Mr. Bean (animated Series)
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''Mr. Bean'' is a
British sitcom A British sitcom or a Britcom is a situational comedy programme produced for British television. British sitcoms have predominantly been recorded on studio sets, while some include an element of location filming. Live audiences and multi-camera ...
created by
Rowan Atkinson Rowan Sebastian Atkinson (born 6 January 1955) is an English actor, comedian and writer. He played the title roles in the sitcoms ''Blackadder'' (1983–1989) and '' Mr. Bean'' (1990–1995), and in the film series '' Johnny English'' (2003– ...
and
Richard Curtis Richard Whalley Anthony Curtis (born 8 November 1956) is a British screenwriter, producer and director. One of Britain's most successful comedy screenwriters, he is known for romantic comedy-drama films, including ''Four Weddings and a Funeral' ...
, produced by
Tiger Aspect Productions Tiger Aspect Productions (formerly known as Tiger Television from 1988 until 1993 and also known as Tiger Aspect Films for theatrical films) is a British television and film production company, particularly noted for its situation comedies. Fo ...
and starring Atkinson as the title character. The sitcom consists of 15 episodes that were co-written by Atkinson alongside Curtis and
Robin Driscoll Robin Driscoll (born 28 June 1951) is an English actor and writer. He is best known as a writer of ''Mr. Bean'' episodes with his close friend Rowan Atkinson. He and Atkinson appeared in '' Funny Business'' (1992). As an actor, Driscoll appe ...
; the
pilot episode A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie) in United Kingdom and United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television netwo ...
was co-written by
Ben Elton Benjamin Charles Elton is a British comedian, actor, author, playwright, lyricist and director. One of the major figures in the alternative comedy movement of the 1980s, his early stand-up style was Left-wing politics, left-wing political satire ...
. The series originally aired on
ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: Television TV stations/networks/channels ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network and company, including: **ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network in the United Kingd ...
, beginning with the pilot episode on 1 January 1990 and ending with " The Best Bits of Mr. Bean" on 15 December 1995. Based on a character developed by Atkinson while he was studying for his master's degree at the
University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...
, the series centres on
Mr. Bean ''Mr. Bean'' is a British sitcom created by Rowan Atkinson and Richard Curtis, produced by Tiger Aspect Productions and starring Atkinson as the title character. The sitcom consists of 15 episodes that were co-written by Atkinson alongside ...
, described by Atkinson as "a child in a grown man's body", as he solves various problems presented by everyday tasks and often causes disruption in the process. The series has been influenced by
physical comedy Physical comedy is a form of comedy focused on manipulation of the body for a humorous effect. It can include slapstick, clowning, mime, physical stunts, or making funny faces. Physical comedy originated as part of the Commedia dell'arte. It is ...
actors such as
Jacques Tati Jacques Tati (; born Jacques Tatischeff, ; 9 October 1907 – 5 November 1982) was a French mime, filmmaker, actor and screenwriter. In an ''Entertainment Weekly'' poll of the Greatest Movie Directors, he was voted 46th (a list of the top 50 was ...
and those from early
silent film A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...
s. During its original five-year run, ''Mr. Bean'' was met with widespread acclaim and attracted large television audiences. The series was viewed by 18.74 million viewers for the episode " The Trouble with Mr. Bean" and has received a number of international awards, including the Rose d'Or. The series has since been sold in 245 territories worldwide. It has inspired an animated spin-off and two theatrical feature-length films, along with Atkinson reprising the titular role for a performance at the
2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony The opening ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics took place on the evening of Friday 27 July 2012 in the Olympic Stadium, London, during which the Games were formally opened by Queen Elizabeth II. As mandated by the Olympic Charter, the proc ...
in London, television commercials, and several sketches for
Comic Relief Comic Relief is a British charity, founded in 1986 by the comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis and comedian Sir Lenny Henry in response to the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia. The concept of Comic Relief was to get British comedians to make t ...
. The programme carries strong appeal in hundreds of territories worldwide because, in addition to the acclaim from its original run, it uses very little intelligible dialogue, making it accessible to people who know little or no English.


