Tim McInnerny profile | Blackadder | Gold Blackadder Tim McInnerny profile We all know him as the blundering Lord Percy and weaselly Captain Darling in Blackadder. But did you know that Tim McInnerny has also played one of the most iconic stage roles in the history of the West End? Get the goods on McInnerny, one of our most talented and chameleon-like character actors, with our eye-opening profile. Tweet A very serious actor Born in 1956, Tim McInnerny has long been the subject of two popular misconceptions. The first being that his name is McInnery, and the second being that he's mainly a comedy actor. In actual fact, he's generally played straight, serious parts all his life – but being such a chameleonic and versatile actor you might not actually have recognised him outside of Blackadder.

As he himself said of that series: "Blackadder was such good fun, but it was just six weeks' work once every two years." When he wasn't being Lord Percy or Captain Darling, Tim was turning up in such gritty 80s dramas as A Very British Coup, which tackled left-wing politics, and Edge of Darkness, a dark conspiracy thriller. He's played serious roles ever since, in everything from Spooks to Marple – although he did have a memorable comic turn in Notting Hill, which we'll come to later… Blackadder back and forth Other than Rowan Atkinson and Tony Robinson, Tim was the only actor to appear in all four series of Blackadder. But why, having played Percy in Blackadders I and II, did he only make a cameo appearance in the third series before returning to a major role (Captain Darling) in the fourth? Well, he was originally asked to be the foolish, foppish Prince Regent in Blackadder the Third, but – having played Lord Percy in the first two series – he was worried about being typecast as a blundering buffoon.

So, as he was still keen on being in the show, he was instead given the much smaller role of Le Comte de Frou-Frou. He was eventually lured back as a full-time member of the team by the promise of playing the devious, and very un-Percy-like, character of Darling in Blackadder Goes Forth. All singing, all dancing As well as being a great comic actor and a very serious thesp, Tim – being incurably versatile – has also dabbled in the music world. In 2001 he appeared alongside fellow actor Ioan Gruffudd in the video of Westlife's charity single Uptown Girl. But a far more surprising context for Tim was the angsty video for Kate Bush's 1989 song This Woman's Work – in which the one-time Lord Percy can be seen brooding in a dark room while Kate Bush prances and croons around him. And here's another bit of interesting music-and-Tim trivia: in 1990 he donned tights and layered on the make-up to play the transvestite Frank-N-Furter in a West End production of The Rocky Horror Show. We can imagine that quite well, actually.

Tim the stuntman While Tim is perhaps proudest of the many serious roles he's played, his most fondly remembered project is actually the romantic comedy Notting Hill, in which he played Hugh Grant's best friend. Was it because the director forged such a close-knit, family-like atmosphere on set? Or perhaps because he got to work alongside screen goddess Julia Roberts (who was really down to earth, apparently)? Well yes, but the biggest buzz came from shooting the film's climax, in which Tim's character drives at breakneck speed through London with Hugh Grant in the back seat. "I actually did the driving and the screaming in the car is real because everyone was terrified," he confesses. "After it was done, the film's lead stunt man came over and told me to give him a call if the acting didn't pan out!" Tim the traveller For Tim, one of the best things about acting is the travelling it allows him to do. He's been a passionate traveller since his teenage years, despite a rather nasty incident that befell him in the gap year he took before going to university.

While hitchhiking through Bologna at around 4am one morning, he was attacked by local policemen who, just for the fun of it, pretended they were going to rob him and stuck a gun in his stomach. "I was in floods of tears," he remembers, "and they walked off laughing." Still, the experience didn't cure him of the travelling bug, and he looks forward to any production that takes him abroad. And what, according to him, should ever actor take on shoots with them? "The iPod. Having your own music while you're away filming really does help keep you sane…" 15 Things You Might Not Know About Blackadder Goes Forth | Mental Floss UK Videos 15 Things You Might Not Know About Blackadder Goes Forth Ad libs, goats, and a nod to Dad's Army - here are 15 little known facts about this classic series google+ Set largely in the trenches of World War I, Blackadder Goes Forth might be the most popular of the four Blackadder series, not least because of a now-legendary emotional final scene which paid tribute to the soldiers who gave their lives during the conflict.

But while those final moments are seared into the collective memory of comedy fans worldwide, there still a lot about them – and the rest of Blackadder Goes Forth - that you might not know. 1. The writers and actors argued. A lot. One of the things everyone working on previous series of Blackadder said they enjoyed was the camaraderie of the show, so it may have been a shock to all involved when things started to get tense on Blackadder Goes Forth. The established cast – which featured several comic writer-performers, including Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie and Rowan Atkinson – were more prone to question and alter the script, which writers Richard Curtis and Ben Elton felt was unproductive. Tony Robinson (Baldrick) once claimed that "the writers felt we were unilaterally altering the script for the worse" and that "by the end, they felt we had run away with it". 2. Captain Darling was named by Stephen Fry Of course, the spirit of collaboration wasn't completely absent from the series. Originally given the rather bland name of "Captain Cartwright", it was Stephen Fry who suggesting giving Tim McInnerny's character the surname "Darling", taking the name from a fellow pupil at his school.

