The Foretelling
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| Blackadder Episode | |
| The Foretelling | |
 The Hideous Crones |
|
|---|---|
| Air date | 15/6/1983 |
| Writer(s) | Rowan Atkinson Richard Curtis |
| Director | |
| Guest star(s) | Peter Cook |
| ← Prev none |
Next → Born to be King |
The Foretelling was the first episode of the first season of the BBC sitcom Blackadder (The Black Adder).
Contents |
[edit] Plot
[edit] Battle of Bosworth Field
There is no contemporaneous account of Prince Edmund's life until 21 August 1485. His first appearance on record seems to have been at a feast on the eve of the Battle of Bosworth Field. There King Richard III of England (cf. Peter Cook) gathered his supporters to make war against Henry Tudor. Lord Edmund Plantagenet, as he then was, arrived in the company of his father the Duke of York and brother, Harry, Earl of March.
However, when Edmund cheered for the King the latter had to enquire as to the former's identity. As his own father then appeared not to know him, Edmund had to be identified by his brother. The King was not particularly impressed by his grand-nephew and asked the Duke: "You're, er, not putting him anywhere near me, are you?"
After this less than heart-warming reception Edmund turned to speak to his "friend" Lord Percy, Duke of Northumberland. The two were soon joined by an ex-dung heap employee called Baldrick, who with a bit of flattery managed to win some favour with Edmund. Lord Edmund immediately chose this new acquaintance as his squire for the morning battle, which loomed in importance because, as he put it, "If we lose, I'll be chopped to pieces. My arms will end up in Essex, my torso in Norfolk, and my genitalia stuck up a tree somewhere in Rutland".
Predictably, on 22 August, the day of the battle, both Edmund and Baldrick overslept. They rushed to the battlefield, Edmund by horse and Baldrick by mule. Edmund was initially eager to participate in "The first decent battle since I reached puberty,"but, observing the combatants from afar, he came to the shocking realisation that fighting could lead to death. He decided at that moment to remain a spectator. Noticing, however, that someone was attempting to take his horse, Edmund finally drew his sword and decapitated the stranger.
He was initially surprised by, then proud of, his first kill, until he recognized the stranger to be his great-uncle Richard, the King of England. That night the victorious army swore to the name of their new King Richard IV of England (played by Brian Blessed), nephew of their fallen monarch. Harry and Edmund were promoted to Royal Princes. The accidental murder had placed Edmund second-in-line to inherit the English throne.
[edit] The Black Adder
Edmund resolved to become more assertive, giving himself the title The Black Vegetable. Baldrick instead suggested The Black Adder, which Edmund wisely adopted, although few people were aware of his nom de guerre and only Dougal McAngus ever called him by it (and that sarcastically).
A less fortunate consequence of his experience in battle was that Edmund found himself haunted by the ghost of his great-uncle (in a manner clearly similar to Macbeth's haunting by Banquo's.) At one point the ghost chased him into a foggy meadow. There Edmund was confronted by three witches (Goneril, Regan, and Cordelia), who predicted that this "Ruler of men, Ravisher of women, Slayer of kings" shall live to become King. An increasingly ambitious Edmund thus proclaimed "History, here I come!". But, as soon as he left the meadow, the Witches remarked among themselves that they had expected Henry Tudor to look differently, thus revealing that the prediction was meant for another. (This event also was reminiscent of Macbeth. Additionally, the Witches' names are those of the daughters of King Lear.)
As the second son of the King, Edmund's official titles included: Duke of Edinburgh; Lord Warden of the Royal Privies; and the Laird of Roxburgh, Selkirk, and Peebles. These however came with little actual authority.
[edit] Significance
The Foretelling was the first episode of Blackadder ever aired, although an unaired pilot was filmed.
[edit] Trivia
- The first series was produced by the BBC in association with The Seven Network in Australia.