Origin

The character of
Mr. Bean ''Mr. Bean'' is a British sitcom created by Rowan Atkinson and Richard Curtis, produced by Tiger Aspect Productions and starring Atkinson as the title character. The sitcom consists of 15 episodes that were co-written by Atkinson alongside ...
was developed while
Rowan Atkinson Rowan Sebastian Atkinson (born 6 January 1955) is an English actor, comedian and writer. He played the title roles in the sitcoms ''Blackadder'' (1983–1989) and '' Mr. Bean'' (1990–1995), and in the film series '' Johnny English'' (2003– ...
was studying for his master's degree in electrical engineering at
The Queen's College, Oxford The Queen's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford, England. The college was founded in 1341 by Robert de Eglesfield in honour of Philippa of Hainault, queen of England. It is distinguished by its predominantly neoclassi ...
. A
sketch Sketch or Sketches may refer to: * Sketch (drawing), a rapidly executed freehand drawing that is not usually intended as a finished work Arts, entertainment and media * Sketch comedy, a series of short scenes or vignettes called sketches Fil ...
featuring Bean was performed at the
Edinburgh Fringe The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as the Edinburgh Fringe, the Fringe or the Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest performance arts festival, which in 2024 spanned 25 days, sold more than 2.6 million tickets and featur ...
in the early 1980s. Robert Box, a similar character also played by Atkinson, appears in the one-off 1979 ITV sitcom ''
Canned Laughter A laugh track (or laughter track) is an audio recording consisting of laughter (and other audience reactions) usually used as a separate soundtrack for comedy productions. The laugh track may contain live audience reactions or artificial laught ...
'' which also features routines used in the motion picture in 1997. One of Bean's earliest appearances occurred at the " Just for Laughs" comedy festival in
Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
,
Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...
,
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
, in 1987. When programme coordinators were scheduling him into the festival programme, Atkinson insisted that he perform on the French-speaking bill rather than the English-speaking programme. Having no French dialogue in his act at all, programme coordinators could not understand why Atkinson wanted to perform on the French bill instead. As it turned out, Atkinson's act at the festival was a test platform for his character and he wanted to see how his character's physical comedy would fare on an international stage with a non-English speaking audience. The character's name was not decided until after the first episode had been produced; a number of other vegetable-influenced names such as "Mr. Cauliflower" were explored. Atkinson cited the earlier comedy character
Monsieur Hulot Monsieur Hulot () is a character created and played by French comic Jacques Tati for a series of films in the 1950s through the early '70s, namely ''Les Vacances de Monsieur Hulot'' (1953), ''Mon Oncle'' (1958), ''Playtime'' (1967) and ''Trafic'' ...
, created by French comedian and director
Jacques Tati Jacques Tati (; born Jacques Tatischeff, ; 9 October 1907 – 5 November 1982) was a French mime, filmmaker, actor and screenwriter. In an ''Entertainment Weekly'' poll of the Greatest Movie Directors, he was voted 46th (a list of the top 50 was ...
, as an influence on the character. Atkinson also cited the influence of
Peter Sellers Peter Sellers (born Richard Henry Sellers; 8 September 1925 – 24 July 1980) was an English actor and comedian. He first came to prominence performing in the BBC Radio comedy series ''The Goon Show''. Sellers featured on a number of hit comi ...
, who had previously played similar "fumbling fool" characters, notably Hrundi Bakshi in '' The Party'' (1968) and
Inspector Clouseau Inspector Jacques Clouseau (), later granted the rank of Chief Inspector, is a fictional character in Blake Edwards' farcical ''The Pink Panther'' series. Clouseau's immense ego, eccentricity, exaggerated French accent, and prominent mustache ...
in ''
The Pink Panther ''The Pink Panther'' is an American media franchise primarily focusing on a series of comedy-mystery films featuring an inept French police detective, Inspector Clouseau, Inspector Jacques Clouseau. The franchise began with the release of the fil ...
'' films. Stylistically, ''Mr. Bean'' is also similar to early
silent film A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...
s, relying purely upon
physical comedy Physical comedy is a form of comedy focused on manipulation of the body for a humorous effect. It can include slapstick, clowning, mime, physical stunts, or making funny faces. Physical comedy originated as part of the Commedia dell'arte. It is ...
with Mr. Bean speaking very little dialogue (although like other live-action sitcoms during this period, it featured a
laugh track A laugh track (or laughter track) is an audio recording consisting of laughter (and other audience reactions) usually used as a separate soundtrack for comedy productions. The laugh track may contain live audience reactions or artificial laught ...
). This has allowed the series to be sold worldwide without any significant changes to dialogue. In November 2012, Atkinson told ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...
'' of his intentions to retire the character, stating that "someone in their fifties being childlike becomes a little sad." In 2016, however, Atkinson changed his mind by saying that he would never retire playing Mr. Bean.


Characters and recurring props


Mr. Bean

Mr. Bean, the title character and protagonist, is a childish
buffoon A jester, also known as joker, court jester, or fool, was a member of the household of a nobleman or a monarch kept to entertain guests at the royal court. Jesters were also travelling performers who entertained common folk at fairs and town ma ...
who brings various unusual schemes and contrivances to everyday tasks. He lives alone at the address of Flat 2, 12 Arbour Road,
Highbury Highbury is an area of North London, England, in the London Borough of Islington. Highbury Manor Highbury was once owned by Ranulf, brother of Ilger, and included all the areas north and east of Canonbury and Holloway Roads. The manor hou ...
, and is almost always seen in his trademark
tweed Tweed is a rough, woollen fabric, of a soft, open, flexible texture, resembling cheviot or homespun, but more closely woven. It is usually woven with a plain weave, twill or herringbone structure. Colour effects in the yarn may be obtained ...
jacket and a skinny red tie. He also usually wears a digital
calculator watch A calculator watch is a digital watch with a built-in calculator, usually including buttons on the watch face. Calculator watches were first introduced in the 1970s and continue to be produced, despite falling from their peak popularity duri ...
. Mr. Bean rarely speaks, and when he does, it is generally only a few mumbled words which are in a comically low-pitched voice. His first name (he names himself "Bean" to others) and profession, if any, are never mentioned. In the first film adaptation, "Mr." appears on his passport in the "first name" field and he is shown employed as a guard at London's
National Gallery The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of more than 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current di ...
. Mr. Bean often seems unaware of basic aspects of the way the world works, and the programme usually features his attempts at what would normally be considered simple activities, such as going swimming, using a television set,
interior decorating Interior design is the art and science of enhancing the interior of a building to achieve a healthier and more aesthetically pleasing environment for the people using the space. With a keen eye for detail and a creative flair, an interior ...
or going to church. The humour largely comes from his original (and often absurd) solutions to problems and his total disregard for others when solving them, and his pettiness and occasional malevolence. In the title sequence of episode two, Mr. Bean falls from the sky in a beam of light accompanied by a choir singing ''Ecce homo qui est faba'' ("Behold the man who is a bean") which was sung by the
Southwark Cathedral Southwark Cathedral ( ), formally the Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Saviour and St Mary Overie, is a Church of England cathedral in Southwark, London, near the south bank of the River Thames and close to London Bridge. It is the mother c ...
choir in 1990. The opening sequence was initially in
black and white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white to produce a range of achromatic brightnesses of grey. It is also known as greyscale in technical settings. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, ...
in episodes two and
three 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious and cultural significance in many societies ...
, which was intended by the producers to show his status as an "ordinary man cast into the spotlight". However, later episodes showed Mr. Bean dropping from the night sky in a deserted London street against the backdrop of
St. Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle, is an Anglican cathedral in London, England, the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London in the Church of Engl ...
. At the end of episodes three and
six 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics A six-sided polygon is a hexagon, one of the three regular polygons capable of tiling the plane. A hexagon a ...
, he is also shown being sucked right back up into the sky in the respective background scenes (the black scene in episode 3 and street scene in episode 6). Regarding the opening credits, Atkinson has acknowledged that Bean "has a slightly alien aspect to him". In the '' Mr. Bean: The Animated Series'' episode "Double Trouble", the alien aspect of him was used in a storyline in which he is taken inside a spacecraft with aliens who look exactly like him and even have their own plushy toys. In an obvious homage towards the end, the aliens send him back home in a beam of light and music similar to the opening of the original ''Mr. Bean'' series. Whether Bean is an extraterrestrial is not made clear.


