Rowan Atkinson played Edmund Blackadder in the 1983 comedy series Blackadder.
The first Blackadder series was set in a fictional version of medieval England and presented Atkinson as Edmund, a scheming nobleman whose ambitions repeatedly led to comic disaster. The character was later developed through several historical periods in subsequent Blackadder series.
Atkinson’s work as Edmund Blackadder helped establish him as a major British television comedian before the launch of Mr. Bean. Blackadder depended more on dialogue, wordplay, and ensemble performances, while Mr. Bean emphasized physical comedy and minimal speech.
The answer is Edmund, not Blackadder: Blackadder is the character’s family name and the series title. The character’s first name also changes in some later historical incarnations, making the 1983 setting important to the question.