The Online Guide to Mr. Bean

Mr. Bean can be described many different ways. He is a television character, he is a movie character and he is an animated character. But one of the best ways to describe Mr. Bean is he is funny!

Mr. Bean is the brainchild of Rowan Atkinson, who is the creator and actor who portrays Mr. Bean. The idea for Mr. Bean came from Atkinson while he was a student at Oxford University. Once he came up with the idea, Atkinson started to test the character in shows and comedy clubs in the early 1980’s. 

Atkinson has been in the entertainment field since college days and the combination of his ability to do physical comedy and having an expressive voice makes him a multi-talented performer. In addition to his work creating Mr. Bean, Atkinson has worked in Britcoms such as Black Adder and The Thin Blue Line. Plus, he has been in several motion pictures including Johnny English, Rat Race and Four Weddings and a Funeral. His unique voice was also used to portray the character Zazu in Disney’s animated film The Lion King.

In 1990, the Mr. Bean character was introduced to a wider audience, with ITV producing a situation comedy show starring Rowan Atkinson as the main character – Mr. Bean. The show ran for 5 years, with 14 half hour episodes being produced. During the 5 year run, British fans warmed up to the comedy of Atkinson, and Mr. Bean became a success.

Fans enjoyed Atkinson’s portrayal of the slow-witted Bean. In episodes of the series, you could always count on Bean to get into situations that will cause problems, usually cleanup or television repair work for others, and Bean would generally avoid trouble. Other standard features of the series are that Mr. Bean generally dresses the same in each episode with the same color jacket and tie. In addition, Bean rarely spoke and when he did it would be a few words in a low pitched voice. Other regulars for the series are his teddy bear named Teddy, which he interacts with and his car, which is a British Leyland Mini. The mini is seen in many episodes and the tiny car is a source of many funny moments.

Atkinson has reprised the Bean character in 2 movies. In 1997 the movie Bean premiered and was a profitable venture for the film company. In 2007, Atkinson was back in Mr. Bean Takes a Holiday, which also did well. The movies followed familiar formats with Mr. Bean getting into and out of trouble in different ways.

In 2002, the Bean character was turned into an animated character in the Mr. Bean Animated Series. The series lasted 2 years and had a total of 26 animated episodes.

Mr. Bean has been a lovable character for many years, and will be a popular character for years to come. Future generations will continue to enjoy the antics of Mr. Bean through re-runs, movies and on video.