Mr. Bean facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mr. Bean |
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Original title card
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| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by | |
| Written by |
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| Directed by |
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| Starring | Rowan Atkinson |
| Composer(s) | Howard Goodall |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of episodes | 15 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Peter Bennett-Jones |
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| Running time | 29 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Tiger Aspect Productions |
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| Release | |
| Original network | ITV |
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| Original release | 1 January 1990 – 15 December 1995 |
| Chronology | |
| Followed by | Bean: The Ultimate Disaster Movie |
Mr. Bean is a super funny British comedy TV show. It has fourteen episodes, each about 25 minutes long. The main character, Mr. Bean, is played by Rowan Atkinson, who also helped write the show. Other writers included Robin Driscoll, Richard Curtis, and Ben Elton.
The very first episode aired on ITV in the UK on January 1, 1990. The last TV episode, "Goodnight Mr. Bean," was shown on October 31, 1995. There was also a final video episode, "Hair by Mr. Bean of London," released in November 1995. This episode wasn't shown in the UK until 2006.
Contents
Meet the Characters and Cool Props!
Mr. Bean
Mr. Bean is the main character and he's played by Rowan Atkinson. He acts a bit like a silly kid, always coming up with strange ways to do everyday things. He lives by himself and usually wears his famous tweed jacket and a skinny red tie. He also often has a digital calculator watch.
Mr. Bean doesn't talk much. When he does, it's usually just a few mumbled words in a funny, low voice. We never find out his first name (he just calls himself "Bean"). We also don't know what his job is, though in the first movie, he works as a guard at London's National Gallery.
Mr. Bean often seems confused by how the world works. The show is all about his attempts at simple tasks, like going swimming or watching TV. The humor comes from his weird (and often crazy) ways of solving problems. He doesn't care much about what others think when he's trying to fix things.
In some early episodes, Mr. Bean appears to fall from the sky in a beam of light. This made him seem a bit like an alien. In the Mr. Bean: The Animated Series, there's even an episode where he meets aliens who look just like him! It's never fully explained if he's an alien or not.
Irma Gobb
Irma Gobb is Mr. Bean's girlfriend, played by Matilda Ziegler. She appears in a few episodes. Mr. Bean doesn't always treat her very well. He seems to see her more as a friend than a girlfriend.
However, he does get jealous when she dances with another guy at a disco. She clearly expects him to ask her to marry him on Christmas Day. When he doesn't, she leaves him. But don't worry, she comes back in the animated series! We learn in a book that Bean met Irma Gobb at a library.
Teddy
Teddy is Mr. Bean's teddy bear and his best friend. He's a little brown bear with button eyes and sausage-shaped arms and legs. Even though Teddy isn't alive, Mr. Bean often pretends he is.
For example, Mr. Bean might hypnotize Teddy, and the bear's head will fall back as if it fell asleep. Mr. Bean treats Teddy like a real pet. He buys him Christmas presents and tries not to wake him up in the mornings. Teddy is often part of Mr. Bean's plans. He's been used as a paintbrush and even shrunk in the wash! Teddy also helped Mr. Bean win a pet show.
Teddy's look changed a bit over the years. At first, he had a smaller head. Later, his head got bigger, and Mr. Bean added gold thumbtacks for eyes. These were later replaced with two small white buttons.
After the show finished filming, Rowan Atkinson gave Teddy to a Teddy bear museum. Later, Teddy was sold at an auction for £180.
The Mini
Mr. Bean's car is a bright green 1977 British Leyland Mini 1000 Mark 4 with a matte black hood. This car is a big part of many funny scenes. Bean has driven it while sitting in an armchair on the roof! He even tried to avoid paying for parking by driving out through the entrance.
In the first episode, his car was orange, but it got crashed. Throughout the show, Bean locks his green Mini with a special bolt and padlock. He even takes the steering wheel off sometimes to stop thieves! In one episode, his Mini gets crushed by a tank. But don't worry, it magically reappears in later episodes!
Several green and black Minis were used for filming. Parts were often swapped between them. One of the original Minis was later sold to a museum in the United States. A replica of the Mini is now on display at the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu. Another replica is at the London Motor Museum.
The Mini also appeared in the Mr. Bean's Holiday movie. In that film, it was yellow instead of green. The Mini also shows up in Mr. Bean: The Animated Series. In 2015, Mr. Bean drove his Mini again in a special sketch for Comic Relief.
The Reliant
Since the very first episode, Mr. Bean has had a funny ongoing problem with a light-blue 1972 Reliant Regal Supervan III. Mr. Bean, usually without meaning to, often causes this three-wheeled car to tip over or crash. This became a funny running joke in the series.
In one episode, Mr. Bean is hitchhiking, and the Reliant stops for him. But Bean, recognizing the car, pretends not to see it until it drives away.
The Reliant also appears in Mr. Bean: The Animated Series. There, it's still often a victim of Mr. Bean's Mini. In one animated episode, the Reliant driver finally gets tired of Bean's antics and tries to get revenge!
Images for kids
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Reliant Regal in Mr. Bean
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Rowan Atkinson as Mr. Bean in 2007
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Statue of Mr. Bean in Leicester Square, London
See also
In Spanish: Mr. Bean para niños