Irma Gobb

Mr. Bean's long-suffering girlfriend, Irma Gobb (played by
Matilda Ziegler Matilda Ziegler (born 23 July 1964) is an English actress, best known for her roles as Donna Ludlow in ''EastEnders'', Irma Gobb in '' Mr. Bean'', and Pearl Pratt in '' Lark Rise to Candleford''. Television and film career Ziegler's first sc ...
), appears in three episodes. In " The Curse of Mr. Bean" and " Mr. Bean Goes to Town", the character is simply credited as "the girlfriend". She is treated relatively inconsiderately by Bean, who appears to regard her more as a friend and companion rather than as a love interest. However, he does become jealous when she dances with another man at a disco in "Mr. Bean Goes to Town", and she certainly expects him to propose to her on Christmas Day in "
Merry Christmas, Mr. Bean "Merry Christmas, Mr. Bean" is the seventh episode of the British television series ''Mr. Bean'', produced by Tiger Television for Thames Television. It was first broadcast as a Christmas special on ITV on Tuesday 29 December 1992 as part of IT ...
"; his failure to do so results in her leaving him for good. Despite this, she later reappears in '' Mr. Bean: The Animated Series''. It is revealed in the book ''Mr. Bean's Diary'' that her name is Irma Gobb and she works as a librarian at the local library. In the Comic Relief sketch "Torvill & Bean", Bean is accompanied by a female companion portrayed by
Sophie Thompson Sophie Thompson (born 20 January 1962) is a British actress. She has worked in film, television and theatre and she won the 1999 Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical for the London revival of ''Into the Woods''. She has been nominated for ...
whose overall appearance resembles Gobb's.


Teddy

Teddy is Mr. Bean's
teddy bear A teddy bear, or simply a teddy, is a stuffed toy in the form of a bear. The teddy bear was named by Morris Michtom after the 26th president of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt; it was developed apparently simultaneously in the first deca ...
and, apparently, best friend. This little brown bear is a knitted oddity with button eyes and sausage-shaped limbs which invariably end up broken in half or in various other states of destruction and disfiguration. Although Teddy is inanimate, Mr. Bean often pretends it is alive: he always buys it a
Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...
present or tries not to wake it up in the morning. For example, when Mr. Bean hypnotizes Teddy, he snaps his fingers and the bear's head falls backwards as if it had fallen asleep instantly. (Bean used his finger to prop Teddy's head up.) Teddy is often privy to Mr. Bean's various schemes and doubles as a tool or other items in emergencies; it has been decapitated (" Mr. Bean in Room 426"), used as his paint brush (" Do-It-Yourself Mr. Bean") and shrunk in the wash (" Tee Off, Mr. Bean"). Teddy is also Mr. Bean's "pet" in " Hair by Mr. Bean of London" where he is used to win a pet show. Over the years, Teddy has undergone several changes. When it debuted on " The Trouble with Mr. Bean", it had a smaller head. Two episodes later, its head reached its current size but its "eyes" were not present until Bean placed gold
thumb tack A drawing pin (in British English) or thumb tack (in North American English), also called a push-pin, is a short, small pin or nail with a flat, broad head that can be pressed into place with pressure from the thumb, often used for hanging ...
s on its face. The "eyes" have since been replaced with two small white buttons sewn over Teddy's face, giving it a distinctive image. After filming ended, Teddy was donated by Atkinson to
Gyles Brandreth Gyles Daubeney Brandreth (born 8 March 1948) is a British broadcaster, writer and former politician. He has worked as a television presenter, theatre producer, journalist, author and publisher. He was a presenter for TV-am's '' Good Morning Bri ...
's
teddy bear museum A teddy bear museum is a museum about teddy bears. There are many teddy bear museums around the world. The world's first Teddy Bear Museum was based in Petersfield, Hampshire, England. It was founded by Judy Sparrow in 1984, and housed a collecti ...
in
Stratford-upon-Avon Stratford-upon-Avon ( ), commonly known as Stratford, is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon (district), Stratford-on-Avon district, in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands region of Engl ...
. In 2008 upon the museum's closing, Teddy was sold at auction for £180.