It was initially resisted for being a one-joke idea, but if you've seen the series you'll know they eventually got a lot of mileage out of it. 3. Tim McInnerny agreed to return, but only if he was a new character. After Blackadder II, Tim McInnerny found that his popularity as Lord Percy was weighing uneasily on his career as a dramatic actor. After staying largely absent during Blackadder The Third, he returned for Blackadder's Christmas Carol, and latterly Blackadder Goes Forth, on the condition that he be allowed to play a character who was not a related to his incarnation in Series 1 and 2. 4. There's an Easter-egg tribute to Dad's Army As a comedy set during World War 1, Blackadder Goes Forth followed the tradition of popular World War II comedy, Dad's Army. In Episode 2, Corporal Punishment, writer Ben Elton included characters named "Fraser" and "Jones" in the firing squad as a reference to the Dad's Army characters "Lance-Corporal Jack Jones" and "Private James Frazer". Simple homage or stealth prequel? You decide. 5.

Blackadder's attempt to feign madness was based on Rowan Atkinson's actual behaviour In the final episode, Goodbyeee, Blackadder attempts to feign madness by wearing underpants on his head and sticking two pencils up his nose. This plan was based on Rowan Atkinson's habit of sticking pencils up his nose to entertain his cast-mates during read-throughs and script editing sessions. 6. It's why so many goats have the same name. The popularity of the series within the armed forces meant – according to producer John Lloyd, at least - that one point, half of all regimental goats had the name 'Baldrick'. Further evidence of the show's popularity can be seen from records of the first Gulf War, during which the British lines in Iraq were named after characters from the series. 7. The title of the final episode is a reference to a reference. The first five episodes all have titles which pun on a military rank (i.e. captain, private, general, etc.) but the final episode's title – Goodbyeee – references a popular song of the same name performed in music halls during World War 1.

Furthermore, the title of the song was a reference to the catchphrase of famed music hall comedian Harry Tate. The writers of the song Good-bye-ee!, R. P. Weston and Bert Lee, came up with the ditty after seeing a group of factory girls using Tate's famous inflection of the phrase to bid farewell to soldiers marching towards Victoria Station. 8. Darling's nervous tic was real… but not intentionally. As Captain Darling, Tim McInnerny affected a nervous tic in his eye - but the six week rehearsal and shooting schedule meant that he performed the gesture so often that it became involuntary. It took a further two months – longer than the entire recording process – for him to rid himself of it, and for some time he feared it would never disappear. 9. A lawyer's name was changed to meet advertising restrictions. In the second episode, Corporal Punishment, the brilliant lawyer Blackadder attempts to summon to defend him is named "Bob Massingbird" - though if you watch the remastered edition you can see that the name has been dubbed over the footage.

Originally, the characters referred to "Bob Moxon-Browne", whose name matched that of Rowan Atkinson's friend, who was himself a lawyer. It was changed at the last minute when it was decided that, due to Blackadder's personal endorsement - it technically qualified as advertising, which is restricted by the non-commercial BBC. 10. The series used stock footage from the 1970s. Since the show was set in World War 1, appropriate footage of aerial dogfights (seen in the episode Private Plane) was hard to come by. The footage used actually comes from a 1976 British/French war film called Aces High, which starred such notable actors as Malcolm McDowell and Christopher Plummer. The film tells the story of a single week for the Royal Flying Corps squadron, with notable emphasis on the high death rate of pilots. 11. Stephen Fry might have ad-libbed an insult… but he might have not. During one scene, General Melchett claims that "Oxford [University] is a complete dump" to Blackadder's unusually genuine-looking surprise.

It's popularly claimed that this was an ad-lib by Stephen Fry (who attended Oxford's rival university, Cambridge) at the expense of Rowan Atkinson and Richard Curtis, who both attended Oxford – though it's worth noting that the script book does contain the line as delivered. 12. The final scene was created by accident. Call it a happy accident, creative serendipity or just good luck, but the series was never intended to conclude with the much-lauded final scene as it aired. Originally, the intention was to show the cast gunned down and end, like previous series, on their deaths. But at the time a combination of factors meant that the footage of the final scene was so bad that it was almost unusable. By slowing down what little they had and crossfading to a field of poppies, the production was able to create a new ending which quickly became one of the most famous and powerful conclusions to any sitcom ever. 13.

The final closing theme tune was recorded in a gym While it's now easy to produce certain production effects using a simple digital filter, the haunting echo on the piano-based arrangement of the theme tune which closes the season wasn't created through digital trickery – instead it was produced by musician Howard Goodall recording a piano played in an empty gymnasium. 14. There was originally a twist ending. We've noted that the original ending scene was different to the one that aired, but it did contain an interesting twist. Although the cast falls to the ground dead, it's then revealed that Blackadder only feigned death as he gets up and sneaks away, leaving his fallen comrades behind. This version of the final scene is available on the remastered DVD collection as part of the documentary Blackadder Rides Again. A further epilogue scene was cut before it was filmed, and would've featured Blackadder as an old man and grandfather who had survived the war. 15. The series was so good, it had to end. In many ways, the high quality of Blackadder Goes Forth was its undoing.

