Mr. Bean (animated TV series) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mr. Bean |
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Title card
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| Genre | Animated sitcom Comedy |
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| Composer(s) | Howard Goodall |
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| No. of series | 5 |
| No. of episodes | 130 (list of episodes) |
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| Running time | 11 minutes |
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| Original network | ITV (2002–2004) CITV (2004–present) |
| Audio format | Dolby Surround (2002) Dolby Digital (2003–present) |
| Original release | 5 January 2002 – present |
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| Related shows | Mr. Bean |
Mr. Bean (also known as Mr. Bean: The Animated Series) is an animated sitcom produced by Tiger Aspect Productions in association with Richard Purdum Productions and Varga Holdings (for the first three series). Based on the 1990–1995 British live-action television sitcom of the same name created by Richard Curtis and Rowan Atkinson, the series centres on Mr. Bean (voiced by the latter), Teddy, Irma Gobb and the Reliant Regal's mysterious driver, with the addition of new characters such as Bean's landlady Mrs. Wicket and her disobedient cat Scrapper. In February 2001, the series was officially announced, with it premiering shortly afterwards.
Debuting on 5 January 2002 and originally ending on 2 June 2004, three series and 52 episodes were broadcast, each consisting of two 11-minute segments. The first two series were originally broadcast on ITV1 at a prime time Saturday night slot. In May 2004, the series left ITV1 and the third series was instead broadcast daily on CITV due to the show's popularity with younger audiences (despite this, the series is still being aired on ITV1 during Scrambled!).
In January 2014, CITV announced a revival of the series with Rowan Atkinson returning as the voice of Mr. Bean, along with other cast members reprising their roles. The revival featured two series and 78 new episodes; the new episodes began airing from 16 February 2015. The revival contained more actual dialogue than in the original series, which mostly featured little sound effects and mumbling.
Contents
Characters
Main
- Mr. Bean (voiced by Rowan Atkinson) – The title character and main protagonist, a childish buffoon who brings various unusual schemes and contrivances to everyday tasks. He is almost always seen in his trademark tweed jacket and a skinny red tie. He also usually wears a 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. Atkinson has acknowledged that Bean "has a slightly alien aspect to him". In the 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. Towards the end, the aliens send him back home in a beam of light and music similar to the opening of the original live action series. Whether Bean is an extraterrestrial is not made clear.
- Teddy – Mr. Bean's teddy bear and lifelong best friend. Despite being an inanimate object, Bean pretends that Teddy is alive, much like in the original live action series.
- Mrs. Wicket (voiced by Sally Grace) – Mr. Bean's mean-spirited and elderly landlady who often despises Bean, though deep down, she does care about him. As a running gag, she screams out loud during bad situations, which often scares the birds outside the apartment. She also enjoys wrestling on television with her friend that occasionally drops by for tea. She served as an antagonist from Series 1, and becomes nicer, but still mean to Mr. Bean to Series 2 and onwards.
- Scrapper – Mrs. Wicket's mischievous one-eyed pet cat who despises Mr. Bean, much like his owner.
- Irma Gobb (voiced by Matilda Ziegler) – Mr. Bean's long-suffering girlfriend, just like she is in the live action series. From series 2-3 (Only flashback) onwards, Irma is frequently seen working at the library. Matilda Ziegler was also the actor for Irma Gobb in the original live action series.
- 1977 British Leyland Mini 1000 Mark 4 – Mr. Bean's vehicle, a citron-green Mini with a matte black bonnet. In the animated series, the registration number is "STE 952R" when in the original live action series the registration number is "SLW 287R". Throughout the sitcom, Bean keeps it locked with a bolt-latch and padlock rather than the lock fitted to the car, just like the running gag in the original live action series.
- 1972 Reliant Regal Supervan III – A light-blue, three-wheeled car that is always getting turned over or crashed out of its parking space by Mr. Bean in his Mini, who is usually oblivious to the results just like the running gag in the original live action series. In the animated series, the registration number is "DUW 742" when in the original live action series the registration number is "GRA 26K".
Supporting
- The Burglars – A duo of unnamed thieves (one stocky and the other small) who frequently commit crimes while in various disguises, but are nevertheless frequently defeated and arrested by the police, mainly when Mr. Bean is their victim or witness.
- The Bruisers – Mr. Bean and Mrs. Wicket's initially unnamed neighbours, a working class overweight family consisting of a father, mother, three spoiled children and a Doberman. While they do appear as a whole family in the episodes "Neighbourly Bean", "Scaredy Bean" and "Super Spy", the Bruisers appear as father and son in most episodes.
- Queen Elizabeth II – The queen regnant of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth, of whom Mr. Bean is a fan.
- The Traffic Warden – An unnamed parking enforcement officer who appeared previously in the original live action series episode "The Trouble with Mr. Bean". As her name implies, she does her job of locating and ticketing illegally-parked cars across London. Due to Mr. Bean habitually parking his Mini illegally, she promptly gets in his way, which puts Bean at odds with her. She is very committed at her duty, even to the point of ticketing a police vehicle once.
- The Librarian – He is the co-worker of Irma Gobb who also works at the library, seen from series 4 onwards.
- Lottie – Irma Gobb's teddy bear who looks identical to Teddy except she has eyelashes, a red bow and a skirt. She is portrayed as Teddy's girlfriend, but Mr. Bean disapproves of this relationship (with the exception of the episode "Double Trouble").
- Mrs. Wicket's Nephew - The unnamed nephew of Mrs. Wicket, who is sometimes seen at Mrs. Wicket's apartment playing video games under Mrs. Wicket's care, who is seen from Series 5 onwards.
- Mr. Pod – A man who is identical to Mr. Bean. Instead of having a Teddy, he has a toy penguin called Pengy. He also has a citron-green mini with a matte black bonnet. However, the registration number is "POD XT1" and the car is not locked with a bolt-latch and padlock attached to the door. He only appears in the episode "Double Trouble". Mr. Pod is not the only doppelgänger of Bean to appear in the episode; in it, Bean boards a spaceship and the inhabitants of the ship all look exactly like him.
- Declan – A friend of Irma Gobb, seen from series 5 onwards. He is also a rival of Mr. Bean when it comes to winning her heart.
Episodes
List of Mr. Bean (animated TV series) episodes
Video games
A third-person platform video game based on the series and titled Mr. Bean was released on 30 November 2007 on PAL for the PlayStation 2, later on 14 March 2008 for the Nintendo DS, on 20 February 2009 for the PC and 6 February 2009 for the Nintendo Wii (retitled as Mr Bean's Wacky World of Wii).
Two apps also based on the series have been released such as Mr. Bean: Around the World and Mr. Bean: Flying Teddy, which are both available globally on iOS, Android and Amazon mobile devices.
Movies
An animated CGI movie based on the Mr Bean character is in development.
