Mr. Bean

This article is about the original television programme. For the title character, see Mr. Bean (character). For other uses, see Mr. Bean (disambiguation).

Mr. Bean is a British sitcom created by Rowan Atkinson and Richard Curtis, produced by Tiger Aspect and starring Atkinson as the title character. The sitcom consists of 15 episodes that were co-written by Atkinson alongside Curtis and Robin Driscoll; for the pilot, it was co-written by Ben Elton. The series was originally broadcast on ITV, beginning with the pilot on 1 January 1990^[2] and ending with "The Best Bits of Mr. Bean" on 15 December 1995.

Mr. Bean
Original title card
Genre	Sitcom
Created by	Rowan Atkinson Richard Curtis
Written by	Ben Elton (Episodes 1 and 15) Richard Curtis (Episodes 1–7 and 15) Robin Driscoll (Episodes 2–14) Rowan Atkinson
Directed by	John Howard Davies (Episodes 1–3, 15) John Birkin (Episodes 4–7, 10–14) Paul Weiland (Episodes 8–9)
Starring	Rowan Atkinson
Composer	Howard Goodall
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of episodes	15 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer	Peter Bennett-Jones
Producers	John Howard Davies (Episodes 1–3) Sue Vertue (Episodes 4–9, 12–15) Peter Bennett-Jones (Episodes 10–11 and 15)
Running time	24–26 minutes
Production company	Tiger Aspect Productions^[a]
Distributor	Banijay^[1]
Release
Original network	ITV
Picture format	PAL
Audio format	Stereo
Original release	1 January 1990 (1990-01-01)^[2] – 15 December 1995 (1995-12-15)
Chronology
Followed by	Bean: The Ultimate Disaster Movie

Based on a character originally developed by Atkinson while he was studying for his master's degree at the University of Oxford, the series centres on Mr. Bean, 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.^[3] The series has been influenced by physical comedy actors such as Jacques Tati and those from early silent films.^[3]

During its original five-year run, Mr. Bean 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"^[4] 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 his role as Mr. Bean for a performance at the London 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony, television commercials and several sketches for Comic Relief. 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 was developed while Rowan Atkinson was studying for his master's degree in electrical engineering at The Queen's College, Oxford. A sketch featuring Bean was shown at the Edinburgh Fringe in the early 1980s.^[3] A similar character called Robert Box, also played by Atkinson, appeared in the one-off 1979 ITV sitcom Canned Laughter which also featured routines used in the motion picture in 1997.^[5]

One of Bean's earliest appearances occurred at the "Just for Laughs" comedy festival in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, 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.^[6]

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.^[7] Atkinson cited the earlier comedy character Monsieur Hulot, created by French comedian and director Jacques Tati, as an influence on the character.^[8] Atkinson also cited the influence of Peter Sellers, who had previously played similar "fumbling fool" characters, notably Hrundi Bakshi in The Party (1968) and Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther films.^[9] Stylistically, Mr. Bean is also similar to early silent films, relying purely upon physical comedy with Mr. Bean speaking very little dialogue (although like other live-action sitcoms during this period, it featured a laugh track). This has allowed the series to be sold worldwide without any significant changes to dialogue.^[6][10] In November 2012, Atkinson told The Daily Telegraph of his intentions to retire the character, stating that "someone in their fifties being childlike becomes a little sad."^[11][12] In 2016, however, Atkinson changed his mind by saying that he would never retire playing Mr. Bean.^[13]

Characters and recurring props

Mr. Bean

Main article: Mr. Bean (character)

 

Rowan Atkinson portraying Mr Bean in August 1997

The title character and main protagonist, played by Rowan Atkinson, is a childish buffoon who brings various unusual schemes and contrivances to everyday tasks. He lives alone at the address of Flat 2, 12 Arbour Road, 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.^[14]

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 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 choir in 1990. The opening sequence was initially in black and white in episodes two and three, 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. 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 (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".^[15] 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), 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"; 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 Bean met Irma Gobb at a local library.^[16] Ziegler has also played a waitress, a mother and a policewoman.^[17]

In the Comic Relief sketch "Torvill & Bean", Bean is accompanied by a female companion portrayed by Sophie Thompson whose overall appearance resembles Gobb's.

