Edmund, Duke of Edinburgh

Edmund is the unloved second son of King Richard IV, a prince perpetually outshone by his dashing brother Harry and despised by his own father. He schemes for respect and advancement, plotting his way up the line of succession with a cunning that consistently outstrips his competence, aided by his dim manservant Baldrick and cynical friend Percy.

This early Edmund is a wonderful joke on what Blackadder becomes: a would-be Machiavelli whose plans collapse through sheer incompetence rather than bad luck. Atkinson plays the flop-sweat and wounded pride beautifully, finding comedy in a schemer who is nowhere near as clever as he thinks he is.