The feeling amongst the writers and cast was that any fifth Blackadder series would be critically savaged if it failed to match the high bar set by Series 4. It was felt by most of those involved that a fifth series would be a no-win situation, creatively speaking - and when the series' long-time producer John Lloyd left the BBC, this provided the final nail in the coffin. Despite this, the idea has never quite gone away and there's always a chance that Blackadder's dynasty will return to screens once more. Read more about: Blackadder Goes Forth (TV Series 1989) - IMDb IMDb There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error Stuck in the middle of World War I, Captain Edmund Blackadder does his best to escape the banality of the war. Stars: Blackadder pretends that he's insane to avoid certain death carrying out the General's order for the "big push". 9.4 Blackadder hatches a cunning plan to avoid starvation and ignore his orders by eating a carrier pigeon.

8.9 The General asks Blackadder to find a spy in the hospital; one of the patients has a thick German accent and an interest in all things military. 8.8 a list of 40 titles created 14 Mar 2014 a list of 23 titles created 14 Jun 2014 a list of 42 titles created 15 Dec 2014 a list of 34 titles created 10 Aug 2015 a list of 36 titles created 3 weeks ago Title: Blackadder Goes Forth (1989) 8.8/10 Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. In the Regency era, Mr E. Blackadder serves as butler to the foppish numskull Prince George amidst the fads and crazes of the time. Stars: Rowan Atkinson, Tony Robinson, Hugh Laurie In the Tudor court of Elizabeth I, Lord Edmund Blackadder strives to win Her Majesty's favour while attempting to avoid a grisly fate should he offend her.

Stars: Rowan Atkinson, Tony Robinson, Tim McInnerny In the Middle Ages, Prince Edmund the Black Adder constantly schemes and endeavors to seize the crown from his father and brother. Stars: Rowan Atkinson, Brian Blessed, Elspet Gray At a New Millennium Eve party Blackadder and Baldrick test their new time machine and ping pong through history encountering famous characters and changing events rather alarmingly.... Director: Paul Weiland Blackadder's Christmas Carol (TV Short 1988) Short | Comedy | History After a genial spirit shows the benevolent Ebenezer Blackadder visions of his unscrupulous ancestors, he resolves to mend his generous ways. Director: Richard Boden Hotel owner Basil Fawlty's incompetence, short fuse, and arrogance form a combination that ensures accidents and trouble are never far away. Stars: John Cleese, Prunella Scales, Andrew Sachs Sir Edmund Blackadder must protect, and later rescue, King Charles I from the Roundheads. Director: Mandie Fletcher The original surreal sketch comedy showcase for the Monty Python troupe.

Stars: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam Crazy sitcom about 3 priests and their housekeeper who live on Craggy Island, not the peaceful and quiet part of Ireland it seems! Stars: Dermot Morgan, Ardal O'Hanlon, Frank Kelly Classic comedy following the misadventures of two Wheeler Dealer brothers Del Boy and Rodney Trotter who scrape their living by selling dodgy goods believing that next year they will be millionaires. Stars: David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst, Roger Lloyd Pack Red Dwarf (TV Series 1988) Comedy | Sci-Fi The adventures of the last human alive and his friends, stranded three million years into deep space on the mining ship Red Dwarf. Stars: Chris Barrie, Craig Charles, Danny John-Jules A comedy panel game in which being Quite Interesting is more important than being right. Stephen Fry is joined each week by four comedians to share anecdotes and trivia, and maybe answer some questions as well.

Stars: Alan Davies, Stephen Fry, Bill Bailey Edit Storyline It is 1917, and lunatic General Sir Anthony Cecil Hogmanay Melchett is leading the British troops at the front lines against the Germans, while everyone waits for Field Marshall Haig's big push. There are various emotions throughout the camp about it. For Captain Kevin Darling, Melchett's bull-dog-like right-hand man, it makes no difference, as it appears he will be safe and sound with the general when the big push occurs. For Lieutenant George Colhurst Saint Barleigh, he is overly excited at thrashing the Germans. For Private S. (probably for Sod-Off) Baldrick, it's a terrifying experience he is not looking forward to. For Captain Edmund Blackadder, however, it's something he's too cowardly too face. Self-centered, arrogant, and sarcastic, Blackadder is always constantly searching for a way out of this silly war, and will try various, often crazy, variations on escape, all of which will take a turn he never expected. Sharing a dugout with George and Baldrick, his main obstacle for ... Written by Bloggers!