Teddy

 

Teddy

Teddy is Mr. Bean's teddy bear 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 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 tacks 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's Teddy bear museum in Stratford-upon-Avon. In 2008 upon the museum's closing, Teddy was sold at auction for £180.^[18]

The Mini

 

Rowan Atkinson re-enacting a famous scene from the episode "Do-It-Yourself Mr. Bean" on a Mini at Goodwood Circuit Revival 2009

 

Mr. Bean's Mini

Mr Bean's vehicle, a citron-green^[19] 1977 British Leyland Mini 1000 Mark 4^[20] with a matte black bonnet, 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, Bean's vehicle was originally an orange 1969 BMC Morris Mini 1000 Mark 2 (registration RNT 996H) but was accidentally destroyed in an off-screen crash at the end. Throughout the sitcom, Bean keeps it locked with a bolt-latch and padlock rather than the lock fitted to the car, which formed a running gag 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 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.^[21]

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 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 currently on display at the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu.^{[22][failed verification]} 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.^[23] In the film, Mr. Bean drives his Mini through Harrods in order to avoid a traffic jam. Although the sequence was filmed, it was not included in the final cut.^[24][25] In June 2018, the Mini from the first film was sold for US$70,000.^[26] The Mini eventually had its debut on the big screen when it was featured in the film Mr. Bean's Holiday under the registration YGL 572T. Unlike the previous Minis before (which were Austin Citron green), the Mini in the film is 'Nissan Amarillo Yellow'.^[27] The film also featured a second version of the Mini with the same colour scheme but with left-hand drive, driven by the female character Sabine befriended by Bean (played by Emma de Caunes).^[28]

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.^[29]

The Reliant

 

Reliant Regal in Mr. Bean

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.^[how?]

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, Richard Briers, Roger Sloman, Angus Deayton, Stephen Frost, Nick Hancock, Christopher Ryan, Paul Bown, Caroline Quentin, Danny La Rue, Roger Brierley, Roger Lloyd-Pack, Rupert Vansittart, David Battley, David Schneider, Richard Wilson and Rudolph Walker. Vansittart and Walker later appeared alongside Atkinson in The Thin Blue Line.^[30]

Episodes

Main article: List of Mr. Bean episodes

All 15 episodes of Mr. Bean were produced by Tiger Aspect Productions. Additionally, the character has been used in one-off sketches, guest appearances and television commercials in the United Kingdom.

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.^[31]

Broadcast

Mr. Bean originally aired in the United Kingdom on ITV from 1990 to 1995, with reruns later shown on Comedy Central Extra, ITV3 and ITV4. Due to its widespread popularity, the series aired in many other countries; in the United States, it aired on HBO starting on 2 April 1992, and also ran on PBS television stations across the United States. Mr. Bean was aired on the Philippine television network ABS-CBN in 1992–1996 and 2006–2014.^[32][33] It was sometime later moved to the network's sister station Studio 23 from its launch in 1996 and it lasted a year. In Indonesia, Mr. Bean aired on SCTV in the mid-1990s, Trans TV in 2002, Trans7 in 2010, and MNCTV in 2016, next in 2018 and at the time Eid al-Fitr in 2020, SCTV returned to air the series. The series was aired on Malaysian TV channel, TV3 in 1995 and is still broadcast as of 2019. Reruns of the series were also shown on Fox Family during the late 1990s, both as segments in the variety series Ohh Nooo! Mr. Bill Presents and as stand-alone episodes. Episodes of the series have also been broadcast on TCN's Sketch Comedy lineup broadcast by NHK GTV from 1990 and Tokyo Metropolitan Television (TOKYO MX) from November 2016 and Chiba Television Broadcasting (Ciba-Tele) from December of the same year.

Music

Mr. Bean features a choral theme tune in the key of C major written by Howard Goodall (adapted from a passage of "Locus iste" by Anton Bruckner) and performed by the Choir of Southwark Cathedral (episodes 2–11 and 14; opening of episode 15) and Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford (episodes 12 and 13; closing of episode 15). 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"^{[citation needed]} (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 the original series finale of Mr. Bean: The Animated Series titled "Double Trouble".

