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Mr. BeanFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the original television programme. For other uses, see Mr. Bean (disambiguation).
Mr. Bean
Opening titles from episodes 4–14
Genre Sitcom
Format Physical comedy
Visual comedy
Created by Rowan Atkinson
Richard Curtis
Starring Rowan Atkinson
Country of origin United Kingdom
No. of episodes 14 (List of episodes)
Production
Executiveproducer(s) Peter Bennett-Jones
Producer(s) Sue Vertue
Running time 25 minutes[1]
Productioncompany(s) Tiger Aspect Productions
Thames Television (1990–93)
Distributor FremantleMedia (formerlyPearson Television
International)(1990–95)
Broadcast
Original channel ITV
Picture format 4:3
Audio format Stereo
First shown in 1 January 1990
Original run 1 January 1990 – 15 November 1995
Chronology
Followed by Bean: The Ultimate Disaster Movie
Related shows Mr. Bean (animated)
External links
Official website
Mr. Bean is a British comedy television programme series of 14 twenty-five-minute episodes written by and
starring Rowan Atkinson as the title character. Different episodes were also written by Robin Driscoll, Richard
Curtis and one by Ben Elton. TheMr. Bean pilot episode was broadcast on ITV on 1 January 1990, with the last
television episode, "Goodnight Mr. Bean" broadcast on 31 October 1995.[2] The final episode, "Hair by Mr. Bean
of London", was a video exclusive released on 15 November 1995, but not broadcast in the UK until 2006.
Based on a character originally developed by Atkinson while he was studying for his master's degree at Oxford
University, the series follows the exploits of Mr. Bean, described by Atkinson as "a child in a grown man's
body", in solving various problems presented by everyday tasks and often causing disruption in the process.
[3] Bean rarely speaks, and the largely physical humour of the series is derived from his interactions with other
people and his unusual solutions to situations. The series was influenced by physical performers such
as Jacques Tati and comic actors from silent films.[3]
During its five-year run, the series gained large UK audience figures, including 18.74 million for the 1991
episode "The Trouble with Mr. Bean".[4] The series has been the recipient of a number of international awards,
including the Rose d'Or. The show has been sold in 245 territories worldwide, and has inspired an animated
cartoon spin-off, two feature films, and an appearance at the London 2012 Summer Olympics opening
ceremony.
Contents
1 Origins and influences
2 Characters and recurring props
o 2.1 Mr. Bean
o 2.2 Irma Gobb
o 2.3 Teddy
o 2.4 Mr. Bean's car
o 2.5 Hubert & Rupert
o 2.6 Other characters
3 Episodes
4 Music
5 Awards
6 International broadcast history
7 Spin-offs
o 7.1 The animated series
o 7.2 Film adaptations
o 7.3 The London 2012 Olympic opening ceremony
o 7.4 Books
8 VHS and DVD releases
o 8.1 VHS format
o 8.2 DVD format
9 Popular culture
10 See also
11 References
12 External links
[edit]Origins and influences
The character of Mr. Bean was developed while Atkinson was studying for his master's degree in Electrical
Engineering at Oxford University. A sketch featuring the character was performed at the Edinburgh Fringe in
the early 1980s.[5] A similar character called Robert Box, played by Atkinson, appeared in the one-off 1979 ITV
sitcom Canned Laughter, which also featured routines used in the 1997 film Bean.[6] In 1987, one of Mr. Bean's
earliest appearances occurred at the "Just For Laughs" comedy festival in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. When
programme co-ordinators were scheduling Atkinson 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 co-ordinators could not understand why Atkinson wanted to perform on the French
bill. As it turned out, Atkinson's act at the festival was a test platform for the Mr. Beancharacter and Atkinson
wanted to see how the silent character's physical comedy would fare on an international stage with a non-
English speaking audience.[7]
The name of the character was not decided until after the first programme had been produced, with a number
of other vegetable-influenced names, such as "Mr. Cauliflower", being explored.[8] Atkinson cited the earlier
comedy character Monsieur Hulot, created by French comedian and director Jacques Tati, as an influence on
the character.[9] Stylistically, Mr. Bean is also very similar to earlysilent films, relying purely upon physical
comedy, with Mr. Bean speaking very little dialogue (although like other live-action TV series of the time, it
features a laugh track). This has allowed the series to be sold worldwide without any significant changes to
dialogue.[7][10] In November 2012, Atkinson told newspaper The Daily Telegraph he was looking at retiring the
character, as "someone in their 50s being childlike becomes a little sad".