28 September 1989 (UK) See more » Also Known As: Did You Know? Trivia The decision to set Blackadder in the trenches of World War One did not come from Ben Elton , Richard Curtis or any of the cast or producers. The BBC received an unsolicited script for a new Blackadder series set in a France during WWI, from a young first-time writer. Elton and Curtis felt that the script itself was not good enough, but liked the WWI setting, and subsequently wrote Blackadder Goes Forth using this idea. See more » Goofs Throughout the series, Blackadder and George, both front-line officers in the trenches, are show with their rank insignia displayed on their cuffs, whereas Melchett and Darling, staff officers, are shown with their rank insignia on their shoulders. In reality, this would have been reversed: Cuff insignia was the standard, but front-line officers were allowed to wear theirs on their shoulders to make them less conspicuous to snipers. Shoulder insignia eventually became an army-wide personal option in 1917, and made permanent in 1920 when the cuff insignia was abolished completely.

See more » Quotes Lieutenant George : But this is brave, splendid and noble... [Blackadder doesn't react - there's a long pause] Private Baldrick : I'm scared too, sir Lieutenant George : I'm the last of the tiddly-winking leapfroggers from the golden summer of 1914. I don't want to die... I'm really not over keen on dying at all, sir. Captain Blackadder : How are you feeling, Darling? Captain Darling : Ahm- not all that good, Blackadder. Rather hoped I'd get through the whole show, go back to work at Pratt and Sons, keep wicket for the Croydon Gentlemen, marry Doris. ... [...] See more » Crazy Credits The production crew credits at the end are formatted to look like military personnel rolls. Each crew member is listed with a cryptic abbreviation of their job title (as if it were a military rank), a serial number, last name and first initial. For example, production designer Chris Hull is listed as "Dgr. 404371 Hull, C" and makeup designer Caroline Noble is credited as "M/U Dgr. 862641 Noble, C".

See more » Connections (United Kingdom) – See all my reviews Probably the best of the four series, although the last three are all on a par really. The usual excellent one-liners, witticisms and comic characters are there, but with a very serious, tragic context. There is an added pathos, particularly in the last episode, "Goodbyeeee", which is one of the finest half-hours of comedy no less. The second episode, "Corporal Punishment" is surely one of the very best Blackadders, with Blackadder murdering Melchett's pigeon, Speckled Jim... A hilarious episode there. Yes, maybe the plots are more consistent and original in series 2, but this series makes the best use of the historical period, which is, of course, World War 1. Special mention must be made of Rowan Atkinson's consistently excellent portrayal of the cynical Blackadder, Stephen Fry gives one of the finest caricatured performances you'll ever see as the insane Gen. Melchett and the excellent Hugh Laurie impresses as the ever-optimistic yet idiotic Bertie Wooster-type, Young George. A must-see, even if you've seen it so many times before...

If you haven't yet seen it, a veritable feast awaits. Rating:- ***** (out of *****) 21 of 24 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes Captain Blackadder And Private Baldrick Actually Served In WWI | Blackadder Hall Captain Blackadder And Private Baldrick Actually Served In WWI Source: Telegraph.co.uk Captain Blackadder, Lieutenant George and Private Baldrick really did ‘go forth’ in World War One it has emerged after their real-life namesakes were discovered. The hit BBC comedy Blackadder, which covered four periods of history, ended with a series set in the trenches in which the characters go over the top for “one last hurrah”. But now it has emerged that the characters, invented by Richard Curtis, Rowan Atkinson and Ben Elton, really did fight in the conflict. To mark the centenary of the Great War, a specialist military genealogy website has traced the real life counterparts of Captain Blackadder and his wartime colleagues.

Forces War Records researchers delved back through six million military records to dig up the stories of Captain Robert John Blackadder, Private James Baldrick, Lieutenant Athelstan Key Durance George and Captain John Clive Darling. The fictional characters, portrayed by Rowan Atkinson, Tony Robinson, Hugh Laurie and Tim McInnerny, appear to share a number of similarities with their World War One namesakes. As well as having the same surnames and rank, all of the men also served in the trenches. Captain Robert John Blackadder was born in January 1884 in Dundee, Scotland, before graduating in Scots law from the city’s University College. He worked as an accountant before travelling to London where he enlisted in the army as a rifleman and served as a private in the Queen’s Westminster Rifles. When we were backpacking about for about 5 months in Sweden – until we got back home we inadvertently ran out of cash, and had to gå till låna-pengar.biz to make ends meet there. It was a little stressful, but also enjoyable!

Like Rowan Atkinson’s character, the real Blackadder worked his way up before being promoted to the rank of Captain when he was attached to the North Scottish Royal Garrison Artillery. He fought in the Battle of the Somme in 1916 and was awarded the Military Cross in 1918 where he was honoured for “conspicuous gallantry”. He survived the war and moved to Sussex where he died in June 1968 aged 84. Military records have also revealed a real-life Private Baldrick, who served in the trenches before being killed just months after the outbreak of war. Pte James Baldrick was born in 1892 and was brought up in Londonderry before working as a shop porter in Omagh. He enlisted in the army reserves and was called up for regular service attached to the British Expeditionary Force. He fought at the Battle of Le Cateau but was tragically killed on October 20, 1914 aged just 23 at the Battle of Messines. His name appears on the Ploegsteert Memorial in Belgium.

