The worst episodes of Blackadder
Ranked by viewer rating, lows first. Lit marks on the season rail place this list across the run. Vote on a placement to back it or contest it.
- 01
Edmund accidentally kills King Richard III but, unexpectedly, the tragedy makes him a prince - so Edmund decides he now needs a more striking name for himself. But the mood of celebration is shattered when he realises the identity of the nobleman Lord Percy has agreed to shelter in the castle.
- 02
Edmund makes a pact with the six most evil men in the kingdom in a bid to seize power. However, he is thwarted by the arrival of his nemesis, who imprisons him in a dungeon with Mad Gerald. When he eventually gets free, Edmund sets his original plan in motion - but have his co-conspirators stayed loyal?
- 03
The Blackadder genes resurface in Elizabethan England in the guise of Edmund, great-great-grandson of the repulsive original. Blackadder is struck by Cupid's arrow when he takes on a new servant - a girl named Bob.
- 04
England, 1760-1815 - golden age of wealth, power and discovery. But not for E Blackadder Esq, butler to the Prince Regent. The new Prime Minister Pitt the Younger (aged 13 and 3/4) plans to bankrupt the Prince. As usual, Blackadder takes his master's side (and indeed his wallet).
- 05
Revolution sweeps France, and heads roll. Everyone in Britain is obsessed with the daring exploits of the dashing Scarlet Pimpernel as he risks his life to save French aristocrats from the guillotine. Everyone except Edmund Blackadder.Edmund is challenged to rescue an aristocrat from the French revolutionaries. He hatches a plan to win the bet without putting himself in any danger - and promptly falls into the hands of the revolutionaries.
- 06
Edmund is less than pleased when he's appointed to the dangerous post of Archbishop of Canterbury, but there's no wriggling out of the job. Can he avoid the sort of grisly fate that has befallen three previous incumbents?
- 07
To keep up with Sir Walter Raleigh, Edmund announces he will navigate the treacherous waters of the Cape of Good Hope.
- 08
The October Revolution in Moscow produces three appalling results: a ceasefire by Russia, an offensive by Germany, and a Charlie Chaplin impression by Baldrick.
- 09
When Blackadder, George and Baldrick are told they are going over the top the next day, Blackadder decides to feign madness.
- 10
When Edmund is appointed lord high executioner, he moves a beheading forward from Wednesday to Monday, so he and his staff can enjoy some time off. But he didn't take into account the queen's tendency to change her mind.
- 11
Dr Samuel Johnson seeks the regent's support for his dictionary, but when it is used for firewood, Edmund must rewrite it.
- 12
The regent is low on cash, so Edmund sets out to find him a bride with a big dowry. A certain Amy Hardwood seems to fit the bill - but is she connected with squirrel-hating highwayman Dick Turpin?
- 13
The prince is challenged to a duel by the fearsome Duke of Wellington. Edmund volunteers to take his place, hoping that his cousin MacAdder will step in for him.
- 14
With the king away fighting in the Crusades, the arrival of Lord Dougal McAngus provides Edmund with an opportunity to seize power. But he really should have taken a closer look at those documents declaring brother Harry to be illegitimate...
- 15
Edmund is in trouble when he is visited by a debt-collecting bishop armed with a red-hot poker.
- 16
The cruel witchsmeller pursuivant is sent to root out the source of an outbreak of witchcraft - and quickly lays the blame on Edmund, Lord Percy and Baldrick. If they can't prove their innocence, they'll be burned at the stake.
- 17
While the Prince Regent is attending a play, he survives an assassination attempt by anarchists. He is horrified to learn that he is unpopular and Blackadder suggests he improves his image by delivering a speech, so he hires the two actors they saw at the theatre to tutor him in public speaking.Anarchists lurk in every cupboard and actors in every coffee house, but which pose a greater threat to the prince?
- 18
Edmund cheats to win a competition to be named Official War Artist, thinking it's his ticket out of the trenches. So he's furious when his reward turns out to be going into no man's land to sketch the German positions.
- 19
Melchett orders Blackadder to unmask a spy working in the hospital where George is recovering from a bomb blast. Edmund sets to work, interrogating Darling, seducing a nurse and asking Baldrick to keep an eye on a patient with a pronounced German accent.
- 20
The King wishes to form an alliance between England and Spain, and insists that Edmund marries the Infanta Maria Escalosa of Spain. Edmund is unimpressed by her lack of beauty.
- 21
The evil Prince Ludwig kidnaps both Blackadder and Lord Melchett, and the Queen remembers Blackadder's earlier advice to have nothing to do with any ransom notes. Is our hero doomed, or does Baldrick have a cunning plan?
- 22
There are problems in the Blackadder household due to an embarrassing incident with a turnip, an ostrich feather and a puritanical fat aunt.
- 23
Blackadder faces court-martial for eating a carrier pigeon. With the pigeon's owner, Melchett, as judge and Darling as prosecutor, Edmund's relying on George and Baldrick to save his skin.
- 24
Edmund, George and Baldrick join the Royal Flying Corps. However, Edmund and Baldrick are shot down soon afterwards and are taken prisoner by the Red Baron. George persuades dashing pilot Lord Flashheart to mount a rescue attempt, but when they hear what the Red Baron has planned for them, Blackadder and Baldrick are in no hurry to be saved.
Shows like Blackadder
The closest matches on shared genres, ranked by match strength and popularity.
- 01Comedy·History·DramaThe worst episodes of The Great2020–2023
The Great is a satirical, comedic drama about the rise of Catherine the Great from outsider to the longest reigning female ruler in Russia's history. - 02Comedy·History·DramaThe worst episodes of The Hardacres2024–present·5
Family saga about the rags-to riches lives of a working-class family in 1890s Yorkshire. - 03Comedy·HistoryThe worst episodes of The Decameron2024–2024
As the bubonic plague spreads through Italy, a group of nobles and servants retreats to a villa, where their lavish getaway quickly spirals into chaos. - 04Comedy·HistoryThe worst episodes of The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin2024
In this irreverent retelling set in the 18th century, Turpin is the most famous but least likely of highway robbers, whose success is defined mostly by his charm, showmanship and great hair. - 05Comedy·History·ThrillerThe worst episodes of Hazardous History with Henry Winkler2025–present·HistoryThe eight-episode fast-paced, nostalgia-fueled series will take viewers on a thrilling ride through America's past.
- 06Comedy·HistoryThe worst episodes of Drunk History2013–2019·Comedy Central
Based on the popular web series, Drunk History is the liquored-up narration of our nation's history.