The Mini

Mr. Bean's vehicle, a citron-green 1977
British Leyland British Leyland was a British automotive engineering and manufacturing Conglomerate (company), conglomerate formed in 1968 as British Leyland Motor Corporation Ltd (BLMC), following the merger of Leyland Motors and British Motor Holdings. It wa ...
Mini The Mini is a very small two-door, four-seat car, produced for four decades over a single generation, with many names and variants, by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors British Leyland and the Rover Group, and finally ...
1000 Mark 4 with a matte black
bonnet A bonnet is a variety of headgear, hat or cap. Specific types of headgear referred to as "bonnets" may include Native American *War bonnet, feathered headgear worn as an earned military decoration by high-ranking Plains Indians United King ...
, was central to several antics such as Bean getting dressed in it, driving while sitting in an armchair strapped to the roof or attempting to avoid a car park fee by driving out through the entrance. In the
pilot episode A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie) in United Kingdom and United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television netwo ...
, Bean's vehicle was an orange 1969 BMC Morris Mini 1000 Mark 2 ( registration RNT 996H) but was destroyed in an off-screen crash at the end. Throughout the sitcom, Bean keeps it locked with a bolt-latch and
padlock Padlocks are portable Lock (security device), locks with a shackle that may be passed through an opening (such as a chain, chain link, or hasp staple) to prevent wikt:use, use, theft, vandalism or harm. Naming and etymology The term '':wikt: ...
rather than the lock fitted to the car, which formed a
running gag A running gag, or running joke, is a literary device that takes the form of an amusing joke or a comical reference and appears repeatedly throughout a work of literature or other form of storytelling. Though they are similar, catchphrases are no ...
in several episodes; in two episodes, he demonstrated an additional and innovative security measure in that he removes the steering wheel instead of the key which in one episode deterred a car thief. In " Back to School Mr. Bean", Bean's Mini is crushed by a
tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engine; ...
as part of a demonstration after he replaced an identical Mini (registration ACW 497V) meant for the demonstration with his own to secure a parking space. After losing it, he removes his padlock and bolt-latch from the remains. Although the Mini has been crushed, it nonetheless reappears in subsequent episodes with the same colours and registration number (SLW 287R) as the car that has been crushed. There were three Minis painted green and black used in the series, as well as two others painted with the same colour scheme but with no engine that got crushed by the tank. One of the main cars was also crushed by the tank. During filming many parts were swapped from car to car throughout production, including bonnets, wheel trims, grilles, steering wheels, rear lights, occasionally the driver's door, and the seat covers. After filming ended, one of the original Minis was sold to Kariker Kars to be hired for various events whereupon it was temporarily displayed as a major attraction at the Rover Group's museum. In 1997, it was purchased by the
Cars of the Stars Motor Museum The Cars of the Stars Motor Museum was in the England, English town of Keswick, Cumbria, Keswick, Cumbria, and owned a collection of celebrity television and film vehicles. The museum opened in and closed in . The sister site The Bond Museum ...
and displayed for a number of years, later being sold on to a museum in the United States. The main Mini is privately owned and nearing the end of restoration in the south of England. To promote ''Mr. Bean: The Animated Series'', a replica of the Mini with the registration number DRW 221T was used. This Mini is display on the website of the
National Motor Museum, Beaulieu The National Motor Museum (originally the Montagu Motor Museum) is a museum in the village of Beaulieu, set in the heart of the New Forest, in the English county of Hampshire. History The museum was founded in 1952 by Edward Douglas-Scott ...
as part of its online collection. The London Motor Museum also has a replica on display. The Mini was going to appear in the first film adaptation of the series under the registration C607 EUW. In the film, Mr. Bean drives his Mini through
Harrods Harrods is a Listed building, Grade II listed luxury department store on Brompton Road in Knightsbridge, London, England. It was designed by C. W. Stephens for Charles Digby Harrod, and opened in 1905; it replaced the first store on the ground ...
in order to avoid a traffic jam. Although the sequence was filmed, it was not included in the final cut. In June 2018, the Mini from the first film was sold for US$70,000. The Mini had its debut on the big screen in the film ''
Mr. Bean's Holiday ''Mr. Bean's Holiday'' is a 2007 comedy film directed by Steve Bendelack and written by Hamish McColl and Robin Driscoll, from a story penned by Simon McBurney. Based on the British sitcom series ''Mr. Bean'' created by Rowan Atkinson and Richar ...
'' under the registration YGL 572T. Unlike the previous Minis (which were Austin Citron green), it is 'Nissan Amarillo Yellow'. The film also features a second version of the Mini with the same colour scheme but with left-hand drive, driven by Bean's friend Sabine, and registered 207 UHD 75. The Mini reappeared in ''Mr. Bean: The Animated Series'' under the registration STE 952R. In 2015, Mr. Bean returned in a sketch for Comic Relief in which he drives his Mini to attend a funeral. This Mini bore the same registration as the one in the animated spin-off.


The Reliant

Since the pilot episode, Mr. Bean has had a long-running feud with the unseen driver of a three-wheeled, light-blue 1972 Reliant Regal Supervan III (registration GRA 26K), which would usually get turned over, crashed out of its parking space and so forth by Bean in his Mini, who is usually oblivious to the results. These mishaps also became a running gag throughout the series. In " Tee Off, Mr. Bean", Bean is hitchhiking and the Reliant pulls over for him but Bean, who recognizes the car, pretends to not see it until it leaves. The Reliant reappears in ''Mr. Bean: The Animated Series'' under the registration "DUW 742", again victimized by Mr. Bean in his Mini. In the episode "Young Bean", the identity of the Reliant driver is revealed for the first time. In the episode "Car Wars", after being abused by Mr. Bean for many years, the driver becomes angry and fed up, and decides to get his revenge by chasing Mr. Bean and trying to outmaneuver him in various situations, ultimately resulting in Mr. Bean's Mini being crushed by a
car crusher A car crusher is an industrial device used to reduce the dimensions of derelict (Depreciation, depreciated) cars prior to transport for Vehicle recycling, recycling. Historically, because scrap cars were too big and bulky to transport to the s ...
.


