The Prince Regent

George, Prince Regent of England, is an amiable, overfed simpleton propped up on the throne while his father's madness keeps him from ruling directly. He fusses over fashions, adores flattery, and cannot follow a plan further than the next sentence, leaving the actual running of his household — and his wits — to his long-suffering butler Blackadder.

Hugh Laurie plays stupidity as a form of pure, guileless joy, and the show gets endless mileage from the gap between his blithe self-regard and his total uselessness. It is a broad performance, but a precise one: every wounded pout and delighted giggle sets up Blackadder's exasperation, and Laurie never lets you dislike him for it.