The real Captain Darling, unlike the sneering character played by Tim McInnerny, in the comedy series, had a distinguished military career before dying in February 1933 aged just 45. Captain John Clive Darling was born in June 1887, the only son of the The Honourable Mr Justice Charles John Darling, 1st Baron Darling and Mary Caroline Darling. He was educated at St Neots School and Eton, before taking his commissioning course at Sandhurst and joining the cavalry. He served through the war as a signalling officer to the 20th Hussars until he retired in 1923 as a Major. He was mentioned in Dispatches on June 13, 1916 and awarded the Distinguished Service Order. He went on to write a book about his wartime experiences called ’20th Hussars in the Great War’, which was filled with military anecdotes. Lieutenant George died just two months after war broke out aged 27. Lt Athelstan Key Durance George was born in March 1887 in Brixton, London and was a direct descendant of Sir William Bloet who fought with William the Conqueror.

He began studying medicine at Cambridge University where he excelled at rowing and fencing before dropping out and joining the army. He joined the King’s Liverpool Regiment in 1907 and his Colonel described him as the best ‘subaltern’ or second lieutenant he had ever had. In August 1914 he left for the Western Front after passing an aviation course and fought in the Battles of Mons, Le Cateau and Marne where he was killed on September 9, 1914. Dominic Hayhoe, chief executive of Forces War Records, said: “We were uploading new information onto our database when we came across a Captain Blackadder. “As fans of the television show, we wondered if we could find the military records of the other fictional characters’ namesakes. “So we challenged our team of professional researchers and military experts, who are all based in the UK so are familiar with the Blackadder series, to find them, which they did. “The only person we haven’t been able to track down so far from World War One is a General Melchett.

“But according to the military records we have, he makes an appearance in World War Two.” h2g2 - 'Blackadder' - the TV Series - Edited Entry 33 Conversations Blackadder is the general name for any one of the four BBC TV sitcoms and a number of one-off specials based around the life of Edmund Blackadder. Each series is set around a particular historical period, and follows the lives of different Edmund Blackadders, each one a direct descendent of the previous incarnation. The four series are written by Richard Curtis (series one to four), Rowan Atkinson (series one) and Ben Elton (series two to four) 1 . In each incarnation, Rowan Atkinson plays the main character of Blackadder. The only other character that is present in all four of the series is Blackadder's sidekick, Baldrick, a not-too-clever, general dogsbody 2 , played by Tony Robinson. Other actors consistently appear in all four series, Tim McInnerny, for example, but none play the same person throughout.

The four series each have their own unique quality, and this is partly because Blackadder's personality is subtly different in each one, but still manages to retain the same overall character. The first series is by far the most flamboyant production having a large cast and many elaborate sets. Although the three following series had much smaller casts and were mostly studio-based, it was said of series four that it was, when it first shown in 1989, probably the most realistic. The Pilot It is Europe, 400 years ago. In Spain, war rages, as Christians from every land fight off the threatening terror of Turkish invasion. The French... are in uneasy peace. But in England, under the tutelage of a powerful king, the Ship of State ploughs a steady course as the court awaits the Queen's birthday and the return of a Scottish hero from the war... As is the norm for TV production, Blackadder began with a pilot episode. A pilot is a test-run for a show to see how a series might work. Sometimes, the pilot becomes the first episode of the transmitted series, while other times, as in this case, the pilot is remade completely, though the remake might retain many elements from the pilot.

This pilot was reworked as 'Born to Be King', the second episode of series one, The Black Adder. The backdrop to the series is fairly vague, set some time in the 16th Century in the house of an unspecified king. The central character is also still clearly a work-in-progress as Atkinson's portrayal slides uneasily between the oily worm of the first series and the sarcastic master planner of the later episodes. The pilot episode ends with a shot of the Blackadder family crest, which bears the motto: 'Veni, Vidi, Castratavi Illegitimos' - we came, we saw, we castrated the b******s... Main Characters Baldrick - Philip Fox McAngus - Alex Norton Fans of the series will notice that the biggest change between the pilot and the transmitted episode was that Baldrick was not played by Tony Robinson. While Elspet Grey and Tim McInnerny would return for the full series, John Savident (now best-known for playing Fred Eliot in Coronation Street , would be replaced by Brian Blessed as the King.