Other characters

Although Mr. Bean is the only significant character in the programme, others appear usually as foils for his various antics. Other than his girlfriend Irma Gobb (Matilda Ziegler), there are more characters in each episode. However several notable British actors and comedians appear alongside Atkinson in the series as various one-off supporting characters, including
Owen Brenman Owen Brenman (born 17 December 1956) is an English actor, known for his roles as Nick Swainey in the BBC sitcom ''One Foot in the Grave'' and Heston Carter in the BBC drama series ''Doctors''. Early and personal life Brenman was educated at U ...
,
Richard Briers Richard David Briers (14 January 1934 – 17 February 2013) was an English actor whose five-decade career encompassed film, radio, stage and television. Briers first came to prominence as George Starling in '' Marriage Lines'' (1961–66), but ...
,
Roger Sloman Roger Sloman (born 19 May 1946) is an English actor known for his work in theatre, film and television. Early life and education He grew up and was educated in South East London. He trained to be a teacher and then went to East 15 acting scho ...
,
Angus Deayton Gordon Angus Deayton (; born 6 January 1956) is an English actor, writer, musician, comedian and broadcaster. Deayton was the original presenter of two successful British comedy panel shows, ''Have I Got News for You'' (1990–2002) and ''Woul ...
,
Stephen Frost Stephen Frederick Eustace Frost (born 28 December 1955) is an English actor and comedian, best known for his work on ''Whose Line Is It Anyway?'' as well as several projects with comedy partner Mark Arden. Early life Frost was born in Redr ...
,
Nick Hancock Nicholas John Hancock (born 25 October 1962) is an English actor and television presenter. He hosted the sports quiz '' They Think It's All Over'' for 10 years. He also formerly presented '' Room 101'' (1994–1999) on TV, as well as its earlier ...
,
Christopher Ryan Christopher Papazoglou (born 25 January 1950), known professionally as Christopher Ryan, is a British actor. He is best known for his roles as Mike The Cool Person in the BBC comedy series '' The Young Ones'', Dave Hedgehog in the BBC comedy se ...
,
Paul Bown Paul Bown (born 11 October 1957) is an English actor. Bown is best known for playing Malcolm Stoneway in the Granada Television sitcom '' Watching'' (1987–1993). He also had major roles in other comedy series, including as Roger Bones in the ...
,
Caroline Quentin Caroline Quentin (born Caroline Amanda Jane Jones; 11 July 1960) is an English actress, broadcaster and television presenter. Quentin became known for her television appearances, portraying Dorothy in ''Men Behaving Badly'' (1992–1998), Maddie ...
,
Danny La Rue Danny La Rue (born Daniel Patrick Carroll, 26 July 1927 – 31 May 2009) was an entertainer best known for on-stage theatrical productions, television shows and films where he customarily performed in drag. Early life Born Daniel Patrick Car ...
,
Roger Brierley David Roger Brierley (2 June 1935 – 23 September 2005) was an English actor. He appeared in dozens of television productions over a forty-year period. Career Brierley twice appeared in ''Doctor Who'', as Trevor in '' The Daleks' Master P ...
,
Roger Lloyd-Pack Roger Anthony Lloyd-Pack (8 February 1944 – 16 January 2014) was a British actor. He is best known for playing Trigger in ''Only Fools and Horses'' from 1981 to 2003, and Owen Newitt in ''The Vicar of Dibley'' from 1994 to 2007. He later star ...
,
Rupert Vansittart Rupert Nicholas Vansittart (born 10 February 1958) is an English actor. He has appeared in a variety of roles in film, television, stage and radio, often playing comic characters. He is best known for his role as Lord Ashfordly in the ITV drama ...
,
David Battley David John Battley (5 November 1935 – 20 January 2003) was a British actor of stage and screen, mainly appearing in comedy roles. Early life Battley was born at Battersea, London, the elder son of John Battley, a post-Second World War Labou ...
, David Schneider, Richard Wilson and
Rudolph Walker Rudolph Malcolm Walker CBE (born 28 September 1939) is a Trinidadian-British actor, best known for his roles as Bill Reynolds in ''Love Thy Neighbour'' (1972–1976) and Constable Frank Gladstone in '' The Thin Blue Line'' (1995–1996), as wel ...
. Vansittart and Walker later appeared alongside Atkinson in '' The Thin Blue Line''.


Episodes

All 15 episodes of ''Mr. Bean'' were produced by
Tiger Aspect Productions Tiger Aspect Productions (formerly known as Tiger Television from 1988 until 1993 and also known as Tiger Aspect Films for theatrical films) is a British television and film production company, particularly noted for its situation comedies. Fo ...
. Additionally, the character has been used in one-off sketches, guest appearances and television commercials. The fourteenth episode, " Hair by Mr. Bean of London", was originally released as a direct-to-video VHS exclusive in 1995, and was not broadcast on television until 25 August 2006 on
Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (nicknamed Nick) is an American pay television channel and the flagship property of the Nickelodeon Group, a sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on April 1, 1979, as the first ca ...
.


Broadcast

''Mr. Bean'' originally aired in the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
on
ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: Television TV stations/networks/channels ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network and company, including: **ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network in the United Kingd ...
from 1990 to 1995, with reruns later shown on the British variant of
Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American Cable television in the United States, cable television channel, channel owned by Paramount Global through its Paramount Media Networks, network division's Paramount Media Networks#MTV Entertainment Group, MTV Ente ...
,
ITV3 ITV3 is a Television in the United Kingdom, British free-to-air television channel owned by ITV Digital Channels, a division of ITV plc. The channel was first launched on Monday 1 November 2004 at 9 pm, replacing Plus (British TV channel), Plus ...
and
ITV4 ITV4 is a British free-to-air television channel which first aired on 1 November 2005. It is owned by ITV plc. The channel focuses primarily on general entertainment programming targeting a male audience, including action series and films, ...
. Due to its widespread popularity, the series aired in many other countries; in the United States, it aired on
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...
starting on 2 April 1992, and also ran on
PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...
television stations across the United States. Reruns of the series were also shown on
Fox Family Fox Family or Fox family may refer to: Genealogy * Fox family (English aristocracy), a noble family * Robin Fox family, an extended family of actors * Fox sisters, three 19th century sisters involved in the creation of the religious movement Spirit ...
during the late 1990s, both as segments in the
variety series Variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is entertainment made up of a variety of acts including musical performances, sketch comedy, magic, acrobatics, juggling, and ventriloquism. It is normally introduced by a compè ...
'' Ohh Nooo! Mr. Bill Presents'' and as stand-alone episodes.


