List of Minor Blackadder Characters - King Richard III

King Richard III

King Richard III of England is a fictionalised version of the real Richard III of England in the first series of the British sitcom Blackadder. The character was played by Peter Cook.

The series' first episode, "The Foretelling", explains that King Richard III was actually a kind, benevolent ruler who doted on his nephews, and that his popular image as a murderous usurper is based on lies spread by his rival, Henry Tudor. In the episode, Richard wins the Battle of Bosworth Field, but he loses his horse. He calls out cheerfully, in a parodied version to the play of his name, "A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!" He doesn't have a very good relationship with his great-nephew, Lord Edmund Plantagenet, as he refers to Edmund as a "little turd", "horrid little scabby reptile", "loathsome little fairy maggot" and "smelly little dog's pizzle". Later, Edmund accidentally kills him; (Richard takes Edmund's horse, which he thinks is a stray; not recognizing the king, Edmund thinks Richard is one of the enemy attempting to steal his horse, and cuts his head off). The late King's nephew, Richard, Duke of York, Edmund's father, is then crowned as Richard IV.

During the celebration dinner, Richard's ghost returns to haunt Edmund (parodying Banquo in Macbeth).