Edmund Blackadder a "Christmas Carol"-like encounter with the "Ghost of Christmas" sees him greatly inspired by his snide-yet-triumphant ancestors; he learns that if he reverts to their ways his descendants will rule the universe, if not they will end up as Baldrick's slaves in the same time period. Upon the departure of the Ghost, Blackadder renounces his compassion and reverts to type on the spot. Captain Edmund Blackadder appears in "Blackadder Goes Forth", set during World War I. A long-time soldier, early in his career Blackadder was "The Hero of Umboto Gorge", a (fictional) battle that took place in Upper Volta in
Blackadder Goes Forth there are left-wing academics all too happy to feed those myths." Robinson responded "to categorise teachers who would introduce something like "Blackadder" as left-wing and introducing left-wing propaganda is very, very unhelpful. And I think it's particularly unhelpful and irresponsible for a minister in charge of education." Tristram Hunt also criticised Gove's comments, but Andrew Murrison compared the series to "Oh, What a Lovely War!" as a take on history that had "sadly been in the ascendant for the past 50 years." Esther MacCallum-Stewart of Sussex University noted in her essay "Television Docu-Drama and The First World War" that ""Blackadder