Music

''Mr. Bean'' features a
choral A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...
theme tune in the key of
C major C major is a major scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. C major is one of the most common keys used in music. Its key signature has no flats or sharps. Its relative minor is A minor and its parallel min ...
written by
Howard Goodall Howard Lindsay Goodall (; born 26 May 1958) is an English composer of musicals, choral music and music for television. He also presents music-based programmes for television and radio, for which he has won many awards. In May 2008, he was name ...
(adapted from a passage of "
Locus iste is the Latin gradual for the anniversary of the dedication of a church (), which in German is called .Cornelis van Zwol, ''Anton Bruckner 1824-1896 - Leven en werken'', Thoth, 2012, p.706 The incipit translates to "This place was made by God" ...
" by
Anton Bruckner Joseph Anton Bruckner (; ; 4 September 182411 October 1896) was an Austrian composer and organist best known for his Symphonies by Anton Bruckner, symphonies and sacred music, which includes List of masses by Anton Bruckner, Masses, Te Deum (Br ...
) and performed by the Choir of
Southwark Cathedral Southwark Cathedral ( ), formally the Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Saviour and St Mary Overie, is a Church of England cathedral in Southwark, London, near the south bank of the River Thames and close to London Bridge. It is the mother c ...
(episodes 2–11 and 14; opening of episode 15) and
Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford Christ Church Cathedral is a cathedral of the Church of England in Oxford, England. It is the seat of the bishop of Oxford and the principal church of the diocese of Oxford. It is also the chapel of Christ Church, Oxford, Christ Church, a colle ...
(episodes 12 and 13; closing of episode 15). The words sung during the title sequences are in
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
: * "''Ecce homo qui est faba''""Behold the man who is a bean" (sung at beginning) * "''Finis partis primae''""End of part one" (sung before the commercial break) * "''Pars secunda''""Part two" (sung after the commercial break and rarely) * "''Vale homo qui est faba''""Farewell, the man who is a bean" (sung at end) The theme was later released on Goodall's album ''Choral Works''. Goodall also wrote an accompanying music track for many episodes. The first episode of ''Mr. Bean'' did not feature the choral theme tune, but instead an up-beat instrumental piece also composed by Goodall, which was more an incidental tune than a theme. It was used while Bean drove between locations intimidating the blue Reliant, and as such, was sometimes heard in later episodes whenever Bean's nemesis is seen. The instrumental of the theme tune was used in "Double Trouble", the original
series finale A series finale is the final installment of an episodic entertainment series, most often a television series. It may also refer to a final theatrical sequel, the last part of a television miniseries, the last installment of a literary series, ...
of '' Mr. Bean: The Animated Series''. In the episode " Tee Off, Mr. Bean", Goodall's choral theme tune for another Richard Curtis comedy, ''
The Vicar of Dibley ''The Vicar of Dibley'' is a British sitcom. It consists of three series, which aired on BBC One from 10 November 1994 to 1 January 2000, and several specials, the most recent of which aired on 23 December 2020. It is set in the fictional Oxfor ...
'', is heard playing on a car stereo. In "Merry Christmas, Mr. Bean", while playing with Queen's Royal Guards figurines and the nativity set, he hums "
The British Grenadiers "The British Grenadiers" is a traditional march (music), marching song of British and Commonwealth military units whose badge of identification features a grenade, the tune of which dates from the 17th century. It is the regimental quick march ...
", which was quoted in the theme to ''
Blackadder Goes Forth ''Blackadder Goes Forth'' is the fourth series of the BBC sitcom ''Blackadder'', written by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton, which aired from 28 September to 2 November 1989 on BBC One, BBC1. The series placed the recurring characters of Captain B ...
''. Mr. Bean appeared in the
music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...
of a 1991 fundraising single for Comic Relief, fronted by
Hale and Pace Hale and Pace were an English comedy double-act that performed in clubs and on radio and television in the United Kingdom in the 1980s and 1990s. The duo was made up of Gareth Hale and Norman Pace, with the ''Hale and Pace'' television show ...
, entitled "The Stonk". Mr. Bean also appeared in the music video for the
Boyzone Boyzone were an Irish boy band created in 1993 by the talent manager Louis Walsh. Before even recording any material, Boyzone made an appearance on RTÉ's ''The Late Late Show (Ireland), The Late Late Show''. Its most successful line-up was co ...
single " Picture of You", which was the main theme song for the first film adaptation. Mr. Bean also made a Comic Relief record in 1992, entitled "(I Want To Be) Elected" and which was credited to "Mr. Bean and Smear Campaign featuring
Bruce Dickinson Paul Bruce Dickinson (born 7 August 1958) is an English singer who is best known as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden. Dickinson has performed in the band across two stints, from 1981 to 1993 and from 1999 to the present d ...
". It was a cover of the
Alice Cooper Vincent Damon Furnier (born February 4, 1948), known by his stage name Alice Cooper, is an American rock singer and songwriter whose career spans sixty years. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusion ...
song "
Elected Elected may refer to: * "Elected" (song), by Alice Cooper, 1973 * ''Elected'' (EP), by Ayreon, 2008 *The Elected, an American indie rock band See also *Election An election is a formal group decision-making process whereby a population ch ...
". It reached number 9 in the UK singles chart.


Awards

The first episode won the
Golden Rose The Golden Rose (, ) is a gold ornament, which popes of the Catholic Church have traditionally blessed annually. It is occasionally conferred as a token of reverence or affection. Recipients have included churches and sanctuaries, royalty, mili ...
, as well as two other major prizes at the 1991 Rose d'Or Light Entertainment Festival in
Montreux Montreux (, ; ; ) is a Municipalities of Switzerland, Swiss municipality and List of towns in Switzerland, town on the shoreline of Lake Geneva at the foot of the Swiss Alps, Alps. It belongs to the Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut (district), Riviera-Pays ...
. In the UK, the episode " The Curse of Mr. Bean" was nominated for a number of
BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...
awards; "Best Light Entertainment Programme" in 1991, "Best Comedy" (Programme or Series) in 1991, and Atkinson was nominated three times for "Best Light Entertainment Performance" in 1991, 1992 and 1994.


In other media


''Mr. Bean: The Animated Series''

Seven years following the end of the original live-action series, Mr. Bean reappeared in an animated television series with Rowan Atkinson reprising his role as the title character as well as providing references for all of Bean's animated actions. Much like the original live-action series, the animated spin-off contains little dialogue; although some words are spoken most is either little soundbites or mumbling. The series introduced a list of new characters alongside regulars in the original series (such as Teddy and Irma Gobb), including an unpleasant landlady of Mr. Bean named Mrs. Wicket and her evil one-eyed cat Scrapper. Other characters' voices are provided by
Jon Glover Jonathan Philip Glover (born 26 December 1952) is an English actor. He has appeared in various television programmes including '' Play School'', '' Survivors'', the Management consultant in ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'', ''Casualty' ...
,
Rupert Degas Rupert Joel Degas (born 17 August 1970) is a British and Australian actor. He is best known for his voice work in animation, audiobooks, and advertising. Early life and education Degas was born Rupert Joel Degas on 17 August 1970 in London, to ...
, Gary Martin and
Lorelei King Lorelei King is an American actress, screenwriter and development executive who has been based in the United Kingdom since 1981. She has narrated audiobooks, acted in radio plays for BBC Radio 4 and appeared on television. Early life King was ...
. From 2002 to 2004, 52 episodes were originally broadcast on
ITV1 ITV1 (formerly known as ITV) is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the British media company ITV plc. It provides the ITV (TV network), Channel 3 ...
each consisting of two 11-minute segments. In 2015,
CITV CITV is a British children's morning programming block on ITV2 and formerly a free-to-air channel owned by ITV plc. CITV, then Children's ITV, launched on 3 January 1983 as a late afternoon programming block on the ITV network for children aged ...
commissioned a brand new series of episodes. The new series amended the format in which it featured episodes that had much more dialogue than normal. 78 new episodes began broadcasting from 6 February 2015.


