How does Blackadder make a living in season 2 and why does he hang out with Percy?

He doesn’t have much of an inheritance left so he can’t pay off the bishop and has to sell his house, but gets the money for it back at the end and an extra £4000

Does Blackadder have a steady/stable income or does he scam and scheme to make money? I know it’s a comedy but after the money episode I got curious

Also why does he hang out with Percy, he even invites him to breakfast just to insult him in the inheritance episode which is weird

Baldrick says Blackadder is very unpopular so does Blackadder just like to keep Percy, and extension Baldrick around because they are basically the only people that like him despite of all the insults he throws at them?

I get the feeling he does enjoy the company but also gets to have fun insulting them cause they seem to keep fawning over him no matter what

The Baldrick family is a British family best known for producing several servants to the prestigious aristocratic Blackadder family. Their relationship has effectively promised that whenever a Blackadder was alive, a Baldrick was likely serving them in some capacity.

Origins

Few pieces of historical evidence suggest a definitive origin point for the Blackadder family, yet the Baldrick lineage’s origins are much more certain. The Baldrick family themselves claim to be descended from a Robin Baldrick, a fifteenth century dung cleaner based in Chigwell, Essex, and that his son was squire to Prince Edmund, younger son of Richard of Shrewsbury. Historians have come to the universal conclusion that this claim is impossible, as Richard of Shrewsbury disappeared aged nine or ten in 1483. Like the Blackadders, the Baldricks are suspected by historians to have originated on the island of Great Britain or from abroad settlers.

Celtic theory

The first theory is that like the Blackadders they would serve, the Baldricks are of Celtic ancestry. Put forward as evidence for this is a Celtic named Bad Reek, a participant in the construction of Stonehenge. However, whether Bad Reek had lived at the same time as the Celtic Blackadder theory’s Edmun is unclear.

Roman theory

The second origin theory posits that the Baldricks are of Roman ancestry, having arrived on Great Britain in the mid first century CE. As evidence the Roman theorists state that records give mention of a legionary named Baldricus. If the theory is true, then Baldricus, an assistant to the centurion Edmundus Blackaddicus, is the first Baldrick known to have served or accompanied a Blackadder. However, the Celtic theorists point to the possibility that the two men were merely local conscripts into the Roman Empire’s forces in Britannia.

Middle Ages

Since the family legend of descent from Robin Baldrick is universally accepted to be false, no medieval Baldricks have ever been confirmed.

Tudor Era (1558-1603)

The Baldricks first made a confirmed appearance in historical record during the Elizabethan era, in the form of a servant to Edmund, Lord Blackadder. This Baldrick had been in the Blackadder family since 1532 but “so [had] syphilis.” despite verbal disdain from his employer, was deeply loyal to him, even volunteering to serve as bridesmaid at Lord Blackadder’s ultimately cancelled wedding.

Stuart Era (1603-1714)

The only known Baldrick at this time is Baldrick Esq., a servant to Sir Edmund Blackadder during the English Civil War. Accepting the job of executing King Charles I (even though Sir Edmund was a Royalist), Baldrick planned to save the king by passing off a pumpkin as his severed head. This failed on account of the fact that the pumpkin was not convincing at all. Sir Edmund ultimately betrayed Baldrick by switching to the Parliamentarians at the very last minute to save his own life. Following the Restoration in 1660, the Baldricks reappear in English high society; in 1680, Lord Blackadder PC was tasked with overseeing Charles II’s fiftieth birthday celebrations. Lord Blackadder sarcastically declared that in the matter of Royal galas, more musical talent is demonstrated whenever his servant Baldrick farts.

Regency Era (1811-1820)

The Regency period saw the reemergence of the Baldrick line as Sodoff Baldrick, dogsbody to the Prince Regent’s butler Mr. E. Blackadder Esq. Sodoff’s uncle was a thespian who starred in the Scottish Play as the Scottish Lord’s codpiece for his fight scenes. Meanwhile, his cousin Bert Baldrick was Thomas Gainsborough’s butler’s dogsbody, and appearently boasted greater, almost uncharacteristic intelligence than Sodoff. Sodoff was noted for his carelessness, such as burning the dictionary of Samuel Johnson, and his use as a pawn to keep the Prince Regent on the Civil List when threatened for his outrageous spending on luxury socks. E. Blackadder is recorded as having died from interrupting a duel between his employer and the Duke of Wellington over the Prince making unsolicited advances upon the latter’s nieces.