One final element missing from this first run at the concept is the distinctive theme tune, though Howard Goodall does in fact contribute the show's music. Series One - The Black Adder This series starts in 1485, under the reign of King Richard III and chronicles the events surrounding Edmund Blackadder, second son of Richard, Duke of York. The story runs through to 1498 to the end of the forgotten reign of King Richard IV (who followed Richard III, as played by comic legend Peter Cook). Blackadder's full title is Edmund, Duke of Edinburgh and Warden of the Royal Privies, until the final episode where he is relieved of his duties in Edinburgh. Episode List King Richard IV - Brian Blessed Percy Duke of Northumberland - Tim McInnerny The Queen - Elspet Gray Harry, Prince of Wales - Robert East The other person to watch out for in the cast is the Jumping Jew of Jerusalem played by Angus Deayton 3 in the episode 'Born to be King', though is probably best-known for hosting Have I Got News For You and appearing as Victor Meldrew's neighbour in One Foot in the Grave .

Series Two - Blackadder II The second series takes place in the time of Queen Elizabeth I. The Queen is depicted as a ditzy monarch with a penchant for strange dreams involving horses. Lord Blackadder, as he is in this series, is a close friend and favourite of the Queen. From series two onwards the episode titles follow a particular style which remains throughout each series. Episode List Nursie - Patsy Byrne Lord Percy - Tim McInnerny It is also worth looking out for Lord Flashheart (Rik Mayall of The Young Ones fame), Sir Walter Raleigh (Simon Jones, Arthur Dent from The Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Galaxy ), and Prince Ludwig (Hugh Laurie, who becomes a regular member of the team from the third series on). The last episode in this series is probably the most confusing as no explanation is given for the Epilogue. In this episode, Blackadder and Melchett are kidnapped by the evil Prince Ludwig who is a master of disguise and has slept with most of the characters in the past. The epilogue shows the corpses of the Queen, Blackadder, Melchett et al and Prince Ludwig dressed as Queen Elizabeth I. Very strange.

Series Three - Blackadder the Third In series three, Blackadder is somewhat reduced in status and is butler to Prince George, the Prince Regent, during the reign of King George III. Prince George is a man with a large number of socks, 432,507 pairs to be precise, and is described by Blackadder as having 'a brain the size of a weasel's wedding tackle'. Probably the most important thing about series three is that it is the only one where Blackadder does not die in the final episode. It's also the first time that we hear Baldrick's first name - Sod Off. Episode List Millicent - Nicola Bryant Ralph - Ramsey Gilderdale As well as some of the regulars from the series, the special saw appearances from Miriam Margolyes and Jim Broadbent, who had both appeared in the first series episode 'The Queen of Spain's Beard' (Margolyes also appeared in the second series episode 'Beer'). Also of note is Nicola Bryant, who had previously played Peri, one of the companions of Doctor Who , while Erkan Mustafa, who here plays one of the enormous orphans, had played the hapless Roland Browning in Grange Hill.

Series Four - Blackadder Goes Forth This, the final series, is set during the First World War some time between the years 1914 and 1917. Blackadder is a Captain in the British army, having joined in 1888, and is now stationed on the front line. His commanding officer, General Melchett, has his HQ conveniently situated 30 safe miles away, and Blackadder is frequently summoned there, where he entertains himself by baiting the long-suffering Captain Darling. Blackadder spends the series finding innovative ways to avoid 'going over the top' and fighting. The final episode in the series, 'Goodbyeee', doesn't follow the pattern of other episodes, the reason for this becomes apparent when you actually watch it. The final scene shows the central characters going into battle and to certain death. Ending with a still of the battlefield slowly fading into a field of vivid red poppies, the scene is quite moving and has made it into the top ten of 'most memorable moments of television'. Episode List 'Goodbyeee' Main Characters This series has the smallest cast list numbering only 17, however most of the cast are now well-known actors or comedians.

General Sir Anthony Cecil Hogmanay Melchett - Stephen Fry Lieutenant The Honourable George Colthurst St Barleigh - Hugh Laurie Captain Kevin Darling - Tim McInnerny Also worth looking out for are Corporal Perkins - Jeremy Hardy Squadron Commander Lord Flashheart - Rik Mayall Baron von Richthoven - Adrian Edmondson Nurse Mary Turnsouttobeaspyattheend - Miranda Richardson Field Marshal Haig - Jeffrey Palmer Blackadder - Back and Forth The final instalment of the series is Blackadder - Back and Forth which shows our anti-hero zipping through time. Premiered exclusively at the Millennium Dome, London, it was subsequently released on home video and DVD. After a dinner with some friends on New Year's Eve, 1999, Blackadder shows off his invention - a time machine. Though his friends mock him, Blackadder bets them all he can retrieve a number of objects from history.

Aided by his loyal manservant Baldrick (who was the real inventor of the machine, based on some sketches he found in a book about Leonardo Da Vinci), Blackadder finds himself in a race through time as he tries to find all of the objects before 1999 becomes 2000... Main Characters Friar Tuck - Crispin Harris The End... ? Aside from a few small sketches (including one for a gala in honour of Prince Charles' birthday), this is the last we've seen of Blackadder. Though rumours have circulated for many years that the 'next' version might be the manager of a 1960s pop back called 'The Black Adder 5', so far this has yet to be confirmed. For now, we'll have to be content with the past, where Blackadder has always seemed at home... 1 These three gentleman are, respectively, the writer of Four Weddings and a Funeral, the rubber-faced Mr Bean, and the writer of the West End play Popcorn. 2 A dogsbody is a English slang term for someone who is given all the boring mundane jobs. 3 A British comedy actor who pops up regularly in comedies written by Richard Curtis.