Feature films

Two theatrical feature-length films featuring Mr. Bean have been released, with Atkinson reprising his role as the character in each. The first film, ''Bean'', was directed by
Mel Smith Melvyn Kenneth Smith (3 December 1952 – 19 July 2013) was an English comedian, actor and filmmaker. He worked on the sketch comedy shows ''Not the Nine O'Clock News'' and ''Alas Smith and Jones'' with his comedy partner, Griff Rhys Jones. Smi ...
, released in 1997 and followed the misadventures of Mr. Bean as he oversaw the transfer of ''
Whistler's Mother ''Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1'', best known under its colloquial name ''Whistler's Mother'' or ''Portrait of Artist's Mother'', is a painting in oils on canvas created by the American-born painter James McNeill Whistler in 1871. The sub ...
'' to a
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
art gallery. The film broke from the programme's traditional narrative by using a subplot with more developed characters, whereby Bean was not the sole centre of attention but interacted with a suburban Californian family that he stays with during the film. The film was commercially successful, grossing more than US$250 million globally ($45 million in the USA) on a budget estimated at $18 million, despite receiving mixed reviews from critics and holding a 41% approval rating on
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
. The second film, ''
Mr. Bean's Holiday ''Mr. Bean's Holiday'' is a 2007 comedy film directed by Steve Bendelack and written by Hamish McColl and Robin Driscoll, from a story penned by Simon McBurney. Based on the British sitcom series ''Mr. Bean'' created by Rowan Atkinson and Richar ...
'', was directed by
Steve Bendelack Steve Bendelack is an English filmmaker and television director who has worked primarily on comedy programmes. Originally an assistant to Peter Fluck and Roger Law on satirical TV puppet show ''Spitting Image'', Bendelack went on to direct the ...
and released in 2007. The film follows Bean on an eventful journey across
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
for a holiday in the
French Riviera The French Riviera, known in French as the (; , ; ), is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France. There is no official boundary, but it is considered to be the coastal area of the Alpes-Maritimes department, extending fr ...
which, after a number of mishaps, culminates in an unscheduled screening of his video diary at the
2006 Cannes Film Festival The 59th Cannes Film Festival was held from 17 to 28 May 2006. Chinese filmmaker Wong Kar-wai served as jury president for the main competition, the first Chinese to preside over the jury. English filmmaker Ken Loach won the Palme d'Or for th ...
. The setting was despite an earlier rumour in February 2001 stating that an unused script by
Richard Curtis Richard Whalley Anthony Curtis (born 8 November 1956) is a British screenwriter, producer and director. One of Britain's most successful comedy screenwriters, he is known for romantic comedy-drama films, including ''Four Weddings and a Funeral' ...
would see him on an
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
n misadventure. Production on the film occurred during 2006 and saw its first release in the United Kingdom on 30 March 2007; it premiered in North America on 17 July that year at the Just for Laughs festival in Canada, where the character had been launched 20 years earlier, before being released nationwide over a month later on 24 August. The film is notable for featuring a mixture of traditional film photography and home-shot video camera photography. The film garnered improved critical reception (with a 52% rating on Rotten Tomatoes) and was also commercially successful, grossing nearly US$230 million globally ($33 million in the United States) against a $25 million budget. ''Mr. Bean's Holiday'' was originally the last live-action appearance of the character, before reappearing at the
2012 London Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
opening ceremony five years later.


2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony

In 2012, Atkinson reprised his role as Mr. Bean for a live performance as part of the
2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony The opening ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics took place on the evening of Friday 27 July 2012 in the Olympic Stadium, London, during which the Games were formally opened by Queen Elizabeth II. As mandated by the Olympic Charter, the proc ...
in London. In the scene, Mr. Bean works within the London Symphony Orchestra in its performance of "Chariots of Fire (instrumental), Chariots of Fire", conducted by Simon Rattle. For this scene, Bean does not wear his usual brown tweed sport coat, sports jacket but the traditional clothing of the musician – white tie and tailcoat, tails. As they perform the piece, Bean is mostly bored with playing the same note repeatedly on the synthesiser and gets jealous of the more interesting part being played on the grand piano. Still bored, he takes out his mobile phone and takes a picture of himself, looking proud. He then sneezes in a comical fashion and tries to retrieve his handkerchief from his bag behind him, finding he cannot reach it while at the synthesizer until he uses an umbrella to maintain his performance. When he finally blows his nose with his serviette, he throws it into the grand piano. He then falls asleep continuing to play the note. A dream sequence referencing the opening scene of the film ''Chariots of Fire'' (1981) shows the characters running across a beach, though Mr. Bean dreams he is running with them. He begins to fall behind, until he hails a car to overtake all the others. Now running in front, Bean ensures he wins the race on the beach by tripping one of the runners trying to overtake him, whereupon he crosses the line with elation, and then wakes up. Finding that the rest of the orchestra have stopped playing while he continued his one recurring note, Bean, with encouragement from Rattle, plays an extended flourish and lastly touches a note that makes a flatulent sound then stops. Director Danny Boyle later explained Atkinson's character in the performance: "It wasn't actually Mr. Bean. Strictly speaking, the name of his character was Derek" In the 2021 documentary ''Happy Birthday Mr. Bean'', Atkinson and Curtis also stated that the performance was not actually intended to be that of Mr. Bean, although the official Olympic YouTube channel and the live commentary promoted it as such.


