley, South London) is a British composer of musicals, choral music and music for television. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... This is an episode list of the British sitcom Blackadder. ... John Lloyd (born 1951 in Dover, England; birth name: John Hardress Wilfred Lloyd), British comedy writer and producer. ... BBC One is the primary television channel of the BBC, and the first in the United Kingdom. ... Television encoding systems by nation. ... 4:3 is a ratio. ... This article is about the spacecraft and the mission. ... is the 271st day of the year (272nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar). ... November 2 is the 306th day of the year (307th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 59 days remaining. ... Year 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar). ... The second series of Blackadder was set in Elizabethan England, starring (left to right) Tony Robinson as Baldrick, Rowan Atkinson as Edmund, Lord Blackadder, and Tim McInnerny as Lord Percy Percy. ... The British Broadcasting Corporation, which is usually known as the BBC, is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world in terms of audience numbers, employing 26,000 staff in the United Kingdom alone and with a budget of more than GB£4 billion. ... This article or section seems to contain too many examples (or of a poor quality) for an encyclopedia entry. ... Blackadder is the generic name that encompasses four series of an acclaimed BBC One historical sitcom, along with several one-off installments. ... Richard Curtis in London, 1999 Richard Curtis CBE, (born 8 November 1956), is a New Zealand-born British screenwriter, best known for the TV programmes Blackadder and The Vicar of Dibley as well as movies such as Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, and Love Actually. ... Benjamin Charles Elton (born 3 May 1959) is an English comedian, writer and director. ... is the 271st day of the year (272nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... November 2 is the 306th day of the year (307th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 59 days remaining. ... Year 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar). ...

The series placed the recurring characters of Blackadder, Baldrick and George in a trench during the First World War. The episodes also saw a darker, more realistic edge to the writing, and in particular the series is remembered for the poignant ending of the final episode.^[1] Trench warfare is a form of war in which both opposing armies have static lines of defence. ... “The Great War ” redirects here. ...

In a list of the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes drawn up by the British Film Institute in 2000, voted for by industry professionals, Blackadder Goes Forth was placed 16th.^[2] 100 Greatest British Television Programmes was a list compiled in 2000 by the British Film Institute (BFI) chosen by a poll of industry professionals, to determine what were the greatest British television programmes of any genre ever to have been screened. ... The British Film Institute (BFI) is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to encourage the development of the arts of film, television and the moving image throughout the United Kingdom, to promote their use as a record of contemporary life and manners, to promote education about film, television and...

Plot

The series is set in 1917, on the Western Front in the trenches of the First World War. Another "big push" is planned, and Captain Blackadder's one goal is to avoid getting shot. The series thus follows his attempts to escape the trenches through various schemes, most of which fail due to bad fortune, misunderstandings and the general incompetence of his comrades. The aforementioned comrades present themselves in the form of the idealistic Edwardian twit Lieutenant George (Hugh Laurie), and Private S. Baldrick (Tony Robinson), introduced as "the world's worst cook". The first initial "S" is taken from the first episode of Blackadder the Third, in which Baldrick says he can't remember his first name, but assumes it must be "Sodoff", as when he introduces himself to people, they generally say, "yes, we know: Sod off, Baldrick".^[3] Combatants Belgium British Empire Australia[1] Canada[2] India[3] Newfoundland[4] New Zealand[5] South Africa[6] United Kingdom France and French Overseas Empire Portugal[7] United States Germany Commanders No unified command until 1918, then Maréchal Ferdinand Foch Moltke --> Falkenhayn --> Hindenburg and Ludendorff --> Hindenburg and Groener Casualties... Combatants British Empire Australia Canada New Zealand South Africa United Kingdom France German Empire Commanders Douglas Haig Hubert Gough Herbert Plumer Arthur Currie Max von Gallwitz Erich Ludendorff Strength Unknown Unknown Casualties 448,000 killed and wounded 260,000 killed and wounded The 1917 Battle of Passchendaele, also known as... Captain Edmund Blackadder (1871—1917 assumed, MIA) was the main character in the fourth and final series of the popular BBC sitcom Blackadder. ... The Edwardian period or Edwardian era in the United Kingdom is the period 1901 to 1910, the reign of King Edward VII. It succeeded the Victorian period and is sometimes extended to include the period up to the sinking of the RMS Titanic in 1912, the start of World War... George is the name of two characters appearing in the historical BBC sitcom Blackadder played by Hugh Laurie. ... Baldrick is a fictional character featured in the television series Blackadder. ... The second series of Blackadder was set in Elizabethan England, starring (left to right) Tony Robinson as Baldrick, Rowan Atkinson as Edmund, Lord Blackadder, and Tim McInnerny as Lord Percy Percy. ...

