Baldrick facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Baldrick |
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| Blackadder character | |
Baldrick, portrayed by Sir Tony Robinson, in all four series of Blackadder
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| First appearance | "The Foretelling" (1983) |
| Last appearance | Blackadder: Back and Forth (2000) |
| Created by | Richard Curtis |
| Portrayed by | Tony Robinson |
| Information | |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | |
| Nationality | before 1707 English, after 1707 British |
Baldrick is the name of several fictional characters featured in the long-running BBC historic comedy television series Blackadder. Each one serves as Edmund Blackadder's servant and sidekick and acts as a foil to the lead character. Each series of Blackadder is set in a different period in British history, and each Baldrick character (as with the character of Edmund) is a descendant of the Baldrick from the preceding series. Just as Blackadder exists in many incarnations throughout the ages, so does Baldrick; whenever there is a Blackadder there is a Baldrick serving him. They are all portrayed by Sir Tony Robinson (although in the unaired pilot episode he was played by Philip Fox).
The relationship between Edmund and Baldrick evolves significantly; in the first series of the show, Baldrick is more intelligent than Blackadder, but this dynamic is reversed in subsequent series, with Baldrick's intelligence decreasing as the show continued. He is the only character other than Edmund Blackadder to appear in every episode of the programme.
'Baldrick' is a rare personal and family name. It is Germanic in origin, and has been present in Britain all the way back to the Norman Conquest of 1066.
Character
The character of Baldrick has become popularly associated with the comedic catch phrase "I have a cunning plan". The "cunning plans" in question are dreamed up by Baldrick as a solution to a particular problem or crisis and are usually ridiculed scathingly by Blackadder for their implausibility, but Blackadder frequently resorts to using these plans when the situation becomes desperate.
Although Baldrick's main goal is mostly very hidden, with a clever eye it is seen that he makes several attempts throughout history to raise his social standing, similar to Blackadder although the latter had much more success.
The catchphrase "I have a cunning plan" made its first appearance in the pilot episode, but it is not regularly used until the third series;
The only trait that is actually shared by all Baldricks is complete lack of hygiene and always having filthy, shaggy clothing. All Baldricks also have a different hat in the series (the first one has a Phrygian cap, the second has a Tudor bonnet, the third has a tricorne hat and the fourth has a Lenin-inspired trench cap). Some Baldricks are also fascinated with turnips, although mainly the third one. The second Baldrick mainly cooked it for dinner and while also finding an amusingly shaped turnip funny while the fourth was in a "Turnip Street Workhouse". However, only the third Baldrick had no other goal in life but the acquisition of turnips. Baldrick proves more intelligent than Blackadder's other companions—such as Lord Percy Percy or George—although only slightly. He is, however, often accorded more cruelty and mistreatment than he deserves.
Dynasty
- Legionary Baldricus – Roman Britain
- Robin Baldrick the Dung Gatherer - Middle Ages Baldrick's father
- Baldrick, Bachelor of the Parish of Chigwell – Middle Ages
- Baldrick – Elizabethan
- Baldrick – English Civil War
- Sodoff, Lord Baldrick – Regency
- Bert Baldrick – Regency Baldrick's cousin
- Mr. Baldrick – 1858
- Private S. Baldrick – World War I
- The Rt Hon. S. Baldrick MP, Prime Minister, septic tank cleaner
