Edmund Blackadder is four major characters, one for each season of the Black Adder series: Prince Edmund in the first season (set in the late Middle Ages); Lord Blackadder in the second season (set in the reign of Elizabeth I); Mr. Blackadder, butler to the Prince of Wales during the reign of George III; and Captain Blackadder of the British army during World War I. The first is an idiot; the other three aren't. (A few more Edmund Blackadders appear in one-off stories such as "Blackadder's Christmas Carol," "Blackadder: The Cavalier Years" and "Blackadder Back and Forth.") All of these characters are played by Rowan Atkinson.