Rather than the Germans, who remain unseen (apart from one exception), Blackadder's nemeses come in the form of his superior, the eccentric General Melchett (Stephen Fry) who rallies his troops from a French château thirty-five miles from the front, and his bureaucratic assistant, Captain Darling (Tim McInnerny). Darling is of equal rank to Blackadder, yet his relatively safe job "folding the general's pyjamas" is a cause of contempt between the two men. In particular, Blackadder is adept at using Darling's surname for maximum comedy value. Captain Darling's name was originally intended to be Captain Cartwright, until Stephen Fry remembered a boy at his school called 'Darling', whose name was a constant embarrassment to him.^[4] Television shows and stage plays sometimes include continuing characters — characters who are currently in frequent interaction with the other characters and who influence current story events — who are never seen or heard by the audience and only described by other characters. ... Melchett is a fictional character in the British television sitcom series Blackadder, played by Stephen Fry. ... Château de Chenonceau A rural château in France. ... The Politics series Politics Portal This box:      Bureaucracy means political rule of offices. ... Captain Kevin Darling Captain Kevin Darling was a fictional character played by Tim McInnerny in series four of the popular BBC sit-com Blackadder. ...

The final episode of this series, "Goodbyeee...", is known for being extraordinarily emotive for a comedy — especially the final scene, which sees the main characters (Blackadder, Baldrick, George, and Darling) finally venturing forward and charging off to die in the fog and smoke of no man's land. (Melchett remains at his office but blithely orders a reluctant Darling to fight with the others.) The humour also becomes particularly dark; at one point, when the artillery goes silent the comment "The Great War 1914 to 1917" is spoken by Captain Darling. Blackadder's final line is poignant, offered after Baldrick claims to have one last cunning plan to stop them advancing, at which point an RSM-type command voice orders the men to "Stand ready", then to ascend to the fire step, before going over the top: Goodbyeee. ... 29th Infantry Battalion, 2nd Division, Canadian Corps. ... Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM) is an appointment held by Warrant Officers Class 1 (WO1) in the British Army, Royal Marines and many Commonwealth armies including the Australian Army and New Zealand Army, and by Chief Warrant Officers (CWO) in the Canadian Forces. ... Trench warfare is a form of war in which both opposing armies have static lines of defence. ... Going over the top is a military phrase derived from the trench warfare of the First World War. ...

"Well, I am afraid it will have to wait. Whatever it was, I am sure it was better than my plan to get out of this by pretending to be mad. I mean, who would have noticed another madman around here? Good luck everyone."

