Set in late 15th-century England, the episode concludes the alternate history of the last years of the House of York with the final adventure of Prince Edmund, Duke of Edinburgh, son of the fictional King Richard IV.

The story follows a conspiracy by Edmund to overthrow the King and seize the Throne of England for himself, assisted by a band of violent mercenaries.

[3] On Saint Juniper's Day, 29 January 1498, King Richard IV snubs Prince Edmund, taking away his Duchy and leaving him with the sole dignity of Warden of the Royal Privies, while awarding his brother Harry with several important titles.

The Morris Dancer casts off his disguise to reveal himself as Edmund's childhood rival, Philip of Burgundy, nicknamed ‘The Hawk’ (Patrick Allen).

After 12 months of rambling insanely to a bored Edmund, in late December, Gerald shows the Prince a key he had made from his own teeth.

While the seller's initial asking price is six shillings, he generously invites Edmund to beat him up, gag him, tie him to a tree and steal the pigeons, an offer the Prince gratefully accepts.

Philip then forces Edmund into a torture chair, in which he is horribly mutilated (his ears and hands are chopped off, his skull is cracked, a spike rams up into his anus, and he is castrated).

His appearance marked his first collaboration with Rowan Atkinson, and it was noted that their work together took on a competitive edge; Mayall would dominate the set and preferred to rewrite his own lines.

The competitiveness continued into their next appearance together in Black Adder II, when Mayall played the role of the overbearing womaniser, Lord Flashheart.

No mention of Richard's successor is made in Episode 6, but within The Black Adder narrative, it must be assumed that the accidental poisoning of the entire royal court created the opportunity for Henry Tudor to seize power.