Blackadder Goes Forth 

Stuck in the middle of World War I, Captain Edmund Blackadder does his best to escape the banality of the war.

Stars:

Rowan Atkinson, Tony Robinson, Stephen Fry

Top Rated TV #56 | 3 wins.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Rowan Atkinson	...	Captain Edmund Blackadder 6 episodes, 1989
Tony Robinson	...	Private S Baldrick 6 episodes, 1989
Stephen Fry	...	General Sir Anthony Cecil Hogmanay Melchett 6 episodes, 1989
Hugh Laurie	...	Lieutenant The Honourable George Colthurst St. Barleigh 6 episodes, 1989
Tim McInnerny	...	Captain Kevin Darling 6 episodes, 1989

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 ...

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Plot Keywords:

world war one | 20th century | british comedy | 1910s | british soldier | 

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Genres:

Comedy | War

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Official Sites:

BBC [UK]

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 September 1989 (UK)

Also Known As:

Blackadder

Filming Locations:

Colchester Garrison, Colchester, Essex, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

175 min 30 min (6 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Tim McInnerny had declined to continue his role as Lord Percy or take the part of the foolish Prince George in Blackadder the Third (1987), for fear of being typecast as an idiot; as a consequence, his part in the fourth season is much more shrewd and wicked than any of his earlier characters.

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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.

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Quotes

[repeated line]
Private Baldrick: I have a cunning plan.

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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".

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Connections

Referenced in The Smith & Jones Sketchbook: Episode #1.2 (2006)

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Soundtracks

British Grenadier
(uncredited)
Traditional
(incorporated in the theme)

User Reviews

"Forth" Conquers!

As a huge fan of Hogan's Heroes, I was attracted to the vague similarities to it that exist in "Blackadder Goes Forth." But this series has British charm and hilarity all its own. All the Balckadder series are funny, but I believe this one is the best. The episode in which Blackadder is on trial is a favorite, as is the final episode.

Hugh Laurie, one of my favorite actors, does a marvelous job as George "last of the tiddlywinking leapfroggers" and, of course, Baldrick and Blackadder play off one another seamlessly. The slightly more serious nature of the subject matter does not seem forced. In fact, the humor makes the ending more affecting.

Blackadder has become a British classic, and this installment lives up to the others and surpasses them in spots. In my mind, Blackadder and his friends will forever be frozen in time, going "over the top."