Witchsmeller Pursuivant
| "Witchsmeller Pursuivant" | |
|---|---|
| Blackadder episode | |
Frank Finlay as the Witchsmeller Pursuivant
|
|
| Episode no. |
Series 1 (The Black Adder) Episode 5 |
| Written by |
Rowan Atkinson Richard Curtis |
| Original air date | 13 July 1983 |
| Guest appearance(s) | |
"Witchsmeller Pursuivant" is the fifth episode of the first series of the BBC sitcom Blackadder (The Black Adder). It is set in England in the late 15th century and centres on the fictitious Prince Edmund, who finds himself falsely accused of witchcraft by a travelling witch hunter known as the Witchsmeller Pursuivant. The story satirises mediaeval superstition and religious belief.
Academy Award-nominated actor Frank Finlay guest stars in this episode as the Witchsmeller; the episode also includes a cameo appearance by Valentine Dyall.
In 1495, Europe is being ravaged by the Black Death. King Richard IV has fallen ill and has become even more deranged than usual. With the king unable to rule, Harry, Prince of Wales summons the Privy Council to manage the crisis. The noblemen exchange tales of evil omens from around the kingdom, and before long mass hysteria sets in and they declare that the realm is in the grip of witchcraft. Ignoring Prince Edmund's objections, they resolve to summon the Witchsmeller Pursuivant. Prince Edmund, accompanied by Percy and Baldrick, goes to find out more about the Witchsmeller from the local village, but discovers the remains of a woman who has already been burned at the stake for witchcraft, along with her cat. Unbeknown to Edmund, the Witchsmeller lurks among the villagers, watching him as he boasts about his plans to give the Witchsmeller "a boot up the backside."
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