[edit]Characters and recurring props
[edit]Mr. Bean
The title character, played by Rowan Atkinson, is a childish and self-centred buffoon who brings various
unusual schemes and contrivances to everyday tasks. He lives alone in his small flat in Highbury, and is almost
always seen in his trademark tweed jacket and a skinny red tie. He also usually wears a digital calculator
watch. 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.[11] In Mr. Bean's Holiday, however, his name is listed
on his passport as "Rowan", the actor's first name.[12]
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 tasks, such as going swimming, using a
television set, redecorating 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, his pettiness, and occasional
malevolence.
At the beginning of episode two onwards, 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"). These opening sequences were
initially in black and white in episodes two and three, and were 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; the imagery and the choir would
suggest that Bean is a being cast out of Heaven. At the end of episodes three and six he is also shown being
sucked right back up into the sky in the respective background scenes (black scene in episode 3 and street
scene in episode 6). Atkinson himself has acknowledged that Bean "has a slightly alien aspect to him".[13] In
the animated series (episode 38, "Double Trouble") he is taken inside a spacecraft with "aliens" who look
exactly like him and even have their own plushy toys. In an obvious homage, the aliens send him back home in
a beam of light similar to the opening of the original Mr. Bean series. Whether Mr. Bean himself is an
extraterrestrial is not clear. Mr. Bean lives in Flat 2, 12 Arbour Road, London, England.
[edit]Irma Gobb
Mr. Bean's girlfriend, Irma Gobb (played by Matilda Ziegler), appears in a number of 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 than 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",
with his failure to do so resulting in her leaving him for good. The character does not appear in any subsequent
episodes, however, she later appears in the animated series. The spin-off book Mr. Bean's Diary (1993) states
that Mr. Bean met Irma Gobb at a local library.[14]
[edit]Teddy
Mr. Bean and Teddy
Teddy is Mr. Bean's teddy bear and perhaps Mr. Bean's best friend. The little brown bear is a knitted oddity
with button eyes and sausage-shaped limbs, invariably ending up broken in half or in various other states of
destruction and disfiguration. Although Teddy is inanimate, Mr. Bean often pretends it is alive. For example,
when Mr. Bean hypnotises Teddy, he snaps his fingers and the bear's head falls backwards as if it has fallen
asleep instantly (Bean used his finger to prop Teddy's head up). Mr. Bean behaves as if the bear is real, buying
it a Christmas present or trying not to wake it in the mornings. The bear is often privy to Mr. Bean's various
schemes and doubles as a dish cloth or paint brush in an emergency; 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" and is used to win a pet show. The Teddy that
was used in filming sits in the windshield of the replica of Mr. Bean's mini that is on display at the National
Motor Museum. 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 "eye" was not
present until Bean placed gold thumb tacks on its face. The "eyes" have since been replaced with two small
white buttons sewn over Teddy's face, giving it a distinct image.
[edit]Mr. Bean's car
Rowan Atkinson demonstrating a famous scene from the episode "Do-It-Yourself Mr. Bean" on a Mini at Goodwood Circuit
Mr. Bean's car, a British Leyland Mini 1000, developed its own character of sorts over the series and was
central to several antics, such as Mr. Bean getting dressed in it, driving while sitting in an armchair strapped to
the roof, starting it with a number of locks and keys, or attempting to avoid a parking garage toll by driving out
through the entrance.
At first, it was an orange 1969 BMC Mini MK II (registration RNT 996H), but this was destroyed in an off-screen
crash at the end of the first episode. From then on, the car was a 1976 – 1980 model (registration SLW 287R),
Austin Citron Green in colour[15] with a matte black bonnet.
The Mini also had a number of innovative security measures. For example, Bean uses a bolt-latch and padlock,
rather than the lock fitted to the car, and removes the steering wheel instead of the key. These formed a
running joke in several episodes, at one point deterring a car thief. However, after changing parking spaces
with another car and exact same make in "Back to School Mr. Bean", his car is crushed by a tank. Fortunately
for him, his padlock still remains, and he hurries off to "hijack" another car with the same colour scheme.
In some episodes Mr. Bean has a long-running feud with the unseen driver of a light blue Reliant Regal
Supervan III (registration GRA 26K), which will usually get turned over, crashed out of its parking space and so
forth by Mr. Bean in his Mini. This conflict originated in the first episode, when the Reliant's driver held the Mini
up on the way to a mathematics exam, and subsequently became another running joke throughout the series.
Both the Mini and the Reliant re-appeared as characters in the animated Mr. Bean cartoons, and the mini in the
film Mr. Bean's Holiday, registration YGL 572T. Also seen is a left hand drive version of his Mini, owned by the
character Sabine which has a French registration (207 UHO 75). For the 1997 feature film Bean (film) a
sequence involving the Mini driving through Harrod's Department Store was shot, but this was not included in
the final cut, in this his Mini's registration plate number is C607 EUW.[16][17] In the animated series, his Mini's
registration plate number is STE 952R.