Episodes

The series aired for six episodes broadcast on BBC One at 9.30pm between 28 September and 2 November 1989, appropriately ending nine days before Remembrance Day.^[1] The titles of the first five episodes, "Captain Cook", "Corporal Punishment", "Major Star", "Private Plane" and "General Hospital" are puns based on the pairing of a military rank and another word related to the episode's content. The final episode, "Goodbyeee...", was the title of a period song. ^[5] BBC One is the primary television channel of the BBC, and the first in the United Kingdom. ... is the 271st day of the year (272nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... November 2 is the 306th day of the year (307th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 59 days remaining. ... Year 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar). ... Wreaths of artificial poppies used as a symbol of remembrance Remembrance Day (United Kingdom, Australia, Canada), also known as Poppy Day (South Africa and Malta), and Armistice Day (United States, New Zealand, France, and many other Commonwealth countries; and the original name of the day internationally) is a day to... Blue plaque for Captain James Cook Captain James Cook FRS RN (27 October 1728 (O.S.) – 14 February 1779) was an English explorer, navigator and cartographer. ... Corporal punishment is forced pain intended to change a persons behaviour or to punish them. ... A movie star or film star is a celebrity who is a person known for his or her roles in motion pictures. ... Business jet, private jet or, in slang, bizjet is a term describing a jet aircraft, usually of modest size, designed for transporting small groups of business people for commercial reasons at a time convenient to their business needs. ... For the record label, see Hospital Records. ... A pun (also known as paronomasia) is a figure of speech, or word play which consists of a deliberate confusion of similar words within a phrase or phrases for rhetorical effect, whether humorous or serious. ... rank. ... Goodbyeee. ...

Captain Cook was the first episode in the fourth series of the BBC sitcom Blackadder (Blackadder Goes Forth). ... Vasily Vereshchagin. ... Corporal Punishment is an episode in the third season of the BBC sitcom Blackadder (Blackadder Goes Forth) // Orders for Operation Insanity arrive and Blackadder breaches regulations by eating the messenger. ... Pigeons have played an important role in wars for a long time. ... Execution by firing squad is a method of capital punishment, especially in times of war. ... Major Star is the third episode in the fourth series of the BBC sitcom Blackadder (Blackadder Goes Forth) // The Russian Revolution produces two more appalling results: an offensive by Germany and a really offensive Charlie Chaplin impression by Baldrick. ... A variety show is a show with a variety of acts, often including music and comedy skits, especially on television. ... Private Plane is the fourth episode in the fourth series of the BBC sitcom Blackadder (Blackadder Goes Forth) // German machine guns in front, British firing squads behind. ... Lord Flashheart is the name of two characters (the first presumably an ancestor of the second) who appeared in two episodes of the popular BBC sitcom Blackadder. ... The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of World War I. Origin and Early History Formed by Royal Warrant on May 13, 1912, the RFC superseded the Air Battalion of the Royal Engineers. ... General Hospital is an episode of the fourth series of the BBC One sitcom Blackadder Goes Forth. ... Goodbyeee. ...

Titles and music

The theme melody was a variation on the Blackadder theme by Howard Goodall, here played by a military band (in this case the Band of the 3rd Battalion, the Royal Anglian Regiment) over opening title images of Blackadder and George parading their men past Melchett and Darling, while Baldrick plays the triangle.^[7] The music starts with the opening bars of "The British Grenadiers" before segueing into the familiar Blackadder theme. Howard Goodall Howard Goodall (born 1958 in Bromley, South London) is a British composer of musicals, choral music and music for television. ... Military Band marching A military band is a group of soldiers assigned to musical duties. ... The Royal Anglian Regiment (R ANGLIAN) is an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Queens Division. ... An old-fashioned triangle, with wand (beater) Angelika Kauffmann: LAllegra, 1779 The triangle is an idiophone type of musical instrument in the percussion family. ... The British Grenadiers was a marching song for the grenadier units of the British military from the 17th Century to the 19th Century. ...

In the closing credits, the full Blackadder theme plays as the men march off down the parade ground. Of note is that the titles here are presented as static captions instead of being rolled as in the previous three series, and that the crew credits are presented in pseudo-military fashion: for example, the designer is credited thus: "Dgr – 404371 Hull, C".^[8] Also of note is that the opening sequence is filmed in colour, while the closing sequence was treated in post production to appear grainy, streaky, and sepia toned in imitation of newsreels of the era. Sepia tone is a type of digital photo in which the picture appears similar to a traditional black-and-white print toned with sepia. ... A newsreel is a documentary film that is regularly released in a public presentation place containing filmed news stories. ...

