Beans for Breakfast

The obnoxious yet rib-tickling antics of Mr.Bean (Rowan Atkinson) are a hot favourite with young and old junta alike. Bean needs no introduction. He is the lovable (tho some people may strongly disagree) character with a single digit IQ and the capability to make facial expressions which would put even Jim Carrey to shame. Here’s a complete lowdown on the person who has given British comedy an altogether new meaning:

The character of Mr.Bean is conceived and played by Rowan Atkinson. Rowan Atkinson was born in Newcastle in 1955. He attended Newcastle University before going to Oxford (!?!) in 1975. He began his career as a writer and performer at the Hampstead Theater in 1978. He was later offered starring roles in two British television series, but chose instead to join the BBC's legendary "Not The Nine O'Clock News" team for which he won the "British Academy Award" and was named "BBC Personality of the Year."

Atkinson has also played a British counsel opposite Sean Connery in the James Bond film "Never Say Never Again". He was most recently seen in Nicholas Roeg's "The Witches" alongside Angelica Houston, in which he is (believe it or not) cast a villain. He has also appeared in some big films (Four Weddings and a Funeral, The Lion King), as the typical "boring Englishman". But he is most fondly recognized as Mr.Bean in the television serial and the film by the same name.

In his leisure time, he rides go-karts around his tennis courts, owns various fast cars and writes for CAR, a British car magazine.

Bean on TV. The most probable place where u’ll catch this incredible guy is the TV serial Mr.Bean being aired on ‘Star World’ (Mondays 9.30 p.m.). It is characterized by the most absurd title song and the cheapest (read best) toilet humour . The most amazing part is that the guy rarely speaks, but when he does it’s really hilarious. A lot of the better comedy sequences in the recent Hindi films have been directly dhapofied from one or the other episode of this amazing show. The famous scene in ‘Hero No.1’ in which Govinda changes his clothes while driving his car is a direct rip off from one of the many mind-blowing episodes. The only thing u can complain about in the whole show is the absolutely trash laughter track which is almost continuous. Apart from this, Mr.Bean is probably the only show (currently on TV) which can guarantee a stomach ache.

Bean - the movie. The movie is based on the concept of mistaken identity. It revolves around Bean who is mistaken as an art expert by a painter and who invites him to review a very expensive painting. As expected, Bean screws up everything. Besides the usual toilet humour, the movie also features some emotional scenes and a 10 minute long speech by the Bean himself.

Bean on the net. Bean is a cult figure around the world. There are a number of sites dedicated to the character and the man behind them. Here’s a review of some of the good ones:

www.prairienet.org/~hellox/mrbean.html : This site features exhaustive information on the befuddling Bean, complete with pictures, sounds, themes and more. You can download an autographed photo of the man and also engage in a live chat about the man and the character he symbolizes. The site has a few .wav files taken from his shows. Bean – a man of few words (infact few everything) hardly speaks which makes these .wav files rare gems.

You can also buy Bean merchandise online including Bean mugs, T-shirts, CDs, etc.

The site also has a whole lot of links to other Bean sites in case your ‘dil maange’s more’.

www.dsv.su.se/~mats-bjo/bean/bean.html : This site features the famous Report card of Bean. There are also a few photos and links worth checking out.

www.astrelwerks.net/nikole/bean.htm : Check out the purity test and find out how successfully you have been able to elude the Bean.

Like it or not, Bean is here to stay. The man who has carved a niche for himself and created an industry of his own is a hero of sorts. As a leading weekly suggests ‘You may like him, you may spike him, but you just can’t ignore him’ – that’s Bean.

Compiled by Rajat Kohli (rajatkohli@hotmail.com.)