In the episode "Tee Off, Mr. Bean", 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.^[34]

Mr. Bean appeared in the music video of a 1991 fundraising single for Comic Relief, fronted by Hale and Pace, entitled "The Stonk".^[35] Mr. Bean also appeared in the music video for the Boyzone single "Picture of You",^[36] 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'. It was a cover of the Alice Cooper song of the same name, and reached number 9 in the UK singles chart.^[37]

Awards

 

Rowan Atkinson as Mr. Bean in 2007

The first episode won the Golden Rose, as well as two other major prizes at the 1991 Rose d'Or Light Entertainment Festival in Montreux.^[38] 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.^[39]

In other media

Mr. Bean: The Animated Series

Main article: Mr. Bean: The Animated Series

Seven years following the end of the original live-action series, Mr. Bean reappeared in an animated television series^[40] 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, Rupert Degas, Gary Martin and Lorelei King.^[41]

From 2002 to 2004, 52 episodes were originally broadcast on ITV1 each consisting of two 11-minute segments. In 2015, CITV commissioned a brand new series of episodes.^[42] 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

Main articles: Bean (film) and Mr. Bean's Holiday

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, released in 1997 and followed the misadventures of Mr. Bean as he oversaw the transfer of Whistler's Mother to a 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)^[43] on a budget estimated at $18 million,^[44] despite receiving mixed reviews from critics and holding a 41% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.^[45]

The second film, Mr. Bean's Holiday, was directed by Steve Bendelack, released in 2007 and followed Bean on an eventful journey across France for a holiday in the French Riviera to which, after a number of mishaps, culminates in an unscheduled screening of his video diary at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival,^[46] despite an earlier rumour in February 2001 stating that an unused script by Richard Curtis would see him on an Australian misadventure.^[47] Production on the film occurred during 2006 and was first released 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^[6] 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^[48]) and was also commercially successful, grossing nearly US$230 million globally ($33 million in the United States) against a $25 million budget.^[49] Mr. Bean's Holiday was originally the last live-action appearance of the character,^[50] before reappearing at the 2012 London Olympics opening ceremony five years later.

London 2012 Olympic Summer Games opening ceremony

In 2012, Atkinson reprised his character for a live performance as part of the London 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony. In the scene, Mr. Bean works within the London Symphony Orchestra in its performance of "Chariots of Fire", conducted by Simon Rattle. For this scene, Bean does not wear his usual brown tweed sports jacket but the traditional clothing of the musician – white tie and 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 of the opening scene of the film Chariots of Fire 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.^[51]

Director Danny Boyle later explained: "It wasn't actually Mr. Bean. Strictly speaking, the name of his character was Derek"^[52] In 2021's "Happy Birthday Mr Bean" documentary, Atkinson and Curtis also stated that the performance wasn't actually intended to be the character Mr. Bean.^[53] Although the official Olympic YouTube channel and the live commentary promoted it as Mr. Bean.^[54]

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 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 respectively.

Other appearances

Main article: List of Mr. Bean episodes § Other appearances

Rowan Atkinson has appeared in character a 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 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 Chinese film Top Funny Comedian: The Movie a 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.^[55] 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."^[56] Currently released in Chinese territories, the film has yet to receive an American or European release.^[57]

Home media

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. 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 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 Home Video in the 1990s. In the United States (Region 1), the complete series has been available since 2003 on 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.^[58]

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.^[59][60]

VHS

Title	No. of episodes
The Amazing Adventures of Mr. Bean	2; "Mr. Bean" and "The Return of Mr. Bean"
The Exciting Escapades of Mr. Bean	2; "The Curse of Mr. Bean" and "Mr. Bean Goes to Town"
The Terrible Tales of Mr. Bean	2; "The Trouble with Mr. Bean" and "Mr. Bean Rides Again"
The Merry Mishaps of Mr. Bean	2; "Merry Christmas, Mr. Bean" and "Mr. Bean in Room 426"
The Perilous Pursuits of Mr. Bean	2; "Mind the Baby, Mr. Bean" and "Do-It-Yourself, Mr. Bean"
Unseen Bean	2; "Back to School, Mr. Bean" and "Hair by Mr. Bean of London"
The Final Frolics of Mr. Bean	2; "Tee Off, Mr. Bean" and "Goodnight, Mr. Bean"
The Best Bits of Mr. Bean	Episode clips
The Complete Mr. Bean (Volume 1)	7; "Mr. Bean", "The Curse of Mr. Bean", "The Trouble with Mr. Bean", "Merry Christmas, Mr. Bean", "Mind the Baby, Mr. Bean", "Back to School, Mr. Bean" and "Goodnight, Mr. Bean"
The Complete Mr. Bean (Volume 2)	7; "The Return of Mr. Bean", "Mr. Bean Goes to Town", "Mr. Bean Rides Again", "Mr. Bean in Room 426", "Do-It-Yourself, Mr. Bean", "Tee Off, Mr. Bean" and "Hair by Mr. Bean of London"
Merry Christmas Mr. Bean	1
Mr. Bean – Vol. 1	3
Mr. Bean – Vol. 2	3