Victorian Era (1837-1901)

Sodoff’s son, Mr. Baldrick, would come to work at the shop of Mr. Ebeneezer Blackadder, E. Blackadder Esquire’s son, by Christmas 1858. Unlike many Baldricks, Mr. Baldrick knew nothing short of kindness from his employer. However, come Christmas morning, Mr. Baldrick lamented the sudden change in character Ebeneezer had apparently underwent, from “the nicest man in England” to the cunning, manipulative, witty cynic for which his bloodline is better known.

Global Era (since 1901)

Mr. Baldrick’s grandson S. Baldrick would continue his family’s unfaltering fealty to the Blackadder family as a private serving as Captain Edmund Blackadder’s batman in the trenches of the Western Front of the First World War. By 1917, Private Baldrick’s cooking was reduced to less than favourable circumstances, on account of running out of coffee and sugar, and using mud and dandruff for these respectively. Baldrick nearly caused his superior to be executed for shooting a carrier pigeon by foolishly insisting “Captain Blackadder did not shoot this delicious plump-breasted pigeon.” Private Baldrick presumably died charging across No Man’s Land, along with his colleagues Lt. St Barliegh, Captain Darling, and Captain Blackadder, however Captain Blackadder narrowly evaded the German attack via taking cover in the next trench.

On New Year’s Eve 1999, Captain Blackadder’s grandson Lord Edmund Blackadder plotted to trick his guests into ten thousand pounds each for one item he could fetch with a time machine Baldrick, his septic tank cleaner, built. When Lord Blackadder found it was an actual working time machine, the duo had to resolve history after getting Robin Hood killed, getting into a scuffle with William Shakespeare, and allowing Napoleon Bonaparte to win the Battle of Waterloo and conquer the United Kingdom. However, Lord Blackadder had another idea, a “very, very, very cunning plan,” and the two set off to change history for their own benefit; by Y2K, Lord Blackadder is the widely commended King Edmund III, and Baldrick is his puppet Prime Minister.

The only twenty-first century Baldrick known is one who was gardener to Sir Edmund Blackadder, Chief Executive Officer of Melchett, Darling & Darling Bank.

Beyond the Stars (?????)

In the Distant Future, a Blackadder is Grand Admiral of the navy of a civilization ruling the entire known universe. Baldrick reappears as Grand Admiral Blackadder’s slave. Whether Grand Admiral Blackadder’s rise as ruler of the universe elevates Baldrick’s status is anyone’s guess.

The Blackadder dynasty is a British aristocratic family. They claim descent from the House of Plantagenet via Prince Edmund, younger son of Richard of Shrewsbury, a claim declared impossible due to Richard’s disappearance and presumed death at the age of nine or ten in 1483. Since the Middle Ages, members have held various titles, usually based on their own name, usually Lord Blackadder but including Baron de Blackadder and the Duke of Blackadder.

Origins

The origins of the Blackadder dynasty are subject to vastly different theories by historians, but it is possible that some of the proposed ancestors of the family were coincidentally named.

Celtic theory

This theory of the original Blackadders being Celts point to two men as evidence. The first, named Edmun, was a Druid who participated in the construction of Stonehenge. As such, Edmun may have lived anywhere from 3100 to 1600 BCE. The second man was a Celtic warrior named Blaccadda, who is known for insulting Boadicea of the Iceni tribe. Blaccadda would have lived in the mid first century CE.

Roman theory

Another claim is that the Blackadders are of Roman origin; evidence given for this claim comes in the form of a centurion, Edmundus Blackaddicus, who was part of the Roman Empire’s military presence in present-day England and Wales, Britannia. He was often accompanied by a legionary named Baldricus to the former’s mild disdain. It is possible he and Baldricus were local conscripts, a possibility touted by Celtic theory supporters. At one point surveying their defence against the Picts, they were joined by a consul named Georgius. Men similar to Georgius in character have been noted in their ties to Blackadders. Blackaddicus was certainly alive during the reign of Caligula, as mention of the latter’s horse is made by his superior, General Flavius Melchius. Melchius was the nominal ancestor of the Melchett family, whose relationship with the Blackadder family would gradually drift from competing enemies to cheeky friends.

Norman French theory

The final claim is that Normandy is the family’s ancestral homeland, as records tell of a Duc d'Blackadder who came over to England during the Norman Conquest. It is even rumoured that he may have been the archer who killed Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings.

Middle Ages

Over the course of the Middle Ages, the Blackadder family was at their historically least prominent. The main members of repute were Blackadder the Chickenheart, a presumably cowardly contemporary of Richard I “the Lionheart”, Baron de Blackadder, a contemporary of King John who was perhaps amongst the nobles who pressed John to give his seal to the Magna Carta, and a Lord Blackadder contemporary of Robin Hood, to whom he was apparently an enemy.

