Through four series and a few specials, Edmund Blackadder and his greasy sidekick Baldrick conjure up cunning plans as Edmund tries to take advantage of desperate times. These "situation tragedies" had obvious parallels from the Dark Ages to Elizabethan times, the rule of mad George III, and The Great War. Some character names from the first series are open to debate as they are shown in fancy script on screen, usually against unhelpful backgrounds.