He also played the Treasurer in Elizabeth starring Cate Blanchett. Blackadder and company really did fight in World War One, records show - Telegraph World War One Blackadder and company really did fight in World War One, records show Captain Blackadder and the other characters from the hit BBC comedy had real-life namesakes who fought in the First World War, military records have shown Rowan Atkinson in Blackadder Goes Forth By Miranda Prynne , News Reporter 6:00AM BST 25 Jun 2014 Follow Captain Blackadder, Lieutenant George and Private Baldrick really did 'go forth' in World War One it has emerged after their real-life namesakes were discovered. The hit BBC comedy Blackadder, which covered four periods of history, ended with a series set in the trenches in which the characters go over the top for “one last hurrah”. Earlier this year, Michael Gove, the education secretary criticised the show for spreading myths about World War One. But now it has emerged that the characters, invented by Richard Curtis, Rowan Atkinson and Ben Elton, really did fight in the conflict.

To mark the centenary of the Great War, a specialist military genealogy website has traced the real life counterparts of Captain Blackadder and his wartime colleagues. Related Articles Downton Abbey star to make musical album of war poetry 30 Apr 2014 Forces War Records researchers delved back through six million military records to dig up the stories of Captain Robert John Blackadder, Private James Baldrick, Lieutenant Athelstan Key Durance George and Captain John Clive Darling. The fictional characters, portrayed by Rowan Atkinson, Tony Robinson, Hugh Laurie and Tim McInnerny, appear to share a number of similarities with their World War One namesakes. As well as having the same surnames and rank, all of the men also served in the trenches. Captain Robert John Blackadder was born in January 1884 in Dundee, Scotland, before graduating in Scots law from the city's University College. He worked as an accountant before travelling to London where he enlisted in the army as a rifleman and served as a private in the Queen's Westminster Rifles.

Like Rowan Atkinson's character, the real Blackadder worked his way up before being promoted to the rank of Captain when he was attached to the North Scottish Royal Garrison Artillery. He fought in the Battle of the Somme in 1916 and was awarded the Military Cross in 1918 where he was honoured for "conspicuous gallantry". He survived the war and moved to Sussex where he died in June 1968 aged 84. Military records have also revealed a real-life Private Baldrick, who served in the trenches before being killed just months after the outbreak of war. Pte James Baldrick was born in 1892 and was brought up in Londonderry before working as a shop porter in Omagh. He enlisted in the army reserves and was called up for regular service attached to the British Expeditionary Force. He fought at the Battle of Le Cateau but was tragically killed on October 20, 1914 aged just 23 at the Battle of Messines. His name appears on the Ploegsteert Memorial in Belgium.

The real Captain Darling, unlike the sneering character played by Tim McInnerny, in the comedy series, had a distinguished military career before dying in February 1933 aged just 45. Captain John Clive Darling was born in June 1887, the only son of the The Honourable Mr Justice Charles John Darling, 1st Baron Darling and Mary Caroline Darling. He was educated at St Neots School and Eton, before taking his commissioning course at Sandhurst and joining the cavalry. He served through the war as a signalling officer to the 20th Hussars until he retired in 1923 as a Major. He was mentioned in Dispatches on June 13, 1916 and awarded the Distinguished Service Order. He went on to write a book about his wartime experiences called '20th Hussars in the Great War', which was filled with military anecdotes. Lieutenant George died just two months after war broke out aged 27. Lt Athelstan Key Durance George was born in March 1887 in Brixton, London and was a direct descendant of Sir William Bloet who fought with William the Conqueror.

He began studying medicine at Cambridge University where he excelled at rowing and fencing before dropping out and joining the army. He joined the King's Liverpool Regiment in 1907 and his Colonel described him as the best 'subaltern' or second lieutenant he had ever had. In August 1914 he left for the Western Front after passing an aviation course and fought in the Battles of Mons, Le Cateau and Marne where he was killed on September 9, 1914. Dominic Hayhoe, chief executive of Forces War Records, said: "We were uploading new information onto our database when we came across a Captain Blackadder. "As fans of the television show, we wondered if we could find the military records of the other fictional characters' namesakes. "So we challenged our team of professional researchers and military experts, who are all based in the UK so are familiar with the Blackadder series, to find them, which they did. "The only person we haven't been able to track down so far from World War One is a General Melchett.

