Born to Be King (Blackadder)
A Scottish warrior threatens Edmund's inheritance.
"Born to Be King" is the second episode of The Black Adder, the first series of the BBC sitcom Blackadder. Set in late 15th-century England, it humorously explores rivalries with Scotland and centers on doubts about the parentage of Prince Edmund, Duke of Edinburgh. Originally broadcast as episode 2, it was later swapped with episode 4, "The Queen of Spain's Beard," on subsequent broadcasts and the 2009 DVD release.
Quick Facts
- Series
- Blackadder
- Air date
- 22 June 1983
- Writer
- Rowan Atkinson; Richard Curtis
- Guests
- Alex Norton - Douglas MacAngus, 4th Duke of Argyll
Facts from the source article.
Plot
In 1486, King Richard IV departs on a Crusade against the Turks, leaving his elder son Prince Harry as regent. Prince Edmund, encouraged by Baldrick, sees an opportunity to seize power, but Harry assigns him menial tasks: herding sheep, straightening portraits, and cleaning drains. A year later, Harry plans a feast for St. Leonard's Day and tasks Edmund with arranging entertainments. The traditional eunuchs cancel, and Edmund furiously signs their execution order; the bearded lady shaves her beard, so Baldrick replaces her. Edmund, Percy, and Baldrick select other acts—Morris dancers, Bernard the bear baiter with a fake bear, Jerry Meriwether and His Four Chickens, and "The Jumping Jews of Jerusalem"—despite Harry's objections to omitting three popular acts. King Richard's Scottish commander, Dougal MacAngus, arrives and mistakes Edmund for a eunuch. MacAngus requests the Royal burghs of Roxburgh, Selkirk, and Peebles as a reward; though these lands belong to Edmund, Harry grants them. Furious, Edmund plots with Baldrick and Percy to kill MacAngus. Ignoring Baldrick's cannon plan, Edmund finds MacAngus hunting and offers him a role in a play, "The Death of the Pharaoh," hastily rewritten as "The Death of the Scotsman." Edmund replaces the actors' fake knives with real ones, intending the assassination during the performance. However, MacAngus reveals information casting doubt on Harry's legitimacy, and Edmund stops the killing.
Similarities to the pilot episode
The plot of "Born to Be King" draws heavily from the unaired 1982 pilot, in which Prince Edmund arranges festivities for the Queen's birthday and the Scottish hero Dougal McAngus reveals Edmund's illegitimacy. The pilot differs in several ways: it is set in the 1580s, about 100 years later. The cast includes different actors—John Savident as the King, Robert Bathurst as Prince Henry, and Philip Fox as Baldrick. Edmund's character is more sarcastic, intelligent, and cruel, while Baldrick and Prince Henry are stupider. In the pilot, the King is at home, not on crusade. The event is the Queen's birthday, not St. Leonard's Day; the eunuchs cancel because Edmund refuses to pay them, though he still orders their execution. MacAngus discovers Edmund's doubtful parentage at the same time as the court, rather than knowingly setting up the reveal; Edmund himself realizes the birth-date mistake, not Prince Henry. Edmund's assassination plot involves a hanging with a fake rope, not a staged stabbing, though it backfires similarly. The King remembers Edmund and his name. Edmund is Duke of York, not Edinburgh. Edmund and MacAngus duel, with Edmund winning, but Baldrick gives him a theatrical sword, preventing the kill. Edmund begs for mercy through clenched teeth, maintaining dignity, whereas in "Born to Be King" he is tearful and humiliated. After the duel, Edmund resolves the problem by having a Frenchman confess to forging letters; in the episode, Edmund casts the letters into the fire, asserting they are forgeries.
References to Shakespeare
The end credits acknowledge "additional dialogue by William Shakespeare." The script parodies elements of Shakespeare's plays: the plot against Dougal MacAngus draws on Laertes and Claudius's plot against Hamlet; the Egyptian mock tragedy presented in the castle is a play within a play, a device used frequently by Shakespeare, with echoes of Antony and Cleopatra and a reference to the "Ides of June" (alluding to Julius Caesar). The use of daggers and a Scottish antagonist evoke Macbeth.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who wrote Born to Be King (Blackadder)?
Born to Be King was written by Rowan Atkinson and Richard Curtis.
When did Born to Be King (Blackadder) first air?
Born to Be King first aired on 22 June 1983.
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