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First World War

Activity: Blackadder Video

Episode: General Hospital.

INTRODUCTION: Read the introduction about the Blackadder episode you are going to watch.

Blackadder is a famous British TV comedy series produced by the BBC and starring Rowan Atkinson, later worldwide famous because of his hilarious creation Mr Bean. In this series we can witness the life of an imaginary saga through the history of Great Britain, from the Middle Ages to the early XXth century.

In this episode, called General Hospital, Captain Blackadder is a soldier in the French front during the Great War (later called the First World War or World War One). The episode tells you a lot about life in the trenches during the war. Watch it, enjoy it and then complete this worksheet.

Remember this series is a parody of history but behind the comedy and laughter there’s a lot of information about what really happened in those times.

You can find more information about World War One here.

ACTIVITIES

Before watching the video:

Let’s warm up with a few short general questions about the war before you watch the video:

Where was the war fought? When was it? What countries took part in the war? Who won it?

Now, here is a brief summary of the episode:

Ordered to find a spy in a hospital, Blackadder discovers a man with a strong German accent, a beautiful young nurse, and a chance for three weeks away from the front.

Don’t worry if you don’t understand everything they say, that’s very logical. Just focus on the tasks and enjoy the rest. If you want to follow each and every line, the script is on the internet.

While watching the video:

Segment 1 (0 min.-2.30 min.)

1. Blackadder and his comrades are playing a game for children (I spy with my little eye something beginning with ..). What does this tell you about war in the trenches?

Segment 2 (2.30 min.-7.00 min.)

1. George is now in hospital and Captain Blackadder is not quite happy about it. In fact, he thinks he is very lucky he got hurt by the bomb and envies him. If you know why, you know a lot about the soldiers’ feelings during the war.

Segment 3 (7.00 min.-11.24 min.)

1. Blackadder is surprised that a German spy is giving away the British plan of action because he thinks that there isn’t one. What does this mean in the context of this war?

Segment 4 (11.24 min.-18.32 min.)

1. What does Blackadder mean when he tells Captain Darling that he can understand “people at the front trying to shoot themselves in their foot, but when you’re thirty-five miles behind the line!”?

2. And can you tell where exactly the “line” was?

Segment 5 (18.32 min.-21.52 min.)

1. When talking to nurse Mary about his life and the army, Blackadder says: “When I joined up, we were still fighting colonial wars. If you saw someone in a skirt, you shot him and nicked his country.” Do you remember any other causes of the Great War besides colonialism?

Segment 6 (21.52 min.- min.)

You have seen that spies played a very important role in that war. Read some information about one of the most famous spies of all times: Mata Hari.

After watching the video:

Once you have finished this activity you can still get further into the topic by having a tour in a French trench during the war.

You can also have a look at this recreation of the Battle of Somme.

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