The Conversation

Happy birthday, Mr Bean! Celebrating 30 years of a major comedy character

31-12-2019 Author: Benjamin Kooyman, Learning Adviser, Australian National University

Rowan Atkinson's character is as original as ever. ITV

January 1 1990, Mr Bean debuted on ITV to an audience of 13.45 million. The brainchild of Rowan Atkinson and Richard Curtis, the pilot episode marked the birth of a major comedy character.

Bean has become so familiar, so comfortably part of our pop-culture tapestry, that it’s easy to miss...

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