[2] The series is set during the Georgian Era, and sees the principal character, Mr. E. Blackadder, serve as butler to the Prince Regent and have to contend with, or cash in on, the fads of the age embraced by his master.

Blackadder the Third is vaguely set in the late 18th and early 19th century period known as the Regency, although it is not possible to precisely date any episode as the historical events and persons depicted and referenced are (perhaps intentionally) anachronistic.

Baldrick (Tony Robinson) remains similar to his Blackadder II predecessor, and although his "cunning plans" cease to be even remotely intelligent (except in the last episode), he is the most aware of political, religious and social events.

In this series, Baldrick often displays a more belligerent attitude towards his master, even referring to him once as a "lazy, big-nosed, rubber-faced bastard" or deliberately comparing his face to his Scottish cousin, MacAdder, who Blackadder openly believes to be ugly.

There are three main sets: the prince's quarters, which are opulently decorated; the below-stairs kitchen hangout of Blackadder and Baldrick, which is dark and squalid (though very large and with a very high ceiling); and finally Mrs. Miggins' coffeehouse.

[2] The titles of the episodes are always a noun paired with another, derived from an adjective beginning with the same letters, in the manner of the Jane Austen novels, Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice.

Irritated by the new obsession with all things French, Blackadder makes a bet with Lords Topper and Smedley and goes out to rescue an aristocrat and claim his 1,000 guineas.

[citation needed] Stephen Fry and Miranda Richardson, who had played major parts in Blackadder II, also appeared in guest roles as the Duke of Wellington and a disguised highwayman, respectively.

Other notable guest stars included Denis Lill as Sir Tolbert Buxomley MP, Robbie Coltrane as Dr. Samuel Johnson, and Hugh Paddick and Kenneth Connor as stage actors Keanrick and Mossop, respectively.

Other amusing interspersed titles include From Black Death to Blackadder, The Blackobite Rebellion of 1745, The Encyclopædia Blackaddica and Landscape Gardening by Capability Brownadder.

[citation needed] Hidden inside a hollow book, he finds a romance novel (complete with cover art) bearing the title of the particular episode.