After filming ended, one of the original Minis was sold to Kariker Kars to be hired for various events. It was then
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 and was on display for while, but is no longer there, having been sold; it
went to America with another. There is one currently undergoing a nut and bolt restoration in the south of
England, and another on display at National Motor Museum, Beaulieu.[18] This is the car that was used to
promote the animated series.
[edit]Hubert & Rupert
Rupert & Hubert are friends of Mr. Bean who only appeared in "Do it Yourself Mr. Bean." They attended Mr.
Bean's New Year's Eve party. They got bored, altered Mr. Bean's living room clock, and fled to a nearby party,
with Hubert leaving his hat at Bean's. After the party Hubert was last seen going for his hat during which he got
caught in the blast of white paint. Neither are seen after "Do it yourself Mr. Bean".
[edit]Other characters
Although Mr. Bean is the only significant human character in the programme, others appear, usually as foils for
his various antics. Other than his girlfriend there are more characters in each episode. However, several
notable British actors and comedians appear alongside Atkinson in sketches as various one-off supporting
characters, including Richard Briers, Angus Deayton, Nick Hancock,Paul Bown, Caroline Quentin, Danny La
Rue, Roger Lloyd Pack, David Schneider and Richard Wilson.[19]
[edit]Episodes
Main article: List of Mr. Bean episodes
Fourteen, nonsequential episodes of Mr. Bean were produced spanning six years. Thirteen were made for
broadcast on ITV and one; "Hair by Mr. Bean of London", made for video release only. A feature length special
using footage from these episodes was also made as a fifteenth and final episode. Additionally the character
has been used in one-off sketches, guest appearances and television commercials in the UK, Norway and
Japan.
All episodes were produced by Tiger Television (later Tiger Aspect Productions) for Thames Television from
1990 to 1992 and forCentral Independent Television from 1993 to 1995.
[edit]Music
Mr. Bean features a choral theme tune written by Howard Goodall and performed by the Choir of Southwark
Cathedral (later Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford). The words sung during the title sequences are in Latin:
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 advertisement break)
Pars secunda – "Part two" (sung after the advertisement break)
Vale homo qui est faba – "Farewell, 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 Howard 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.
In the episode "Tee Off, Mr. Bean" Howard Goodall's choral theme tune for another Richard Curtis
comedy, The Vicar of Dibley, 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", which was quoted in
the theme to Blackadder Goes Forth.[20]
Mr. Bean appears in a music video made for the 1991 Comic Relief fund raising single by Hale and
Pace called The Stonk.[21] Mr. Bean also appeared in the music video for Boyzone's single Picture of You in
1997.[22] The song featured on the soundtrack to the first Bean movie.
Mr Bean also made a Comic Relief record in 1992. This was (I Want To Be) Elected and was credited to "Mr
Bean and Smear Campaign featuring Bruce Dickinson". This was a cover of an Alice Cooper song and reached
number 9 in the UK singles chart.[23]
[edit]Awards
The first episode won the Golden Rose, as well as two other major prizes at the 1991 Rose d'Or Light
Entertainment Festival inMontreux.[24] In the UK, the episode "The Curse of Mr. Bean" was nominated for a
number of BAFTA 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
and 1994.[25]
[edit]International broadcast history
After its original run it has been shown repeatedly on PBS and satellite channels such as Telemundo in
the United States, CBC inCanada, ABC & The Comedy Channel in Australia, TVB in Hong
Kong, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and ITV3, Cartoon Network on 11 June 2012, in the UK, Disney Channel
Asia in Southeast Asia, TV3 in Malaysia, MediaCorp Channel 5 in Singapore, ABS-CBNor, previously, People's
Television Network 4 and Disney Channel Asia, in the Philippines and RCTI in Indonesia.[26] Digital
channelITV3 began rebroadcasting the series on 5 January 2010, and again on 24 May 2010. In Pakistan it
has been aired on a number of channels such as Cartoon Network, Starlite TV, Raavi and on Syndicated
Networks as well.
[edit]Spin-offs
[edit]The animated series
Main article: Mr. Bean (animated TV series)
Mr. Bean in the animation along with his landlady Mrs. Wicket, at left and his girlfriend, Irma Gobb
Bean was revived in a 2002–2004 animated cartoon series, again featuring little dialogue, with most being
either little soundbites or mumbling. The series, which consist of 26 episodes (with 2 segments each),
expanded the number of additional characters, featuring Bean's unpleasant landlady, Mrs. Wicket, and her evil
one-eyed cat, Scrapper. Atkinson reprises his role as Bean, and all of the animated Bean actions are taken
from Atkinson himself. Other characters' voices are provided by Jon Glover, Rupert Degas, Gary Martin
and Lorelei King.[27]A video game based on the Animated series was released on 14 December 2007 and was
a third person platformer. The games were released on PAL only for PS2, Nintendo DS, and Wii (called Mr.