DVD

Title	No. of episodes	Release date	Notes
Mr. Bean: 10 Years (My Special Anniversary)	14 + 4 (special ep.)	7 November 2002	Region 4. Contains all 15 episodes (not presented in order), The Story of Mr. Bean (48-min. documentary), and two never-seen-on-TV sketches. Reissued in 2006 as "The Mr. Bean Collection" and in 2018 as "Mr. Bean Ultimate Collection".
Mr. Bean: The Whole Bean	14 + 4 (special ep.)	29 April 2003	Region 1. Contains all 15 episodes (slightly edited and slowed down), two Comic Relief sketches and two never-seen-on-TV sketches. Plus, The Story of Mr. Bean (40-min. documentary), Mr. Bean: The Animated Series trailer, and Rowan Atkinson Biography and Filmography
Rowan Atkinson in Mr. Bean: The Complete Collection of the Classic TV Series	14 + 6 (animated ep.)	18 November 2008	Region 2. Contains all 14 "standard" episodes (not present in order), 6 "bonus" episodes of the Mr. Bean animated series, "The Library" (never-seen-on-TV sketch), "Behind the Scenes of Mr. Bean's Holiday" featurette, and the 2007 Comic Relief sketch.
Mr Bean: Series 1, Volumes 1–4 (Digitally Remastered 20th Anniversary Edition)	14 + 4 (special ep.)	6 September 2010	Contains all 15 episodes (digitally remastered), The Story of Mr. Bean (48-min. documentary), and two never-seen-on-TV sketches.
Mr. Bean — The Complete Collection	14 + 4 (special ep.)	28 November 2011	Contains all 15 episodes (Digitally Remastered) + Mr. Bean: The Animated Series episodes + both films.
Mr. Bean: The Whole Bean (Remastered 25th Anniversary Edition)	14 + 4 (special ep.)	24 March 2015	Region 1. Contains all 15 episodes (slower than the original 2003 set), four "deleted scenes" and two never-seen-on-TV sketches. Plus, The Story of Mr. Bean (40-min. documentary) and Mr. Bean: The Animated Series trailer.

