THE WESTERN FRONT 1917: Captain Blackadder, joined the British Army when it was little more than a travel agency for gentlemen with an abnormally high sex drive. Now he’s twenty yards from a lot of heavily armed people who want to kill him. Worse still, his brother officer is a man whose family brain cell is gathering dust in a pawn shop in Dunstable, and Baldrick is in charge of the cooking.
Regular cast:
Captain Edmund Blackadder – Rowan Atkinson
Private S. Baldrick – Tony Robinson
General Sir Anthony Cecil Hogmanay Melchett – Stephen Fry
Lieutenant The Honourable George Colhurst St. Barleigh – Hugh Laurie
Captain Kevin Darling – Tim McInnerny
Plan A: Captain Cook
First broadcast on 28th September 1989
When General Haig unveils his new strategy to move his drinks cabinet six inches closer to Berlin, Blackadder volunteers to be Official War Artist.
General Melchett is looking for an artist for a special assignment.
Extra cast:
There is no special guest in this show (unless you include the cat)
Plan B: Corporal Punishment
First broadcast on 5th October 1989
Orders for Operation Insanity arrive and Blackadder breaches regulations by eating the messenger. Can the Flanders Pigeon Murderer avoid the firing squad?
In avoiding orders from Geneepisdes ral Melchett, Edmund eats a messenger pigeon, which turns out to be a court-martial offense.
Extra cast:
Corporal Perkins – Jeremy Hardy
Corporal Jones – Stephen Frost
Private Fraser – Lee Cornes
Private Robinson – Paul Mark Elliott
Private Tipplewick – Jeremy Gittins
Plan C: Major Star
First broadcast on 12th October 1989
The Russian Revolution produced two more appalling results: an offensive by Germany and a really offensive Charlie Chaplin impression by Baldrick.
In order to boost the troop’s morale, Edmund organizes a show with hopes of taking the revue to London.
Extra cast:
Driver Parkhurst – Gabrielle Glaister
Plan D: Private Plane
First broadcast on 19th October 1989
German machine guns in front, British firing squads behind – the only way out is tiddly-up-up.
Edmund joins the Air Corp and crashes behind the enemy lines with Baldrick. Lord Flashheart battles Baron von Richthoven (Adrian Edmondson) to rescue him.
Extra cast:
Squadron Commander Lord Flasheart – Rik Mayall
Baron von Richtoven – Adrian Edmunson
Driver Parkhurst – Gabrielle Glaister
Lieutenant von Gerhardt – Hugo E Blik
Plan E: General Hospital
First broadcast on 26th October 1989
The secret of the Great Plan is out. Ordered to find a spy in hospital, Blackadder spots a man with a strong German accent, a beautiful nurse and a chance for three weeks in bed.
Edmund is assigned to find a spy in a hospital, which has a beautiful nurse and a man with a strong German accent called “Smith”.
Extra cast:
Nurse Mary – Miranda Richardson
Brigadier Smith – Bill Wallis
Plan F: Goodbyeee
First broadcast on 2nd November 1989
Millions have died but the troops have advanced no further than an asthmatic ant with some heavy shopping. Now at last the final big push looms…
The big push is coming, so Edmund goes mad. Will a last minute call to Field Marshal Haig save him?
Extra cast:
Field Marshall Dougie Haig – Geoffrey Palmer
Trivia:
Impress your friends with some useless trivia from the Blackadder Goes Forth archives.
In the opening titles, Melchett and Darling were orginally sitting on horseback. This was changed when Melchett’s horse went a bit loopy when the band started playing.
Ben Elton is a huge fan of the WWII comedy series Dad’s Army. A corporal Jones even appears in one episode.
Ben Elton often refers to Goodbyeee as “Over the Top”.
The script for Goodbyeee called for a single pen up the nose – however someone thought that two pencils would be funnier.
The final scene in Goodbyeee is ranked as one of TVs top ten funniest moments of all time.
I still don’t know what Bob Massingbird was dubbed over in the episode “Corporal Punishment”.
Other people that may be important:
Other people whose job titles always appear on the back of the programs you get at local theatrical emporiums.
Written by – Richard Curtis and Ben Elton
Director – Richard Boden
Producer – John Lloyd
Title Music Composed and Arranged by – Howard Goodall
Played by – The Band of the 3rd Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment (The Pompadours)
Bandmaster – Tim Parkinson
P/BR – 647989 Libotte, J
Vis/E – 110143 Turner, R
Tech/Co – 364007 Massen, D
V/M – 420372 Abbott, C
VTE – 614981 Wadsworth, C
Cm/S – 841842 Hoare, J
S/Svr – 733731 Deane, M
Dep/Svr. – 713429 Way, N
L/Dr – 988212 Bristow, R
P/Mgr – 323476 Cooper, D
P/Att – 114209 Sharples, V
AFM – 529614 Kennedy, J
C/Dgr – 368807 Hardinge, A
M/V Dgr – 82641 Noble, C
Dgr – 404371 Hull, C