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Rowan Atkinson Celebrates Mr. Bean’s 25th Anniversary Outside Buckingham Palace

By Pam Wright
Published on: 00:09 PST, Sep 6, 2015

Hard to believe it’s been 25 years since Rowan Atkinson first introduced the world to Mr. Bean. On Friday, Atkinson marked the show’s milestone anniversary in typical Mr. Bean fashion with a celebration at Buckingham Palace.

The hilarious British actor rode up to London’s most famous landmark in character atop his famous 1976 British Leyland Mini 1000.

Entertainment Weekly noted that the arrival of Mr. Bean recreated a memorable scene from the show, in which Mr. Bean packs his vehicle so full of shopping purchases that he needs to find an alternative way to drive it.

The lovable buffoon, created by the 60-year-old actor and Richard Curtis, took a trip around the capital in his lime green Mini, complete with an armchair strapped on. Mr. Bean’s best friend Teddy also came along for the ride.

The car had a #MrBean25 hashtag commemorating the show, which ran from 1990 to 1995. The show also inspired a spin-off animated series and two feature films.

According to the Chronicle, Mr. Bean said his plans for the celebration were simple.

“Well I’m just going to have a small birthday party. It’s just me and my friend Teddy.”

Rowan Atkinson, as Mr. Bean, also enjoyed a cake and presents for the occasion.

According to Wikipedia, Mr. Bean is based on a character originally developed by Atkinson while he was studying for his master’s degree at Oxford University.

The series followed the exploits of Mr. Bean, which has been 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.

“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.”

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.”

In 2012, Rowan Atkinson, as Mr. Bean, even made an appearance at the London Summer Olympics’ opening ceremony.

[Image via Twitter/Entertainment Weekly]

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