Edmund Blackadder a few seconds before he died. Edmund, Lord Blackadder is the next-seen member of the dynasty, appearing in Elizabethan England. He is the central character of "Blackadder II", and is a nobleman in the court of Elizabeth I of England. Although his 'great-grandfather' was Prince Edmund, he is much more intelligent, charismatic, acerbic, handsome and respected than his ancestor. Despite that fact, Edmund's aristocratic title has lowered; he is now simply a lord, rather than a Prince. His main concerns are pleasing his Queen, depicted here as a childish, spoiled tyrant, and in outwitting his various contemporary rivals, usually in
Blackadder the Third decided not to continue playing the character of Lord Percy for fear of being typecast, although he appeared in a guest role in episode three. In addition to McInnerny, Stephen Fry and Miranda Richardson, who had played major parts in "Blackadder II", appeared in guest roles. Fry and McInnerny would return as regular performers for the fourth series of "Blackadder". The opening theme is this time a minuet played on a harpsichord, oboe and cello over close-ups of Blackadder searching a bookcase. The credits and title appear on the books' spines, and each has a condition and script to match