How well do you know Baldrick, the “pointless peasant” played by Sir Tony Robinson in BBC sitcom Blackadder? Our fascinating facts will soon have you overinformed
Sir Tony Robinson says nine people turned down the part of Baldrick before him, as the Daily Star revealed yesterday. He claims no-one wanted to play sidekick to Rowan Atkinson’s Blackadder in the legendary BBC sitcom.
Luckily, we have a cunning plan to raise a glass to the dim-witted peasant. Time to give you the bald(rick) facts…
1. The name Baldrick is Germanic in origin, meaning “brave ruler”, and has been around in Britain since 1066.
2. Baldrick’s first name – “Sodoff” – is probably unique though. He tells Blackadder: “When I was growing up in the gutter I’d say to the other snipes ‘hello, my name’s Baldrick’. And they’d say ‘yes, we know – sod off Baldrick.’”
3. The very first Baldrick, in a 1982 pilot, was played by Philip Fox – who later appeared in Midsomer Murders and Waking The Dead. Sir Tony called the show “ghastly”.
4. Baldrick in The Black Adder (1983) is cleverer than his medieval boss – and some of his signature “cunning plans” actually work. He’s one of only two survivors at the end of the final episode.
5. But by Blackadder II (1986) he’s a gormless peasant who can’t get the hang of counting beans. His master fumes: “To you Baldrick, the Renaissance was just something that happened to other people.”
6. His favourite food is “turnip surprise,” but he experiments with an all-mouse diet. He ties a piece of cheese to the end of his nose, lies down on the floor and hopes they “scurry in”.
7. Baldrick gets elected to Parliament in Blackadder III (1987). He claims not to have a criminal record, but Blackadder insists: “You’re going to be an MP for God’s sake. I’ll just put fraud and sexual deviance.”
8. He’s also completely obsessed with turnips. When asked what he’d do with a thousand pounds, he says: “I’d get a little turnip of my own.” With a million, he’d go for “a great big turnip in the country”.
9. In Blackadder Goes Forth (1989), Private S. Baldrick is an enthusiastic cook. His specialties include “Rat au Van” – a rat that’s been run over by a van.
10. Pte. Baldrick tries to convince Captain Blackadder his dad was a nun. He says: “He was too, sir. Cos whenever he was up in court and the judge asked ‘occupation’, he’d say ‘none.’”
11. In Blackadder: Back & Forth (1999), Baldrick triggers the extinction of the dinosaurs with his 200-year-old underpants.
12. He also builds a working time machine, despite being illiterate, based on plans by Leonardo Da Vinci and his knowledge of Airfix models. A surprised Blackadder calls him “the greatest genius who ever lived.”
13. Baldrick dons a leather posing pouch in Blackadder’s Christmas Carol (1988), as a slave to Grand Admiral Blackadder of the Dark Segment.
14. According to a Comic Relief book of Blackadder scripts, Baldrick’s family tree includes the common cold, dung beetles, Paul Gascoigne, Ronald Reagan and his children Ronnie and Thingie.
15. The sixth wife of Henry VIII is also said to have been a Baldrick. According to the writers, the king was “old, half-mad and suffering from syphilis,” so he was “happy to get anything he could.”
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