Blackadder Goes Forth from the front, and Melchett's bureaucratic assistant, Captain Kevin Darling (Tim McInnerny). Despite the two being of equal rank, Blackadder treats Darling with contempt—while the former is on the front line, the latter is "folding the general's pyjamas". Their animosity is mutual, largely as a result of Blackadder exploiting the comic potential of Darling's surname at every opportunity. "Blackadder Goes Forth" is more satirical in tone than the previous three "Blackadder" series and most sitcoms, taking the opportunity to present an anti-war message. The dialogue is marked throughout by satirical musings about the nature of the war, its origins and
Blackadder George, respectively. Each series was set in a different period of British history, beginning in 1485 and ending in 1917, and comprised six half-hour episodes. The first series, made in 1983, was called "The Black Adder" and was set in the fictional reign of "Richard IV". The second series, "Blackadder II" (1986), was set during the reign of Elizabeth I. "Blackadder the Third" (1987) was set during the late 18th and early 19th centuries in the reign of George III, and "Blackadder Goes Forth" (1989) was set in 1917 in the trenches of the Great War. "The Black Adder", the