For more than 30 years, Mr. Bean has delighted audiences around the world.
The brainchild of comedian Rowan Atkinson, the television sitcom followed a well-intentioned man-child as he turned simple everyday tasks into chaotic situations, often with hilarious consequences.
The lack of dialogue, and the leaning into physical comedy did wonders for the show’s worldwide popularity, proving that good humour never gets lost in translation or becomes irrelevant with time.
“There doesn’t seem to be a country in the world – or not that I have visited, or none that I have heard of – who don’t seem to get him, who don’t seem to understand and enjoy the character of Mr. Bean,” Rowan has previously said of his comedic creation.
Given its enduring success which has now expanded to two feature-length films – Bean (1997) and Mr Bean’s Holiday (2007) – and an animated series, one would imagine the original series ran for some time.
But believe it or not, over its five-year run from 1990 to 1995 only 14 episodes of the series were ever filmed, one of which was arguably the funniest of them all – Merry Christmas Mr. Bean.
The 25-minute-long festive-themed special follows the quirky character as he wreaks havoc with his childlike antics, and prepares himself for Christmas Day with his long-suffering girlfriend (portrayed by Matilda Ziegler) and his beloved best friend and companion Teddy.
From inconsiderate present shopping to accidentally pulling the plug on power to an entire department store, letting his imagination run wild in a nativity scene toy set, conducting a band, and the laugh-out-loud turkey on head incident (lest we say more), his on-screen antics will leave you laughing out loud from the start to the end.
Merry Christmas Mr. Bean is arguably one of the best if not the best, seasonal episodes to come out of global sitcoms, despite being released more than 30 years ago. In fact, when it first premiered in 1992, almost 18.5 million viewers tuned in for some hearty laughs in the United Kingdom alone.
It’s also a television special that has special memories for many. While some Aussies will tune into the carols, or watch classic Christmas movies like The Grinch Who Stole Christmas or Elf, it wouldn’t be Christmas to me, and my family without watching a turkey-headed suited man dither about in his kitchen.
While it’s certainly an untraditional festive tradition, there’s something sweet about watching the beloved character try his best to celebrate the silly season, and see the joy in everything – even when things go awry (which is basically all the time when you are Mr Bean).
If you haven’t had the pleasure of watching our beloved Bean-y bring new meaning to “dressing” his turkey and try his hand at holiday romance, now is the perfect time – seasons streaming!
Will Rowan Atkinson ever play Mr. Bean again?
Sadly for new and old fans alike, Rowan Atkinson has placed the world famous character into a semi-retirement of sorts.
Whilst the now 69-year-old has previously said he would never appear as the beloved character again, he has hinted that his live-action portrayal of Mr. Bean may one day return to screen.
“I wouldn’t like to do him for the rest of my life. But it’s fun doing him occasionally,” the actor has said.
Most recently during a November 2022 appearance on The Graham Norton Show, he admitted that he would “never say never” to a role reprisal, a huge cause of excitement for fans.
Where can I watch Mr Bean in Australia?
Whilst re-runs of Mr. Bean routinely air on free-to-air channels, the full series is available to stream on-demand on both BritBox and Prime Video.
Stream Mr Bean now on Prime Video with a 30-day free trial. Subscribe here.
