Mr. Bean

Mr. Bean is a British comedy television series, starring Rowan Atkinson. The programme was produced by Tiger Television, later renamed Tiger Aspect productions (a company in which Atkinson has a stake), for Thames Television and originally shown on ITV. It is written by Atkinson, Robin Driscoll and Richard Curtis. The first episode was broadcast on 1 January 1990, with the final episode, "Goodnight, Mr. Bean", on 31 October 1995.

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In the United States the show has been broadcast on PBS intermittently over the past few years and is now available on DVD.

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In the show, Atkinson plays a selfish, sometimes ingenious, and generally likeable buffoon who frequently gets into hilarious situations due to his various schemes and contrivances.

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The show relies upon physical comedy, with very little dialogue. It features Mr. Bean trying to undertake what would normally be considered simple tasks, such as going swimming, redecorating or taking an exam. One of his acts, most beloved by fans, is stuffing a turkey and getting it stuck on his head. The popular US sitcom Friends later re-used this same joke. The humour largely comes from his original solutions to any problems, and a total disregard for others when solving them.

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There have been many debates over whether Mr. Bean is a very unusual human, or an alien. At the beginning of episode 2 and onwards, he falls from the sky by a light. In the movie, Mr. Bean shows a boy what he can do with his ears. These things, as well as his knowledge for human ways, are several reasons some people believe him to be an alien.

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Mr. Bean is the only significant character in the programme (save for Teddie, his lovable stuffed teddy bear). Other characters exist simply as foils for his various antics, and besides the star, there are only two recurring supporting characters; his sometime "girlfriend" Irma Gobb (played by Matilda Ziegler) and Mr. Sprout, who is often seen in a light blue Reliant Robin Supervan, (which will usually get tipped over, crashed into, bumped out of its parking space, etc). However, Angus Deayton often appears alongside Atkinson in sketches as various one-off supporting characters.

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Mr. Bean's car, an Austin Mini, develops a character of sorts. At first, an orange Mini was Mr. Bean's vehicle of choice, but this was crashed at the end of episode 1. From then on, the car was lime green with a black bonnet. Mr. Bean fitted the door with a bolt-latch and padlock, rather than use the lock fitted on the car. The Mini was central to several antics (such as Mr. Bean getting dressed in it whilst driving or steering it whilst sitting in an armchair strapped to the roof). The car was crushed by a tank in 'Back to School Mr. Bean', but returned in later episodes.

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The show's title sequence (used from the second episode onward) depicts Mr. Bean falling from the sky in a beam of light. Theories on the meaning of this have ranged from Mr. Bean's being an alien to his being an angel sent to Earth. More humourously, perhaps, as a character who is always having odd things happen to him, it could represent his return after an abduction. However, the producers of the show claim that it is intended to show his status as an ordinary man cast into the spotlight (but the animated series – see below – would take it in a more literal direction). Others simply regarded this as a spoof of a movie)/">Terminator scene. Regardless of meaning, this is clear: Mr. Bean is alone in the world, is frequently childlike, and often seems unaware of basic aspects of the way the world works.

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The theme tune was written by Howard Goodall and performed by the Choir of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. The words sung by the choir during the series credits are in Latin:

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• 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)
• Vale homo qui est faba – "Farewell, man who is a bean" (sung at end)
Mr. Bean: Episode list ►



 

British comedy: British Comedy, in film, radio and television, is known for its consistently quirky characters, plots and settings, and has produced some of the most famous and memorable comic actors and characters in the last fifty years....

Television: : See also Television (band) for the rock band...

Rowan Atkinson: Rowan Sebastian Atkinson (born January 6, 1955 in Consett, County Durham, England) is a British comedian and actor. Two of his most well-known characters are Edmund Blackadder and Mr. Bean....




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