The Black Adder "The Black Adder" is the title that Edmund adopts during the first episode (after first considering "The Black Vegetable"). Presumably one of his descendants adopted it as a surname before "Blackadder II", in which the title character becomes "Edmund Blackadder". Furthermore, Baldrick is shown in more favourable and intelligent light here - his 'cunning plans' are typically superior and more workable than Edmund's own. Starting from the second series, the characters' relative intelligence and naivety clearly switch. Rowan Atkinson and Richard Curtis developed the idea for the sitcom while working on "Not the Nine O'Clock News". Eager to avoid comparisons
Captain Cook (Blackadder) a ploy: instead of Paris, the chosen artist will in fact go into no man's land and draw the enemy positions. With debatable help from George and Baldrick, he returns with a sketch illustrating immense fictional enemy defensive capabilities, including large numbers of armament factories and elephants. Darling and Blackadder suggest that the push should be cancelled. Melchett responds by saying that would be exactly what the enemy would expect... and what they won't do, in order to make the Germans think that the British Intelligence is rotten. Melchett orders the attack anyway, which Blackadder, George and Baldrick avoid by