Blackadder Goes Forth

Blackadder Goes Forth
Title screen of Blackadder Goes Forth featuring Rowan Atkinson
Created by	Richard Curtis & Ben Elton
Starring	Rowan Atkinson Tony Robinson Hugh Laurie Stephen Fry Tim McInnerny
Theme music composer	Howard Goodall
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language(s)	English
No. of episodes	6
Production
Producer(s)	John Lloyd
Running time	30 minutes
Release
Original network	BBC One
Picture format	PAL 4:3
Audio format	Stereo
Original release	28 September – 2 November 1989
Chronology
Preceded by	Blackadder's Christmas Carol
Followed by	Blackadder: Back & Forth
External links
Website

Blackadder Goes Forth is the fourth and final series of the BBC sitcom Blackadder, written by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton, which aired from 28 September to 2 November 1989 on BBC One. The series placed the recurring characters of Blackadder, Baldrick and George in a trench in Flanders during World War I, and followed their various doomed attempts to escape from the trenches to avoid certain death under the misguided command of General Melchett. The series is particularly noted for its criticism of the British Army leadership during the campaign, and also refers to a number of famous figures of the age. In addition, the series is remembered for the poignant ending of the final episode.

Despite initial concerns that the comedy series might trivialise the events of the war, the series won widespread acclaim on its release, and won the British Academy Television Award for Best Comedy Series in 1989. It has since become regarded as a classic television sitcom, and in 2000 was placed 16th by industry professionals in a list of the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes compiled by the British Film Institute. However, some historians have criticized it for presenting an oversimplified view of the war, reinforcing the popular notion of "lions led by donkeys".

Blackadder Goes Forth is set in 1917 on the Western Front in the trenches of World War I. Captain Edmund Blackadder (Rowan Atkinson) is a professional soldier in the British Army who, until the outbreak of the Great War, has enjoyed a relatively action-free existence fighting natives who were usually "two feet tall and armed with dried grass". Finding himself trapped in the trenches with another "big push" planned, his concern is to avoid being sent over the top to certain death. The series thus chronicles Blackadder's attempts to escape the trenches through various schemes, most of which fail due to bad fortune, misunderstandings and the general incompetence of his comrades. The aforementioned comrades are his second-in-command, idealistic upper-class Edwardian twit Lieutenant George (Hugh Laurie) and their profoundly stupid but dogged batman Private S. Baldrick (Tony Robinson).