Dish and Dishonesty

"Dish and Dishonesty"
Opening title card, illustrating the public order theme.
Episode no.	Series 3 Episode 1
Written by	Richard Curtis & Ben Elton
Original air date	17 September 1987
Episode chronology
← Previous "Blackadder: The Cavalier Years" Next → "Ink and Incapability"
List of Blackadder episodes

"Dish and Dishonesty" is the first episode of the third series of the BBC sitcom Blackadder. Due to the thorough parody of the conventions of a British electoral declaration, it has been shown several times on the dates of real General Elections.

Plot

The newly appointed Prime Minister, Pitt the Younger (portrayed as a petulant teenager), wants to declare war on Napoleon Bonaparte, give "tougher sentences" for his geography teacher "Banana Breath" Rickshanks, and, most of all, strike the idiotic Prince Regent from the Civil List. Hearing this, the Prince is nonetheless convinced that the general public adore him because yesterday, he heard them singing "We hail Prince George! We hail Prince George!", only to be corrected by his butler, Mr. Blackadder, as "We hate Prince George! We hate Prince George!" Since the House of Commons is evenly divided on the issue, Blackadder suggests to the Prince that they tip the scales in his favour by bribing an Member of Parliament (MP) named Sir Talbot Buxomley (Denis Lill) with the position of High Court judge. The Prince calls for Buxomley, who, after assuring the Prince that he will stand by him, promptly sits down in a chair and dies.

Moving quickly, Blackadder realizes that Buxomley represented the constituency of Dunny-on-the-Wold, a rotten borough consisting of a tiny plot of land with several farm animals - 3 mangy cows, a hen in it's late forties and a Dachsund named Colin - and only one voter. Blackadder chooses to instate Baldrick as the constituency's new MP to ensure that he votes in favor of the Prince.

Pitt hears about all this and comes down to visit the Prince, the latter not recognizing him at first. The PM reveals that he once suffered "alone in a cold schoolroom, a hot crumpet burning my cheeks with shame" under the Prince's sort before seeking and succeeding to become what he is today. Blackadder complements that Pitt wasn't "too busy to remove the crumpet." Pitt declares that he shall have his own brother, William Pitt the Even Younger, as a candidate on his side. When he leaves, Blackadder tells the Prince how they shall win the election: firstly, fight the campaign on "issues, not personalities"; secondly, be "the only fresh thing on the menu"; and thirdly, we'll cheat. After an obviously rigged election when it is revealed that Blackadder is both the constituency's returning officer (whose predecessor died when he accidentally brutally stabbed himself in the stomach while shaving) and voter (whose predecessor accidentally brutally cut his head off while combing his hair), Baldrick is made an MP in a landslide victory.

Once Baldrick enters the House of Commons, Pitt manipulates him into voting the wrong way, and the issue proceeds to the House of Lords. Blackadder then plans to get himself named to the House of Lords, where he will be able to vote against the bill, and he even purchases a ludicrously expensive catskin robe in preparation. However, his scheme is ruined by Prince George's stupidity and Baldrick is elevated instead. He is also given £400,000 to bribe a few Lords, which he spends on a giant turnip. Once he finds out, Blackadder smashes the turnip over Baldrick's head.

“

We hail Prince George! We hail Prince George! "We hate Prince George!" sir. "We hate Prince George!"

”

Dunny-on-the-Wold By-Election result

Dunny-on-the-Wold By-Election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Adder Party	S. Baldrick	16,472*	100	100
	Whig	Pitt, the Even Younger	0	0	0
	Keep Royalty White, Rat Catching And Safe Sewage Residents' Party	Brigadier General Horace Bolsom	0	0	0
	Standing at the Back Dressed Stupidly and Looking Stupid Party	Ivor `Jest-ye-not-madam' Biggun	0	0	0
Majority			16,472	100
Turnout			1	100

*Election rigged by Mr E Blackadder who used 16,472 votes on the same candidate.

Cameos

The episode features a cameo by political commentator Vincent Hanna as "his own great-great-great grandfather" and additionally stars a dachshund called Colin Harwood.

Historical and cultural references

• After claiming victory, Blackadder tells the Prince, by way of celebration, to "take out the drawings for that beach hut at Brighton", a reference to the Royal Pavilion, a palace built in Brighton as a private residence for the Prince Regent.
• The 'Standing at the Back Dressed Stupidly and Looking Stupid Party' is a parody of non-serious political parties, especially the Official Monster Raving Loony Party.

Anachronisms

• Pitt the Younger had been dead for five years before Prince George became Regent.
• Early in the episode, reference is made to Pitt the Elder being Prime Minister. At the time the title of Prime Minister did not officially exist, and when he headed the government Pitt the Elder was technically only Lord Privy Seal, although he was the de facto Prime Minister. Pitt the Elder died over 40 years before the start of the Regency.
• In the election sequence, Pitt's younger brother (Pitt the Even Younger) is declared to be standing as a Whig. Although Pitt considered himself an "independent Whig" in terms of ideology he spent most of his political career in opposition to the Whigs.

External links

• "Dish and Dishonesty" at BBC Programmes
• "Dish and Dishonesty" at the Internet Movie Database