Bean's Wacky World).
[edit]Film adaptations
Main articles: Bean (film) and Mr. Bean's Holiday
Two films featuring Bean have been released. The first, Bean: The Ultimate Disaster Moviewas directed by Mel
Smith and released in 1997, with Atkinson reprising his title role. This broke from the programme's tradition by
using a subplot with more developed characters – instead of being the sole centre of attention, Bean here
interacted with a suburban Californian family he stayed with while overseeing the transfer of Whistler's
Mother to a Los Angeles art gallery. The film grossed over US$250 million globally ($45 million in the USA)
[28] on a budget estimated at $22 million.[29]
News broke out in March 2005 that a second Bean film, Mr. Bean's Holiday was in development, with Atkinson
reprising his title role. The film had been through several changes of name during its development,
including Bean 2 and French Bean.[30] Filming began on 15 May 2006 and began post-production in October
2006. It was released in the UK on 30 March 2007. On 17 July 2007, the North American premiere was held in
Montreal, Quebec, Canada, at the Just For Laughs festival; the launching pad for the Mr. Bean character 20
years earlier.[7] The film was then released nationwide in North America on 24 August 2007. The film follows
Bean on an eventful journey across France for a holiday in the French Riviera, which after a number of
misfortunes culminates in an unscheduled screening of his video diary at the Cannes Film Festival. It was
directed by Steve Bendelack and, according to Atkinson, is the last appearance of Bean.[31] It grossed nearly
US$230 million globally ($33 million in the USA).[32]
[edit]The London 2012 Olympic opening ceremony
The character as represented by Atkinson plays a single note on a synthesiser in the performance of "Chariots
of Fire" during the2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony. Instead of his usual dress, he wears white
tie tuxedo suit like the other musicians around him. During his performance, he becomes bored with playing the
same note repeatedly on the synthesiser and gets jealous of the more interesting part that another member of
the orchestra playing with him has on the grand piano. Still remaining bored, he takes out his mobile and takes
a picture of himself, looking chuffed. He then sneezes in a comical fashion and tries to retrieve his handkerchief
from his bag behind him. He finds that he cannot reach and has to keep playing the note with his umbrella to
retrieve it. When he finally blows his nose, he throws his handkerchief into the grand piano. He then falls asleep
continuing to play the note.
In a dream sequence, it is the opening scene of the film Chariots of Fire where they are running across a
beach, except Mr. Bean is running with them. He begins to fall behind, until he hails a car to overtake all the
others. In front and running, a runner tries to overtake Bean but is tripped by him. He crosses the line with
elation and then he wakes up. The rest of the orchestra had stopped playing while he continues his one
recurring note. Realising this, and upon encouragement from conductor Simon Rattle, he plays an extended
flourish and lastly touches a note that makes a flatulent sound then stops.[33] In November 2012, Atkinson told
newspaperThe Daily Telegraph he was looking at retiring the character, as "someone in their 50s being
childlike becomes a little sad".[34]
[edit]Books
Two books were released related to the original series: 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 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 called Mr. Bean's Diary was released in 2002 to accompany the animated series; this book was
also graded as a children's reader.
[edit]VHS and DVD releases
The series was available on a number of Thames Television VHS compilations. In the United Kingdom (Region
2), episodes of Mr. Bean were released on a yearly basis by Universal Pictures UK from 2004. The complete
collection is now available, including the two feature films and other extras. In the United States (Region 1), the
complete series has been available since 2003 on A&E Home Video as "The Whole Bean".
The record-selling UK videos were withdrawn shortly before the release of Bean, and DVDs were released on
an annual basis as of 2004.
In August 2009 an official YouTube channel was launched featuring content from the live action and animated
series.[35]
[edit]VHS format
Title No. of episodes
The Amazing Adventures of Mr. Bean 2
The Exciting Escapades of Mr. Bean 2
The Terrible Tales of Mr. Bean 2
The Merry Mishaps of Mr. Bean 2
The Perilous Pursuits of Mr. Bean 2
Unseen Bean 2
The Final Frolics of Mr. Bean 2
The Best Bits of Mr. Bean Episode clips
The Complete Mr. Bean (Volume 1) 7
The Complete Mr. Bean (Volume 2) 7
Merry Christmas Mr. Bean 1
Mr. Bean – Vol. 1 3
Mr. Bean – Vol. 2 3
Thames Favourite Programmes 6
[edit]DVD format
Title No. of episodes Release date Notes
Mr. Bean: The Whole Bean
14 + 4 (special ep.)
29 April 2003
Region 1. Contains all 14 episodes, two Comic Relief sketches and two direc