Witchsmeller Pursuivant

The fifth episode of The Black Adder (Witchsmeller Pursuivant) sees the Black Death visit the town. It is an indiscriminate visitor, for as well as the townsfolk, King Richard IV is also afflicted. Prince Harry has called a council to discuss matters, but before the meeting can get going he is called away to await his father, so Edmund is left in charge. The meeting quickly degenerates into farce though, as even the more lucid attendees begin to see the hand of witchcraft. Edmund is unable to prevent them calling for the Witchsmeller Pursuivant (Frank Finlay).

After convincing Percy that the horse he saw with two heads and two bodies was as a matter of fact two horses, Edmund and his two cronies head off into town to consult with a Mistress Scott as to who this Witchsmeller Pursuivant actually is. They pass many a pile of dead bodies and interact most unsatisfactory with quite a few of the live towsnfolk until they arrive at the Mistress Scott's house. But she's not there, and neither is her cat. Instead there are two piles of ash, one considerably smaller than the other. The Witchsmeller Pursuivant has already met Mistress Scott and her cat.

There follows some discussion about the Black Adder's opinion of the Witchsmeller Pursuivant, the up shot of which is that he tells the heavily disguised Witchsmeller Pursuivant that he would like nothing better than to 'throw the big-nosed bully straight [out of town]'. There is some delicious nonsense as first Edmund (by clever slight of hand by the Witchsmeller), then Percy and finally Baldrick (by association only) are accused of witchcraft by the Witchsmeller. But of course he's really not much cop as a witchsmeller, as the one true witch in the town, Queen Gertrude is able to save her son and his acolytes...