Tudor Era (1485 - 1603)

By far the most prominent Blackadder of the Tudor era was Edmund, Lord Blackadder. His father was apparently a gambler and blunder, resulting in a slight decay in the family’s social standing. Edmund also had an uncle named Osric. Edmund, Lord Blackadder spent his days seeking the affection of Queen Elizabeth I, in direct competition with her Lord Chamberlain Lord Melchett. Lord Blackadder had nearly married, had his fiancée and former servant Katherine not been seduced by an old friend and bounder Lord Flashheart. Lord Blackadder often had to deal with the absurdity of his closest contemporaries: his servant Baldrick, and fellow noble Percy, Lord Percy. Save his uncle Nathaniel Whiteadder, the only other Blackadder of note at this age would be an agent of William Shakespeare.

Stuart Era (1603 - 1714)

During the House of Stuart’s reign and the interregnum wrought by Oliver Cromwell and his Roundheads, the Blackadders risked their property and lives as known Royalists. Sir Edmund Blackadder was nearly eliminated following Charles I’s execution, but he switched sides at the last minute, at the cost of his family property and title. Meanwhile, Sir Edmund’s younger brother James Blackadder had fled to Scotland to save his own life; there his posterity became a Highland clan named Clan MacAdder. Despite this grave loss, however, the Restoration in 1660 appeared to return the Blackadders to their lost prestige. A Lord Blackadder was a Privy Councillor in 1680, tasked with arranging Charles II’s fiftieth birthday celebrations. Lord Blackadder found such affairs “very, very, very dull.” Finally, a Duke of Blackadder existed during the reign of Queen Anne (1702-1714), during which the Kingdoms of England and Scotland merged to become the Kingdom of Great Britain.

Regency Era (1811 - 1820)

The Blackadders, for whatever reason, appear to hide from the “historical” record until the later years of the record-breaking reign of George III from 1760 to 1820. Mr. E. Blackadder Esq., holding the status of a gentleman due to an unknown family decline, had become butler of the Prince Regent, the future George IV. This was an occupation Blackadder found unbearable, but if he was ever short on cash, he could simply go upstairs and ask him for a raise. Once more, the Blackadder family was served by a Baldrick, who was put into Parliament to prevent the Prince Regent from being struck from the Civil List. This Blackadder was recorded as having been killed interrupting his employer’s against the Duke of Wellington; His Royal Highness had made unsolicited advances upon the Duke’s nieces.

By the Regency period, the MacAdders had dwindled in size to a kipper salesman MacAdder, his wife Morag, and children Jamie and Angus. Mr. E. Blackadder was vexed by this MacAdder due to the latter’s plotting to seize the British throne in an unlikely way.

Victorian Era (1837 - 1901)

The only known Victorian Blackadder is Mr. Ebeneezer Blackadder, Mr. E. Blackadder’s son. In 1858, he was renown (yet exploited) as “the nicest man in England.” One Christmas Eve, a Ghost of Christmas came to Blackadder and showed him his cunning and smart-alecky ancestors, lamenting what a pushover his amiability makes him. Blackadder then saw a distant future where his distant descendant would become supreme ruler of the known universe. This experience caused Blackadder to remark that “bad guys have all the fun,” immediately assuming the cynical, cunning nature distinct to his family.

Global Era (since 1901)

In 1917, Ebeneezer Blackadder’s grandson Captain Edmund Blackadder was serving in the Western Front of the First World War. His time was saddled with the presence of his batman Private Baldrick, and the dim, yet determined Lieutenant the Honourable George Colthurst St Barleigh. Captain Blackadder was well noted for his disagreement with the “see what sticks” attitude of his ultimate superior, General Sir Antony Cecil Hogmanay Melchett, a descendant of Edmund, Lord Blackadder’s court rival. After failing several times to escape his fate in the Big Push, Captain Blackadder and his men went over the top with Melchett’s adjutant (and Captain Blackadder’s rival) Captain Kevin Darling, and were possibly “slaughtered in the first ten seconds.”

However, Captain Blackadder apparently ducked into a trench and survived the war. In 1936, the family returned to noble status when Captain Blackadder’s son was ennobled during the short reign of King Edward VIII.

On New Year’s Eve 1999, Captain Blackadder’s grandson Lord Edmund Blackadder hosted a private party at his family manor, inviting descendants of his ancestor’s rivals: Archbishop Melchett and his assistant Archdeacon Darling, as well as current counterparts to family colleagues: Lady Elizabeth and Major George Bufton-Tufton, Viscount Bufton-Tufton. Lord Blackadder intended to play a turn-of-the-millennium trick on his guests via supposedly using a time machine built by his septic tank cleaner Baldrick to bring back any items put forward. When the machine does indeed work, Lord Blackadder had to rectify mistakes he had made across time, but then decided to tamper with time to make himself king as the widely commended Edmund III, with Baldrick as his puppet Prime Minister.

