This surprise concerns one of my favorite television series: Blackadder. The names of Blackadder, Darling, Lieutenant George and Baldrick will be familiar to many people, thanks to the BBC’s Blackadder series. But they may be surprised to learn that the characters, originally invented by Richard Curtis and Rowan Atkinson, really did exist. Specialist military genealogy website Forces War Records has the proof.

After coming across a Captain Blackadder while uploading records to a database, the staff at www.forces-war-records.co.uk set about uncovering other servicemen who shared names with the fictional stars of Blackadder Goes Forth.

Details may be found at http://www.forces-war-records.co.uk.