Baldrick is the fictional servant and sidekick of [Rowan Atkinson]
?'s television character
Blackadder. Just as Blackadder exists in many incarnations throughout the ages, so does Baldrick; wherever there is a Blackadder there is a Baldrick serving him. Initially Baldrick was the smart one and Blackadder the idiot, but as Blackadder's social status has fallen (Prince > Lord > Royal Butler > Captain) so has Baldrick's intelligence.
The character Baldrick is associated with the phrase "cunning plan". So much so that for example there is a landmine detection device that is so cunning that it is has been dubbed the Baldrick. (I heard about this on the radio in someplace like Cambodia or Afghanistan -- does anyone have a particular reference to it?)
See also Baldric.
/Talk