"But according to the military records we have, he makes an appearance in World War Two." Blackadder ran from 1983 until 1989 starting with a series set in the Middle Ages, before moving on to the Elizabethan era, the Regency period and finally the First World War. Blackadder Goes Forth | Blackadder | Gold Blackadder Blackadder Goes Forth A sublime mixture of farce and satire which also happens to have one of the greatest endings to any series ever, Blackadder Goes Forth remains a true TV classic. But just why did the writers decide to set it in World War One, and what was Captain Darling originally going to be called? With a bing and a bong and a buzz buzz buzz, we reveal all. Tweet The background When writers Richard Curtis and Ben Elton decided to set the final series of Blackadder in the trenches of World War One, the concept was met with some scepticism by some BBC execs. Surely that notoriously brutal and bloody conflict didn't lend itself to a sitcom? Yet, as far as Curtis was concerned, it was perfect. "The war, or at least the lead up to it, actually was funny," he explains.

"We have all these people brought together, meeting other social classes for the first time, everyone completely and obliviously gung-ho about it all. The first hundred pages of any book on the war are hilarious, and then of course everybody dies." It was the combination of humour and horror that would inform the series – particularly the great final episode. Making it happen Goes Forth saw the return of Tim McInnerny as a regular member of the cast. Having played Lord Percy in the first two series, McInnerny was cast in the fourth as Blackadder's enemy Captain Cartwright. But, just before filming commenced, Stephen Fry recalled a boy he'd gone to school whose surname – Darling – had been a huge source of embarrassment. And so Captain Cartwright became Captain Darling, one of the most memorable characters in the series. In fact, he proved too memorable for McInnerny himself, who got so used to performing the character's nervous tick that it stayed with him for two months after filming! And speaking of nerves, Rowan Atkinson's nervous stammer – a lifelong trait he is generally able to control – actually brought filming to a stop in one episode.

It's the one with Lord Flashheart, when the latter's tendency to shout "Woof!" inspires Blackadder to say "It's like Crufts in here". The original line had Battersea Dogs' Home instead, but in take after take Atkinson was unable to articulate the "Bah" sound of "Battersea". (The letter "b" followed by a vowel has always been a bit of a niggle for him – which is why Blackadder's voice seems to strain whenever he mentions the name of the female character Bob.) Look, it's him off that thing! Goes Forth, like the three series before it, has its share of celebrity cameos. Perhaps the most significant is Miranda Richardson's turn as an army nurse – a composed and sly performance that's rather different to the shrieking Queen she played in Blackadder II. The series also features comedy veteran Geoffrey Palmer as the aloof and clueless Field Marshall Haig, as well as Ade Edmondson as the Red Baron – arch-nemesis of Lord Flashheart (who is of course played by Edmondson's long-term collaborator Rik Mayall).

And if you really want to show off to your mates, you can point out that one of the soldiers in Blackadder's firing squad is the acclaimed alternative comedian Jeremy Hardy. The cunningest episode? There's very little room for debate on this one: the greatest episode of Goes Forth must surely be the last one – Goodbyeee. For one thing, it allows us to hear Baldrick's war poetry, which clearly surpasses the petty scribblings of Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen. (Sample lines: “Hear the words I sing / War’s a horrid thing / But still I sing, sing, sing / Ding a ling a ling”) But, perhaps better even than that, it is a seamless blend of gallows humour and rich poignancy, with the whole motley crew finally facing the "big push" – also known as certain death. Old rivalries are put aside and Blackadder even shows respect for Captain Darling as they prepare to charge into No Man's Land. In the original script they were all instantly shot dead as they went "over the top", but fortunately this was altered to have them charge in slow motion towards oblivion, before the screen is filled with a field of poppies.

A fitting end to an iconic series. Tim McInnerny | Biography and Filmography | 1956 Biography British actor Tim McInnerny is most often recognized for his role as Percy from the first two seasons of Rowan Atkinson's historical sitcom, "The Blackadder. " A graduate of Oxford's Wadham College, McInnerny made his television debut on the popular BBC series in 1982, where, like many of the show's other players, he portrayed a series of characters who shared the same name--in his case: Percy. In 1985, he strove to display his talent for more serious fare with a supporting role in "Wetherby," the BAFTA-nominated mystery movie. While he re-teamed with Atkinson the following year for "Black-Adder II," in which he was now Lord Percy, McInnerny rebuffed a chance to reprise his role in the third series, "Black Adder the Third," for fear of being typecast. He did, however, accept a one-off role in that production, also returning for "Blackadder Goes Forth," playing Captain Kevin Darling.

This made him one of three actors to appear in each Blackadder adventure; the other two were the show's stars, Atkinson and Tony Robinson. McInnerny has explored roles on both stage and screen, taking to comedies of various shades. In 1996, he landed a supporting role in the live-action family comedy "101 Dalmatians," and shortly thereafter, he took a small role in "Notting Hill," the Julia Roberts/Hugh Grant romantic comedy. In 2006, he stepped into the blood-soaked realm of horror-comedy with the office retreat-centric "Severance." In 2010, McInnerny starred in the plague centered drama "Black Death." SIMILAR ARTICLES

Question: What is the name of the Captain, played by Tim McInnerny, in the UK television series ‘Blackadder Goes Forth’?
Answer: Kevin Darling