Volumes

Title	No. of episodes	Release date	Notes
Mr. Bean - 10 Years (Volume 1)	4	7 November 2002	"Mr. Bean", "Goodnight Mr. Bean", "Mind the Baby, Mr. Bean", "The Curse of Mr. Bean". Bonus Feature: "The Best Bits of Mr. Bean"
Mr. Bean - 10 Years (Volume 2)	5	7 November 2002	"Mr. Bean Goes To Town", "Mr. Bean Rides Again", "Mr. Bean in Room 426", "Do-It-Yourself Mr. Bean", "Hair by Mr. Bean of London". Bonus Feature: "The Story of Bean"
Mr. Bean - 10 Years (Volume 3)	5	7 November 2002	"The Return of Mr. Bean", "Back To School, Mr. Bean", "Tee Off, Mr. Bean", "Merry Christmas Mr. Bean", "The Trouble With Mr. Bean". Bonus Features: "The Bus Stop", "The Library"
Rowan Atkinson in Mr. Bean: 1	3	1 November 2004	Episodes: Episode 1: "Mr. Bean", Episode 2: "The Return of Mr. Bean", Episode 14: "Hair by Mr. Bean of London". Bonus Features: "In the Pink", "The Library".
Rowan Atkinson in Mr. Bean: 2	3	31 October 2005	Episodes: Episode 3: "The Curse of Mr. Bean", Episode 4: "Mr. Bean Goes to Town", Episode 5: "The Trouble with Mr. Bean". Bonus Features: "Royal Bean".
Rowan Atkinson in Mr. Bean: 3	3	13 November 2006	Episodes: Episode 10: "Mind the Baby, Mr. Bean", Episode 8: "Mr Bean in Room 426", Episode 6: "Mr. Bean Rides Again". Bonus Features: Behind the scenes of Mr. Bean's Holiday.
Rowan Atkinson in Mr. Bean: 4	3	19 March 2007	Episodes: Episode 9: Do-It-Yourself, Mr. Bean", Episode 11: "Back to School, Mr. Bean", Episode 12: "Tee Off, Mr. Bean". Bonus Features: "Treasure!".
Rowan Atkinson in Mr. Bean: 5	2	12 November 2007	Episodes: Episode 7: "Merry Christmas, Mr. Bean", Episode 13: "Goodnight, Mr. Bean". Extra Features: 2007 Comic Relief Sketch, "Art Thief", "Scaredy Bean", "Haircut".
Mr. Bean: Beantastic Complete Collection	14 + 26 (cartoon) + 2 (movies)	12 November 2007	All 14 TV episodes, all 26 episodes of the Mr. Bean animated series, Mr. Bean's Holiday and Bean – The Ultimate Disaster Movie.
Mr. Bean: Best Bits		17 November 2008	Highlights
Mr. Bean: Vol. 1 (Digitally Remastered 20th Anniversary Edition)	5	6 September 2010	Universal Pictures UK
Mr. Bean: Vol. 2 (Digitally Remastered 20th Anniversary Edition)	5	6 September 2010	Universal Pictures UK
Mr. Bean: Vol. 3 (Digitally Remastered 20th Anniversary Edition)	4 + 2 "Never Seen on TV" sketches	6 September 2010	Universal Pictures UK
Mr. Bean: Vol. 4 (Digitally Remastered 20th Anniversary Edition)	The Best Bits (2009 Version), The Story of Mr. Bean	6 September 2010	Universal Pictures UK
Happy Birthday Mr. Bean	3	6 September 2010	Contains: "The Restaurant" from "The Return of Mr. Bean", "Birthday Bear" (Animated Episode), "The Disco" from "Mr. Bean Goes to Town", "Dinner for Two" (Animated Episode), "The FunFair" from "Mind the Baby, Mr. Bean", "The Restaurant" (Animated Episode).
Merry Christmas Mr. Bean	1	1 November 2010	Episode 7: Merry Christmas, Mr. Bean.
Holiday Havoc With Mr. Bean	9 Sketches	8 August 2011	Contains: "On The Beach", "The Swimming Pool", "Packing For Holiday", "On The Train", "Flying Off", "Crazy Golf", "The Sentry", "Train Station", "Village Fete"
Back to School, Mr. Bean	3	4 August 2014	Contains: Episode 11 – "Back to School, Mr. Bean", "The Library", "The Exam".
Mr. Bean: Funny Faces	5 Sketches + 2 Animated Episodes	4 May 2015	Contains: "Royal Film Performance", "Toothache" (Animated Episode), "The Rollercoaster", "Eating Challenge", "Missing Teddy" (Animated Episode), "Horror Movie", "Inflight Entertainment"

DVD re-release

Mr. Bean: The Whole Bean was re-released on 24 March 2015 on DVD digitally remastered to coincide with the series' 25th anniversary.^[59]

In popular culture

 

Statue of Mr. Bean in Leicester Square, London

Various politicians have been mocked for a supposed facial resemblance to Mr. Bean, including Tony Blair,^[61] Gordon Brown,^[62] José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero^[63][64] and Ed Miliband.^[65]

In MythBusters episode 52 – "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 and deemed impossible as adequate coverage was not achieved.^[66] 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."^[67] In Tetsuo Hara and Buronson's manga Souten no Ken, a parody of Mr. Bean can be found.^[68] An image of Mr. Bean is employed on the cybercrime website "Mr. Bin".^[69]

See also

• List of films based on British sitcoms
• Brian O'Brian
• The Party (1968 film)
• Uncle Max
• Ernest P. Worrell

Notes

1. in association with Thames Television until 1993 and in association with Central Independent Television until 1995.

References

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External links

 

Wikiquote has quotations related to Mr. Bean.

• Official website  
• Mr. Bean on Twitter  
• Mr. Bean at IMDb
• Filming locations from Mr Bean
• Mr Bean Guest Characters 6 August 2018 at the Wayback Machine