Baldrick
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 and arguably the best friend of 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).
| Baldrick | |
|---|---|
| Blackadder character | |
Baldrick, portrayed by Sir Tony Robinson, in all four series of Blackadder | |
| First appearance | "The Foretelling" (1983) |
| Last appearance | Blackadder: Back and Forth (2000) |
| Created by | Richard Curtis |
| Portrayed by | Tony Robinson Philip Fox (unaired pilot) |
| In-universe information | |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | |
| Nationality | English |
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.