h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hi Folks,
Had to start a new topic, as though he'd been referred to, no-one had given Percy the credit he deserves as a true fountain of comedic potential. While Blackadder has changed through the series, and Baldrick's intellect has regressed since we first met him, the 'heir to the Duchy of Northumberland' has remained forever thick and biddable - perfect for manipulation by the Adder Noir. Back in series one, Percy delighted me with his finding Richard III's head, keen to prove he killed a nobleman, spurring Edmond on to say 'And which nobleman, pray?'and grimace one of his finest expressions of series one.
Series 2, and who can forget the episode where Edmond is facing 'poker time', and Percy says 'I intend to discover, this very afternoon, the secret of alchemy...'To which Edmond replies 'And the fact that this secret has eluded the most intelligent people since the dawn of time doesn't dampen your spirits any?' Percy likes a challenge, and Blackadder finds him in a state of delight the next morning. Percy tells him he has succeeded, and holds out 'a nugget of purest gold' for his inspection...'Percy, it's green.....The colour of gold, is gold, that's why it's called gold...What you have discovered, if it has a name, is some 'green'. The ensuing conversation about Percy's trinkets is class - and Blackadder poses the question 'So, you think there's a big market for jewellery that looks like snot then?'
Also of great quality was his unintentional rudeness to Lady Whiteadder, or the beautifully dense line 'Lord Whiteadder, a vow of silence, that's quite an interesting thing, tell me about it...'
Could go on and on, but if anyone else feels Percy deserves more credit, please chip in.
(one of) Percy's Posse

Like you I am also a huge fan of Percy. I wonder why they chose to leave him out of the third and forth series and add Darling in the forth instead. I would have liked to have seen some more comical moments in exchanges between the Prince Regent and Percy! Percy is probably the most dumb witted of all characters because let's not forget that in the first series Baldrick did actually come up with some promising "cunning plans." The best moment with Percy has got to be in the Money episode in the second series when the Bath of Wells has been done up like a kipper and says, "Who is the second figure, who could you have got to go through such depths of degradation just to save your filthy life?" And of course poor old Percy emerges from under the sheets in some very attractive night attire! Good old Percy!

Three cheers for other Percy fans. Tim McInnery does him fantastically. Typical Percy moment:
Queenie: They've just vanished
Percy: Like an old oak table
Queenie: I said vanished Lord Percy, not varnished
I can see why he wasn't in series 3, as Hugh Laurie kind of took over the role of stupid but very facially expressive idiot. Although Percy will I think always hold a place in my comedy bank.

And how could we mention Percy without mentioning the somewhat passionate kiss he has with Baldrick because he assumed he was a good-looking young wench. Thicker than a whale omlette.

no fair GEORGE is the one blackadder calls thick as a whale ommlette you cant steal his title for PERCY! there are plenty of insults for him! i quote series 1 the black seal:

why? because percy far from being fit consortfor a prince of the realm you would bore the leggings off a village idiot!You ride a horse rather less well than another horse would. your brain would make a grain of sand look large and ungaily and the part of you that cant be mentioned i am realiably informed by ladies around the cour wouldnt be worth mentioning even if it could be! If you put on a floppy hat and a funny cod piece you could might almost pass as a fool but since you wouldnt know a joke if it got up and gave you a haircut i doubt it! that is why you are dismissed!

many a-poh-loh-ghies if it is not word perfect

Tim is fantastic, Classic moment in Chains:

Percy: Perhaps...they're not hiding at all...Perhaps they've been kidnapped!

Queenie: Nonsense. As Edmund said, only real idiots get kidnapped.

percy looks around

Percy: Do they?

I think he didn't want to do the third and fourth series as Percy as he thought he'd be typecast.

I agree that Percy is often overlooked in the grander scheme of Blackadder, and I was disappointed that it was Darling who made a reappearance in Back and Forth. That said, Percy is the "stupid sidekick" in which role he competes heavily with Baldrick. (I'm talking about Series 2 mainly, since Series 1 was weird).

Once Hugh Laurie was introduced as a main actor in Series 3, George replaced Percy as the "upper-class twit" and is actually a much better character for that position. Since the Prince is Blackadder's boss, it allows for a very different type of joke to be made about him compared to Baldrick, unlike Percy in Series 2. Hugh Laurie is also much better suited to playing that part, unlike Tim, who was admittedly great as Percy but even better as Darling.

