Nepedia
Back to Discover
Fluent Reader
🎨

Mr. Bean

arts Maturity 5-7 Next article →

Mr. Bean is a famous British comedy show that makes people laugh all over the world.

Atkinson Rowan crop
Atkinson Rowan crop

It stars an actor named Rowan Atkinson, who plays a man that acts like a child in a grown man's body. The show follows Mr. Bean as he tries to finish everyday tasks like swimming or decorating a room. Because he has such strange and silly ideas, his simple plans often turn into big messes. This kind of funny acting is called physical comedy. It relies on funny movements instead of using many words. This style is very special because it works even if you do not speak English.

Rowan Atkinson and Manneken Pis
Rowan Atkinson and Manneken Pis

Mr. Bean does not use much dialogue, which means he does not speak much. Most of the time, he only makes small, low-pitched sounds. This makes the show easy for people in many different countries to enjoy. In fact, the series has been sold to 245 territories around the world. One episode, called "The Trouble with Mr. Bean," was watched by 18.74 million people! The show has even won international awards, such as the Rose d'Or. Because the character does not need to speak, the show can travel easily to many different cultures.

Rowan Atkinson first thought of the character while he was a student at the University of Oxford. He was studying for a master's degree in electrical engineering at The Queen's College. Before the TV show started, he performed a sketch of the character at the Edinburgh Fringe in the early 1980s. He even took the character to a comedy festival in Montreal, Canada, in 1987. At that time, he chose to perform for a French-speaking audience to see if his funny movements worked without English. He was inspired by older funny actors like Jacques Tati and Peter Sellers. The name "Mr. Bean" was only chosen after the very first episode was made.

Mr. Bean has many famous things that go with him. He has a small, knitted brown bear named Teddy. Teddy has button eyes and sausage-shaped limbs, and Mr. Bean treats him like a real best friend. He even tries to wake Teddy up or buys him Christmas presents. Mr. Bean also drives a very specific car. It is a citron-green 1977 British Leyland Mini 1000 Mark 4 with a black bonnet.

Mr Beans Mini
Mr Beans Mini

He is very careful with his car and even uses a big padlock to keep it locked. He once even took the steering wheel out of the car to stop a thief!

Even though the original show ended in 1995, Mr. Bean is still very popular today. The character has been in animated shows and two big movies. You can even see a statue of Mr. Bean in Leicester Square in London.

Statue of Mr. Bean at Leicester Square
Statue of Mr. Bean at Leicester Square

Atkinson once thought about stopping playing the character, but he changed his mind in 2016. He even performed as Mr. Bean during the 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony. From his little green car to his best friend Teddy, Mr. Bean remains a character that people love to watch.

510 words

Where will your curiosity go next?

Keep exploring at your chosen reading level.

🖼️ Images & Media (5)
File:Atkinson Rowan crop.jpg
Atkinson Rowan crop.jpg
File:Rowan Atkinson on a Mini at Goodwood Circuit in 2009.jpg
Rowan Atkinson on a Mini at Goodwood...
File:Mr Beans Mini.jpg
Mr Beans Mini.jpg
File:Rowan Atkinson and Manneken Pis.jpg
Rowan Atkinson and Manneken Pis.jpg
File:Statue of Mr. Bean at Leicester Square.jpg
Statue of Mr. Bean at Leicester Square.jpg
More to explore

🔬 Go deeper

More advanced topics to explore

🪜 Step back

Simpler topics to build understanding

What is Nepedia?

A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.