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Corporal Punishment (Blackadder)

"Corporal Punishment"
Blackadder Goes Forth episode
Episode no. Series 4
(Blackadder Goes Forth)

Episode 2
Directed by Richard Boden
Written by Ben Elton
Richard Curtis
Original air date 5 October 1989
Guest appearance(s)
Episode chronology
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"Captain Cook"
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"Major Star"
List of Blackadder episodes

Stephen Frost, Lee Cornes, Paul Mark Elliott, Jeremy Gittins, Jeremy Hardy

"Corporal Punishment", or "Plan B: Corporal Punishment", is the second episode of Blackadder Goes Forth, the fourth series of the BBC sitcom Blackadder. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 5 October 1989. Blackadder faces a court-martial for shooting a carrier pigeon.

Captain Blackadder receives numerous calls to the wrong number before finally having a call with orders to advance. He avoids going over the top by pretending the line is breaking up. He then throws away a telegram ordering him to advance on the grounds that it is wrongly addressed to "Catpain Blackudder" and then shoots a carrier pigeon relaying the same message. Upon inspection of the pigeon's partly charred message, however, it turns out that shooting carrier pigeons has become an offence punishable by court-martial, and Blackadder simply decides to eat the evidence for lunch. When General Melchett arrives at the trenches, demanding an explanation as to why the group hasn't advanced, Blackadder nearly gets away with it by blaming the communication breakdown. Unfortunately Private Baldrick and Lieutenant George unintentionally reveal what Blackadder has done (as having been told not to answer any questions on the incident, when asked unrelated questions, they reply, "We didn't get any messages, and Captain Blackadder definitely did not shoot that delicious plump-breasted pigeon.").

Finally, there are pigeon feathers on the floor, which Captain Darling and Melchett believe to be white. But after Baldrick points out that the feathers are "speckly," Melchett is enraged, as it was his beloved pet pigeon Speckled Jim, and tries to strike Blackadder, forcing Darling to physically restrain Melchett. Smugly, Darling then informs Blackadder that he's under arrest and, if found guilty at court-martial, he will face execution by firing squad.


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