While Series 4 is not my favourite, the characters had been fully developed (to their most exaggerated extent) by that point, as evinced by Melchett, Baldrick and George. There's no room for another "funny" character, and of the Blackadder mainstays, Tim is the best choice to play a straight man. It's almost refreshing to see Blackadder up against someone who knows what he's trying to pull, even more so than Melchett in Series 2.

To conclude this long and wandering critique, I agree that Percy is often overlooked as a character, but George is a much better comic foil for a "cunning" Blackadder (Percy and the slightly dim Black Adder of Series 1 were well-matched though).

It certainly is true that Percy, and Tim McInnerny as an actor was/is a bit unseen, at least when speaking about his talent. For me Percy is the best character in BA, although Blackadder himself is a true bastard as well.
Still, Percy, in all his stupidity always makes me laugh; his blockheadedness matches his innocent uncorrupted thoughts and loyality so nicely that you just have to love him.

I love Percy tooo much!
I have watched all the Black Adders many years ago, rather in my child hood, but a few days before I found episodes of this wonderful series and read them. And I remember all my love to Black Adder and realized I am its fan. So one my desire is to see it again!!!
I've alvays loved Percy most of all, I like his appearance, I like his stupid phrases, I like him to be so silly at all. I'm upset he is not in Black Addder the Third, but his, correctly, Tim's, being in Goes Forth as Darling is consolation.There they are enemies with Edmund, but sometimes it makes the movie more funny! I was so fool not to see Black Adder II completely in my childhood, but I think that Percy is good in The Black Adder too. Edmund didn't want enybody to think they were friends with Percy. But that was true...

I wholeheartedly agree that Percy (and Tim McInnerny) is definitely one of the unsung heroes of the whole series. Whilst not appearing as Percy himself in the 3rd series who can forget Tim's Lord Topper & Le Comte de Frou-Frou in 'Nob & Nobility'? Hands up those who knew it was the same bloke! And as far as quotes that sum up the Percy character, how about the 'Potato' episode in series 2, where the boys are with Cpt Rum at sea & Percy is predicting their iminent demise when Edmund reveals they are in fact not going to the Cape of Good Hope at all ... but to France. To which Percy replies "Hurrah ... oh but Edmund, surely France has already been discovered - by the French for a start?"
All this following Percy's revalation that as a baby he was savaged by a Turbot. Brilliant!

I too loved Percy in Series 1 & 2.
I recall Tim McInnerny being interviewed on Pebble Mill, or Wogan (or something) in the mid-80`s saying he didn`t want to be typecast, which is why, I think, the character didn`t appear in any subsequent series.
Favourite Blackadder-to-Percy line : "You look like a bird who`s swallowed a plate !".

As much as i did adore Percy, I have to say that Tim's fantastic comedy turn (and comedy twitch) as Captain Darling in Series 4 can never be surpassed! It just goes to show how truly mondo-groovy Tim is that he can do vacant muppet Percy, and the go on to a bugger like Darling!!!

Permission to shout 'Bravo' at an annoyingly loud volume? No? I'm going to do it anyway . . .

BRAVO!!!!!!!!!!!!1

Mr McInnerny, we salute you, with highly polished brass knobs on.

Jimbob II

Percy is by far the best character in series 1 and 2. I love him very much and have always found his stupidness far funnier than Baldrick's and even George in series 3 and 4.
However, Darling is my favourite charcter of all episodes and Tim McInnerny plays him extremely well.
Tim has been overlooked as an actor and I am ecstatic to have found many others as fond of him as I.
Without Percy series 1 and 2 would be less humerous and i cant begin to imagine goes forth without Darling.
Hurray for Tim McInnerny!!!

yay.

Oddly enough, my favorite Percy quote comes from Series One, and it is my favorite Series One episode as well...

Edmund: "And we all know what archibishops do, don't we, Percy?"

Percy: "Yes... they go to Canterbury!"

The line, in and of itself, is mildy funny, but it's the way he SAYS it that cracks me up!

The Percy moment that makes me laugh every time I see it is from 'Bells' in Series 2 - after Blackadder mentions in passing that he has chosen his old school chum, Lord Flasheart, as best man at his wedding... instead of Percy. After a brave and unconvincing "actually, I was going to suggest Lord Flasheart for best man myself" from Percy, Blackadder leaves and Percy howls like a baby :o) It's adorable, sad and funny at the same time!!

I think it's for a similar reason that I always collapse in laughter at Darling's scream when he is deliberately shot in the foot by General Melchett - the timing and delivery is just brilliant.