"Goodbyeee..." had no closing titles, simply fading from the protagonists charging across no man's land under fire, to a field of poppies in the sunlight, a reference to the poem "In Flanders Fields". The music was also changed to a slow, echoey solo piano arrangement of the theme accompanied by a strong bass-drum, interposed with sound effects of gunshot, and later birdsong. A wild field of poppies, West Azarbaijan Province, Iran A poppy is any of a number of showy flowers, born one per stem, belonging to the poppy family. ... A small portion of In Flanders Fields appeared alongside McCraes portrait on a Canadian stamp of 1968, issued to commemorate a half-century since his death. ... A short grand piano, with the top up. ...

Analysis

George attempts to defend Blackadder during a court martial.

Compared to the previous three series, Blackadder Goes Forth is more satirical in tone, and has a very potent anti-war message.^[9] All of the episodes include satirical musings about why the war started and the degree to which British soldiers have been suffering over its course. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Anti war protest in Melbourne, Australia, 2003 Anti_war is a name that is widely adopted by any social movement or person that seeks to end or oppose a future or current war. ...

Richard Curtis has said that the First World War was a particularly apt subject for a situation comedy. Before writing the series, the writers read a number of books about the war and found that

In the episode "Corporal Punishment", Blackadder justifies the shooting for food of a carrier pigeon (which turns out to be Melchett's pet) by saying, "With 50,000 men killed a week, who's going to miss a pigeon?" This episode sees Blackadder being sentenced to death by firing squad for the said act (which Melchett is far more upset about than Blackadder's disobeying of orders), although he escapes following a reprieve, reflecting on the harsh punishments dealt to deserters under the laws of war.^[11] Gung-ho is a phrase borrowed from Chinese language, frequently used in Chinese as an adjective meaning enthusiastic. ... Corporal Punishment is an episode in the third season of the BBC sitcom Blackadder (Blackadder Goes Forth) // Orders for Operation Insanity arrive and Blackadder breaches regulations by eating the messenger. ... A carrier pigeon is a breed of pigeon (specifically a domesticated Rock Dove, Columba livia) that has wattles, a nearly vertical stature, and that may once have been used to carry messages. ... The two parts of the laws of war (or Law of Armed Conflict (LOAC)): Law concerning acceptable practices while engaged in war, like the Geneva Conventions, is called jus in bello; while law concerning allowable justifications for armed force is called jus ad bellum. ...

The tactics of Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig (who appears in the show's final episode played by Geoffrey Palmer), that resulted in hundreds of thousands of British deaths (particularly at Passchendale and the Somme)^[12] are continually referenced and criticised by the characters. Blackadder himself describes Haig's attempts at an advance as no more than "another gargantuan effort to move his drinks cabinet six inches closer to Berlin", his master plans as "everyone climbing out their trenches and walking very slowly towards the enemy" which he claims is to be repeated "until everyone is dead except for Field Marshall Haig, Lady Haig and their tortoise Alan". ^[13] Note: This article is about the military usage of the word marshal. For other usages, see the end of this article. ... Field Marshal Lord Haig Field Marshal Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig, KT, GCB, OM, GCVO, KCIE, ADC (June 19, 1861 – January 28, 1928) was a British soldier and senior commander (Field Marshal) during World War I. He was commander of the British Expeditionary Force during the Battle of the Somme... Geoffrey Dyson Palmer OBE (born 4 June 1927) is an English actor, noted mostly for his extensive career in British sitcoms. ... Passchendaele village, before and after the Battle of Passchendaele The Battle of Passchendaele, otherwise known as the Third Battle of Ypres, was one of the major battles of World War I, fought by British, ANZAC, and Canadian soldiers against the German army near Ypres (Ieper in Flemish) in West Flanders... Combatants British Empire Australia Canada New Zealand Newfoundland South Africa United Kingdom France German Empire Commanders Douglas Haig Joseph Joffre Max von Gallwitz Fritz von Below Strength 13 British & 11 French divisions (initial) 51 British and 48 French divisions (final) 10. ...

