Rowan Atkinson played Edmund Blackadder in the Blackadder television series before Mr. Bean became his best-known character.
Blackadder is an anthology-style British sitcom spanning several historical periods. Atkinson’s character, Edmund Blackadder, changes position and personality from one series to another, but he is generally scheming, sarcastic, and determined to improve his social standing. This is a sharp contrast with Mr. Bean’s childlike, mostly nonverbal approach to everyday problems.
Blackadder was created by Richard Curtis and Rowan Atkinson, with Ben Elton joining the writing team from the second series. The program established Atkinson as a major television comedy performer and demonstrated his range before the launch of Mr. Bean in 1990.
The name is sometimes shortened in casual references to “Blackadder,” but Edmund Blackadder is the character’s full commonly used name. Other major figures, including Baldrick and George, are separate characters played by different performers.