Rowan Atkinson At His Absolute Funniest

What happens when you have the most recognisable face on earth, but people still don't believe it's actually you? I went into a bank and I handed over the cheque and she said thank you, and she said oh Mr. Atkinson, I'm such an admirer of your work, could you sign this piece of paper for my daughter? So I signed the piece of paper and I handed it back, and she looked at my cheque and she said now, do you have any means of identification? And you think well... Not often you see Mr. Bean get a taste of his own medicine, but when he misplaced his personal diary, the host literally blackmails Bean for his own diary. It says here on page one, if I have been silly enough to mislay this diary, please return it to Mr. Bean, and P.S., a five pound reward would certainly not be out of the question. You owe me five pounds, if you want it. So, the girl who was serving me the hamburger, I was just taking it, and there was a girl working next to her. And she suddenly turned to the girl next to her, and I was literally two feet away, and she said very loudly, is this Rowan Atkinson? And the other girl looked and said, nah, no. I said oh, I didn't think it was. I mean people do know you, and they come up and they say, you know, I like people who shout at you from across the street. It's the, hey, give us a fist, Rowan. But how did this man become a global comedy icon? It all started in front of a bathroom mirror. The mugging, the pulling of faces in Bean, I mean, did you do that as a routine? Was that part of it? Yeah, that started when I was, yeah, when I went to university at Oxford, really, that's when I started doing entirely visual stuff. I remember, you know, standing in front of a bathroom mirror and just sort of gurning. And it was, you know, just sort of going, you know. You know, just suddenly, you know, very extreme. Your face has your greatest asset, your facial dexterity. You know, one doesn't like to be labelled a face puller. You feel as though if you have got a face that, you know, the man will go like that. That you feel that people are going to assume that you're just, you know, that's all you can do. And if in doubt, go, you know, and someone will love you. But the character we all love almost had a very different name. Atkinson and his producers were staring at vegetables for inspiration. I remember at our producer's house one day and trying to think of a name. And we started with Mr. White. I like the idea of the series being named after the character. And he was obviously a mister, so Mr. White. But that sounded a bit bland. And then we started to think about, you know, vegetables and went looking for a comic attitude. So Mr. Broccoli and Mr. Carrot and Mr. Cabbage and Mr. Bean. You know, yeah, it's sort of, you know, single syllable and short and sharp. His face is iconic, but his body language is legendary. Like the legendary 50th anniversary stunt where he drove his bright green mini from an armchair strapped to the roof. But Atkinson doesn't just do physical comedy on set. He brings it to the press tours too. Like the time a Danish host just wanted to know how his flight went. How did your flight go? Oh, it was fine, thank you. Good. What brings you to Copenhagen? Got a bit of a squeaky chair. Yeah, right. OK. Mind if we swap? Oh dear, I seem to be stuck. No, no, just joking. You've got some very squeaky chairs in here. Well, could we get another chair, please? Can we have another chair, please? Is that all right? Well, it's a bit pathetic, actually, but I suppose it'll have to do. Actually, it's quite nice, isn't it? And if you dare challenge him, he will humble you on national television. Just ask Conan O'Brien. Mr. Bean. What's your what? Mr. Bean shaving. I'm going to put you on the spot here. Yes, OK. Yeah, it's in the movie. This is how Mr. Bean shaves. OK, ready? One trim. I'm going to cover all bases. He's famous for silly faces, but Atkinson is a genius writer who loves roasting Hollywood egos. Just watch him play the ultimate sore loser. Now, these are four fine actors, and I'm sure they'd all agree that the point is not to win, but to play the game. The winner is... John Daniels! Oh, ----. Unfortunately, John is unable to be with us tonight, and so I'd like to ask his co-star David Forbert to accept the award on his behalf. David. Or the time a fan in a Land Rover shop refused to believe he was actually the actor. Excuse me. Has anyone ever told you that you're the absolute spittin' image of that Mr. Bean? Well, actually, I am the actor who plays Mr. Bean. And he said, I bet you wish you were. It was a bizarre conversation, in which the more I tried to claim that I was the co-star, the more he thought I merely resembled him, the less he believed me. So I thought of doing any, um, you know, look-alike work, like, uh, you know, Stag Nights and Head Nights. You know, anything that goes along with Mr. Bean. And I said, I'm getting a small glass of water. He even performed stand-up for Prince Charles, and decided to play the devil. I am the devil. Good evening. But you can call me Toby. We try to keep things informal here, as well as infernal. That's just my little joke. You're all here for eternity. Murderers, over here, please. Thank you very much, indeed. Looters and pillagers, over here, please. Thieves, if you could join us. And lawyers, you're it. And when it comes to romance, The first crucial step is having arranged to pick up your date, and not to look like a complete idiot when she opens the door. Your turn. And when you pair him with another comedy legend like John Cleese, the results are timeless. Good evening, Mr. Kornberg. Good evening. Tell me, what first interested you in the B-World, Mr. Kornberg? Well, um, even as a child, I used to... Shh. I'm sorry, shouldn't I have said that? No, of course you shouldn't. Pay no attention, please. When I say, shh, it's just a nervous mannerism I picked up. If, uh, if I want you to keep quiet, I will say, shh, shh. You were saying? And so I have grown to love the little, uh... Shh. ...creatures. I mean, nature really has produced a little masterpiece in the life... Quack! I'm so sorry. I'm afraid that's a reflex action, too. I squawk whenever someone mentions the word life. Quack! You see, even when I mention it myself. Well, um, the bees, as you know, are divided into different categories. Shh. Things had gone slightly differently. You know, if I hadn't decided to take that plunge and write to those agents and take it seriously, and whether I'd be in some small research laboratory near Swindon doing amateur dramatics every... From bathroom mirrors to iconic sketches, Rowan Atkinson is a once-in-a-generation talent. He proves the loudest laughs don't need a single word. So I normally stay till the end as well.