Assignment # 3

Mr. Bean

Mr. Bean is a British comedy television series, starring Rowan Atkinson. The programme was produced by Tiger Television, later renamed Tiger Aspect productions (a company in which Atkinson has a stake), for Thames Television and originally shown on ITV. It is written by Atkinson, Robin Driscoll and Richard Curtis. The first episode was broadcast on 1 January 1990, with the final episode, "Goodnight, Mr. Bean," on 31 October 1995.

In the show, Atkinson plays a selfish, sometimes ingenious buffoon who frequently gets into hilarious situations due to his various schemes and contrivances.

The show relies upon physical comedy, with very little dialogue. It features Mr. Bean trying to undertake what would normally be considered simple tasks, such as going swimming, redecorating or taking an exam. One of his acts, most beloved by fans, is stuffing a turkey and getting it stuck on his head. The humour largely comes from his original solutions to any problems, and a total disregard for others when solving them.

Mr. Bean is the only significant character in the programme (save for Teddy, his lovable stuffed teddy bear). Other characters exist simply as foils for his various antics, and besides the star, there are only two recurring supporting characters; his sometime "girlfriend" Irma Gobb (played by Matilda Ziegler) and a light blue Reliant Regal Supervan (if such can be called a 'character', given that its driver always remains anonymous). However, Angus Deayton often appears alongside Atkinson in sketches as various one-off supporting characters.

The show's title sequence (used from the second episode onward) depicts Mr. Bean falling from the sky in a beam of light. Theories on the meaning of this have ranged from Mr. Bean's being an alien to his being an angel sent to Earth. More humourously, perhaps, as a character who is always having odd things happen to him, it could represent his return after an abduction. However, the producers of the show claim that it is intended to show his status as an ordinary man cast into the spotlight. Regardless of meaning, this is clear: Mr. Bean is alone in the world, is frequently childlike, and often seems unaware of basic aspects of the way the world works.