Witchsmeller Pursuivant

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Witchsmeller Pursuivant

Witchsmeller Pursuivant is the fifth episode of the first series of the BBC comedy Blackadder. It’s set in England in the late 1400s and follows Prince Edmund as he’s falsely accused of witchcraft.

Plot
- In 1495, England is hit by the Black Death. King Richard IV is ill and the realm becomes chaotic. Edmund, with his friends Percy and Baldrick, visits a village to learn about the Witchsmeller, a traveling witch-hunter who will decide who’s a witch.
- They discover the body of a woman burned for witchcraft and her cat. The Witchsmeller, who is hiding among the villagers, watches Edmund boast about the plan to “give the Witchsmeller a boot up the backside.”
- Back at the castle, the Witchsmeller invites Edmund to a test to prove if he is a witch. The trial is a farce. The Witchsmeller presents three “evidence” items: Edmund’s pet cat (named Bubbles, short for Beelzebubbles), a horse that supposedly talks, and a peasant woman who allegedly gave birth to a poodle.
- Edmund, Percy, and Baldrick are found guilty and sentenced to be burned. They manage to escape the courtroom with Baldrick’s plan, but end up in King Richard’s chambers. Edmund’s mother, the Queen, and his young wife Princess Leia of Hungary try to help, offering a doll for comfort.
- On the day of the execution, their heads are shaved and they’re tied to stakes. Edmund pretends to confess to stall proceedings. When the pyre is lit, Edmund drops a hooded doll that looks like the Witchsmeller. The doll burns, and the Witchsmeller himself catches fire and is revealed to be a voodoo doll. The pyre goes out and the three are freed.
- Back in the castle, King Richard recovers. The Queen winks at the viewer, hinting that she herself is the real witch.

Cast (highlights)
- Rowan Atkinson as Prince Edmund (the Great Grumbledook)
- Frank Finlay as the Witchsmeller Pursuivant
- Elspet Gray as the Witch Queen
- Tim McInnerny as Percy
- Tony Robinson as Baldrick
- Valentine Dyall as Angus, a lord
- Natasha King as Princess Leia
- Brian Blessed as Richard IV

Production notes
- Some scenes were filmed on location at Alnwick Castle in Northumberland, the setting for King Richard’s castle.
- Budget limits meant only some actors were filmed on location.
- Baldrick’s catchphrase “I have a cunning plan” was developed further in this episode.
- The episode’s title and concept parody Witchfinder General; a pursuivant is a junior officer of arms.

This episode is known for its humorous take on medieval superstition, the silly evidence used in the trial, and the twist that the supposed witch may be closer to home than anyone expected.