Minor Blackadders from the early twenty-first century include Captain Lord Blackadder from a regiment of shirkers (2000), Sir Osmond Darling-Blackadder, Keeper of the Lawn Sprinklers (2002), Sir Edmund Blackadder, CEO of Melchett, Darling & Darling Bank (2012), and a Lord Blackadder who spent the Covid-19 pandemic quarantined with General Melchett’s grandson, a member of the modern Britain’s intellectual community.

The Distant Future Amongst the Stars (?????)

The last Blackadder of renown is one who will live in the distant future. He is employed by Queen Asphyxia, Supreme Mistress of the Universe, and her spouses Lord Frondo, Lord Pigmot, and a figure reminiscent of Queen Elizabeth I’s former caretaker Nursie. Blackadder is head of her navy as “Grand Admiral of the Dark Segment, Lord of the High-slung Bottoms of Zob, and Thrice-endowed Supreme Donkey of the Trouserpods.” His noted accomplishments include forcing the Mamydons to retreat into the nine vectors and suck-creaming the Sheep-squeezers of Splaticon V as a qvarnbeast’s nobbo. Not included is vanquishing the Nibble-Pibblies on account of their being made up. Grand Admiral Blackadder completes his family’s long quest for ultimate power by eliminating Queen Asphyxia’s three spouses and wedding her the same day, much to her enthusiasm.

A snippet from our latest episode, in which our good friend Kevin Brown talks about the gobsmacking accuracy with which Blackadder Goes Forth portrays life in the British army.

https://reddit.com/link/1gerta0/video/b2zuskqtfoxd1/player

Has it ever been established how far into the future Grand Admiral Blackadder is?

https://youtube.com/shorts/Ig8BSFtyevU?si=GbApRemajoln2TkX

As the title suggests, our tenth episode has a military theme as our friend Kevin Brown – formerly a lowly Lance Corporal in the British army before moving to Canada to scale the dizzying heights of podcast fame – drops in on our squalid bit of line to talk about Blackadder Goes Forth and how accurately it portrays military life.

This time around, our Scene Stealer is Warren Clarke, who gave a memorable performance as Amy’s pig-loving father Mr Hardwood in the penultimate episode of Blackadder The Third. We take a look at his long and varied career as a character actor, how he ended up hamming it up on the Blackadder set (pun intended) and how Les Dawson was an unlikely source of inspiration.

https://shows.acast.com/663dc3b21f998c00125627fe/6710cc5d1aff5e41d716a3b8

Mini-milestone reached today:

Our third episode - Percy & Perspicacity, which featured our first ever guest in writer, poet and fellow Blackadder fan Jan Miklaszewicz - has just notched up its 300th download.

If you have never checked out the show, this would be an admirable place to start.

https://shows.acast.com/663dc3b21f998c00125627fe/667a5bb33834c21e8f0dbff2

I want my mum.

What could Lord Edmund Blackadder (whether Baldrick did anything is debatable) have possibly done to facilitate his alternate self’s rise as King Edmund III?

A lot of people complain about Prince Edmund’s cowardly, weak, idiotic character in the first series/season, but I personally think given the circumstances of his life, it makes perfect sense.

Firstly, his father King Richard IV barely even acknowledged him, and when he did, it took him a few seconds for him to even remember he had a second son, and he doesn’t even know Edmund’s name! (Apart from when he accidentally called him by the correct name in The Black Seal). He’s too busy with Harry to bond or even acknowledge Edmund. The only ones who do acknowledge him is the Queen, as well as Percy and Baldrick.

And he’s not entirely stupid either, he was the only one to see through the 3 archbishops “sudden” deaths in the whole castle, and also he was the only one to see through the whole witch thing too.

I’d be interested to hear the thoughts of people here on the subreddit, and I know it’s only a comedy and I’m probably looking into it too much, but does anyone else feel this way?

Greeting all,

Our ninth episode concludes our two-part interview with Jem Roberts, author of The True History Of The Black Adder, who talks to us about writing and researching his favourite book (and ours!) – with input from virtually everyone of note in the Blackadder universe.

This time around, our Scene Stealer is the late and much missed Robbie Coltrane in his role as the phrasmotically pompous Dr Johnson in Ink & Incapability, the episode that topped our Newbie list poll. We also look at other memorable roles that Robbie has brought to life and demonstrate how to single out his laugh in a studio audience.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/5v2zrXvSC8U8zv9FTFK3bZ?si=36321ca9cc784cad

Has anyone else here ever wondered what the Melchetts were doing during Blackadder the Third?

Anyone looking forward to the next Blackadder coming in summer 3000?