In Goodbyeee..., there is even a scene which shows Haig's tactical planning, with the General playing with toy soldiers, which he sweeps nonchalantly from trench to trench, and then onto the floor while listening to Blackadder's plea to get out of the final push on the phone.^[14] 54mm Toy Soldiers by Imperial Productions of New Zealand A toy soldier is a miniature figurine that represents a soldier. ...

In "Private Plane", after receiving word that Blackadder and Baldrick may have been killed when shot down over German lines, Melchett tries to cheer George up by showing a life-size model (measuring seventeen square feet) of land recaptured by the British ("It's superbly detailed - look, there's a little worm," remarks Darling) This is followed by Melchett asking "So the amount of land we've captured is?" After measuring it with a tape measure Darling reveals the amount to him. "So you see George Captain Blackadder did not die horribly in vain after all", a comment about some of the attacks in the Great War which were notoriously suicidal. Later in the same episode, Blackadder describes WW1 as: "a war which would be a damn sight simpler if we just stayed in England and shot fifty thousand of our men a week."^[15] Private Plane is the fourth episode in the fourth series of the BBC sitcom Blackadder (Blackadder Goes Forth) // German machine guns in front, British firing squads behind. ... Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ...

The series also referenced a number of famous historical events of the war, such as the Christmas truce of 1914. Blackadder recalls the event: "Both sides advanced further during one Christmas piss-up than they did in the next two and a half years of war."^[16] A cross, left near Ypres in Belgium in 1999, to commemorate the site of the Christmas Truce in 1914. ...

Many references are made to the popular culture of the era, as well as the previous series. The final episode "Goodbyee" was the title of a popular song during the First World War. Bob can be heard singing a snippet of this song off-camera in the episode "Major Star". It also sounds similar to Queenie's "Byeee" in her letter to Ludwig (in the second series episode "Chains") in which she refuses to pay the ransom to release Melchett and Blackadder.^[17] Popular culture, sometimes called pop culture, consists of widespread cultural elements in any given society. ... Bob is a pseudonym used by two characters in the sitcom Blackadder, both female and played by Gabrielle Glaister. ... Blackadder II was the second series of the BBC situation comedy Blackadder, written by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton, which aired from 9 January 1986 to 20 February 1986. ... Chains is an episode of the BBC sitcom Blackadder. ...

References

BBC Worldwide Limited is the wholly-owned commercial subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation, formed out of a restructuring of its predecessor BBC Enterprises in 1995. ... The domain name bbc. ... John Sergeant (born 1944) is a journalist and broadcaster. ... BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station which broadcasts a wide variety of chiefly spoken-word programmes including news, drama, comedy, science and history. ... BBC Worldwide Limited is the wholly-owned commercial subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation, formed out of a restructuring of its predecessor BBC Enterprises in 1995. ... Paul Fussell (born March 22, 1924, Pasadena, California, USA) is a cultural and literary historian, and professor emeritus of English literature of the University of Pennsylvania. ... BBC Worldwide Limited is the wholly-owned commercial subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation, formed out of a restructuring of its predecessor BBC Enterprises in 1995. ... BBC Worldwide Limited is the wholly-owned commercial subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation, formed out of a restructuring of its predecessor BBC Enterprises in 1995. ... BBC Worldwide Limited is the wholly-owned commercial subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation, formed out of a restructuring of its predecessor BBC Enterprises in 1995. ... BBC Worldwide Limited is the wholly-owned commercial subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation, formed out of a restructuring of its predecessor BBC Enterprises in 1995. ... BBC Worldwide Limited is the wholly-owned commercial subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation, formed out of a restructuring of its predecessor BBC Enterprises in 1995. ...

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Blackadder Goes Forth

• Blackadder Goes Forth (1989) at the Internet Movie Database
• Blackadder Goes Forth at the BBC Guide to Comedy