Introducing the characters

The Characters

• Captain Blackadder (brilliantly played by Rowan Atkinson) is a sly and ostensibly cynical man. His uppermost desire is to live through the war without ever going over the trenches.
• Leftenant George (played by the now world famous Hugh Laurie) is, on the other hand, thrilled at the prospect of fighting the Germans. He harbours all sorts of delusions about the war and the propaganda is reinforcing his blind enthusiasm.
• Private Bladrick is the quintessential average Tommy and who better than Tim Robinson (the performer) to describe him: "I had the privilege of performing a part that represented the ordinary lives of the grandfathers of an awful lot of people in the country in which I live but really it was for the to imbue Baldrick with that notion rather than me. I was just a bloke who couldn't make coffee"
• Tim McInnerny's character's personality revolved around the fact that his name is 'Darling'. Therefore this Captain Darling is an thoroughly embittered man. He has landed a desk job under the order of General Melchett which enables him to exercise his revenge on the people who make his life a living hell.
• General Melchett is played by Britain's most beloved celebrity: Steven Fry. Melchett represents the insanity of the First World war. He is the embodiment of the madness associated with men who have abundance of power. Although there is a slight discrepancy between Stephen Fry's portrayal of the raving mad general and the actual generals of that time, there is no denying it corresponds to the popular opinion about the sheer absurdness of the war.