Books

Two books tied-in to the original live-action series were released: ''Mr. Bean's Diary'' in 1992 and ''Mr. Bean's Pocket Diary'' in 1994. The two books have identical content and differ only in the format in which they are printed. The content of both is a template diary with handwritten content scrawled in by Mr. Bean. They provide some additional information on the setting: for example, they establish that Mr. Bean lives in
Highbury Highbury is an area of North London, England, in the London Borough of Islington. Highbury Manor Highbury was once owned by Ranulf, brother of Ilger, and included all the areas north and east of Canonbury and Holloway Roads. The manor hou ...
and rents his flat from a landlady named Mrs. Wicket. They confirm the name of Mr. Bean's girlfriend as "Irma Gobb" and also give the name of the other man she actually dances with in "Mr. Bean Goes to Town" (Giles Gummer). An additional book also called ''Mr. Bean's Diary'' was released in 2002 to accompany ''Mr. Bean: The Animated Series''; this book was also graded as a children's reader. Two further books, ''Mr. Bean's Scrapbook: All About Me in America'' (1997) and ''Mr. Bean's Definitive and Extremely Marvelous Guide to France'' (2007), were released to tie-in with the feature films ''Bean'' and ''
Mr. Bean's Holiday ''Mr. Bean's Holiday'' is a 2007 comedy film directed by Steve Bendelack and written by Hamish McColl and Robin Driscoll, from a story penned by Simon McBurney. Based on the British sitcom series ''Mr. Bean'' created by Rowan Atkinson and Richar ...
'' respectively.


Other appearances

Rowan Atkinson has appeared in character as Mr. Bean in many television broadcasts, sometimes as a publicity stunt to promote a new episode, DVD or film. A number of short sketches for the
Comic Relief Comic Relief is a British charity, founded in 1986 by the comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis and comedian Sir Lenny Henry in response to the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia. The concept of Comic Relief was to get British comedians to make t ...
telethon have also been produced and Bean also starred in various commercials, music videos and in YouTube videos such as Handy Bean. In 2017 Atkinson appeared in the China, Chinese film ''Top Funny Comedian: The Movie'' a Spin-off (media), spin-off film of a variety show of the same name; the plot involves a number of Chinese people getting involved in a series of misadventures during a visit to Macau at the same time as Mr. Bean. One of the film's stars, comedian Guo Degang, informed media outlet ''The Beijinger'' that due to Atkinson being unable to speak Mandarin, the cast used mainly body language to speak to each other saying that "with facial expressions and gestures we seemed to understand each other, [it] was really an interesting experience, which proves that comedy can cross boundaries." The film was distributed in Chinese territories, but as of 2017, had yet to receive an American or European release.


Home media

The series was available on a number of Thames Television VHS compilations. In the United Kingdom (DVD region code#2, Region 2), episodes of ''Mr. Bean'' were released on a yearly basis by Universal Studios, Inc., Universal Pictures UK from 2004. The complete collection is now available, including the two feature films and other extras. The episodes were released on VHS by A&E Home Video in the United States in the 2000s. These releases are unique in that they contain the original opening credits for the first three episodes, as seen when originally broadcast on television. In addition, they contain extra scenes which were edited into certain episodes at the request of Public Broadcasting System, PBS, in order to extend the run-time for a commercial-free airing. In Canada and the United States, ''Mr. Bean'' was released on VHS by PolyGram, Polygram Home Video in the 1990s. In the United States (DVD region code#1, Region 1), the complete series has been available since 2003 on A&E Television Networks, A&E Home Video as "The Whole Bean". The documentary ''The Story of Mr. Bean'' is edited on both the UK and USA DVD sets: it was originally 52 minutes when broadcast on television. However, it is 48 minutes on the UK DVD while only 40 on the American DVD. Most notably, in the UK version, the section detailing ''The Tall Guy'' has humorous clips from the film removed. The American DVD features the same edits as the British DVD but is also missing comments by Burt Reynolds on the set of ''Bean'', comments by Jeff Goldblum, some clips from the show ''Mr. Bean'' and many others. The record-selling UK videos were withdrawn shortly before the release of ''Bean'', and the DVDs were released on an annual basis since 2004. In August 2009, an official YouTube channel of the series was launched featuring content from both the original live-action and animated series. The series was re-released by Shout Factory in North America on 24 March 2015 on DVD to coincide with its 25th anniversary. This set contains digitally remastered episodes (similar to the 2010 British release), the 40-minute ''The Story of Mr. Bean'', additional scenes: "Turkey Weight", "Armchair Sale", "Marching", and "Playing With Matches", "Bus Stop" and "Library" sketches, a trailer for '' Mr. Bean: The Animated Series'' and '' The Best Bits of Mr. Bean'', a 72-minute clip show.


In popular culture

Various politicians have been mocked for a supposed facial resemblance to Mr. Bean, including Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, Sam Dastyari, Ed Miliband and Michael Gove. In the TV series ''MythBusters'' (Episode 52 — "MythBusters (2006 season)#Painting With Explosives, Mind Control"), the idea of painting a room with explosives placed in a tin of paint, as seen in " Do-It-Yourself Mr. Bean", was tested. The method was deemed impossible to achieve adequate coverage. An image of Mr. Bean grinning mischievously has been used as an internet meme for highlighting sexual double entendres, usually accompanied by the statement, "If you know what I mean." A parody of Mr. Bean appears in ''Souten no Ken'', Tetsuo Hara and Buronson's manga.


See also

* List of films based on British television series#Comedy, List of films based on British television series * ''Brian O'Brian'' * The Party (1968 film), ''The Party'' (1968 film) * ''Uncle Max''


Notes


References


External links

* * *
Filming locations from ''Mr. Bean''


{{DEFAULTSORT:Mister Bean 1990 British television series debuts 1990s British sitcoms 1995 British television series endings British comedy television shows Comic Relief British English-language television shows ITV sitcoms Mr. Bean, Television series by Banijay Television series created by Richard Curtis Television series created by Rowan Atkinson Television shows adapted into films Television shows adapted into novels Television shows produced by Thames Television Television shows set in London Television series by Tiger Aspect Productions Slapstick television series