Recording 39, page 67
Exercise 10a You will hear an interview with Mr Atkinson – the famous Mr Bean. As you listen, add the missing information to the time line.
Host
Ladies and gentlemen, a very good evening to you all, and a very warm welcome to our live “Comics Unleashed” talk-and-interview show in which we host the funniest comedians to discuss everything from pop culture to entertainment, and more. Tonight, we’re hosting one of today’s top British comedians. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome – Mr Rowan Atkinson!
Applause
Host
Good evening, Mr Atkinson.
Host
Right. Before we begin, let’s watch a short video to show some of the milestones of your career. So, who is Rowan Atkinson?
(video playing)
Rowan Atkinson – British actor and comedian who delighted television and film audiences with his work on the sitcoms Blackadder and Mr. Bean…
Host
An amazing acting career!
Host
But let’s start with your early life, Mr Atkinson. When and where were you born?
Mr Atkinson
I was born on January 6, 1955, in Newcastle upon Tyne, in the north-east of England. I was the youngest of four brothers. My three older brothers are Paul, who died as an infant, Rodney and Rupert. My parents were quite wealthy Durham farmers, so we were well off and I was able to go to university. I studied at Newcastle University and Oxford University and earned a master’s degree in electrical engineering.
Host
So, you’re an electrical engineer by profession?
Host
Interesting. What were you like as a child?
Mr Atkinson
I was extremely shy because I suffered from a stammer. I was obsessed with all things electrical – I was always locked away in my room, making something electrical.
Host
What did you dream of becoming when you were a child? An actor?
Mr Atkinson
No, not at all. Becoming an actor was never my childhood dream. It seems the comedy and acting were almost an accident.
Host
And when did you start acting?
Mr Atkinson
I got my start performing sketches in a theatre club while studying at Oxford. My first important appearance on stage was at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1976. Soon, I started to entertain at theatre clubs and on comedy shows for BBC Radio 3. But my first major role was in the BBC sketch comedy show Not the Nine O’Clock News in 1979.
Host
The Not the Nine O’Clock News show was short-lived – it lasted only from 1979 to 1982 – but it showcased your comic talent, didn’t it?
Mr Atkinson
Yes, that’s true. The success of Not the Nine O’Clock News got me the lead role of Edmund Blackadder in Blackadder.
Host
What can you tell us about the Blackadder series?
Mr Atkinson
I co-wrote the series. The first series, called The Black Adder, is set in the medieval period, and was broadcast in 1983. After a three-year gap, in 1986, a second series – Blackadder II – followed, this time set in the Elizabethan era. The same pattern was repeated in the two more sequels: in 1987 Blackadder the Third, set in the Regency era, and in 1989 Blackadder Goes Forth, set in World War I.
Host
The series was extremely popular…
Mr Atkinson
Yes, it was a surprise hit…
Host
…super-smart, and not very mainstream. It soon achieved cult status.
Mr Atkinson
Yes, and television repeats continued throughout the Nineties.
Host
In a poll carried out by Channel 4, Edmund Blackadder was ranked third – behind Homer Simpson from The Simpsons and Basil Fawlty from Fawlty Towers – on their list of the 100 Greatest TV Characters.
Mr Atkinson
I’m flattered. I really liked playing Edmund Blackadder – a “lazy, big-nosed, rubber-faced bastard.”
Host
And then you brought your originally developed character Mr. Bean to television.
Mr Atkinson
Yes. Mr. Bean first appeared on New Year’s Day in 1990 on the television series of the same name.
Host
Several sequels to Mr. Bean appeared on television until 1995, right?
Mr Atkinson
Yes. The comedy series was so successful that it was, in 1997, adapted for a film called Bean.
Host
The film enjoyed wide success, didn’t it?
Host
And then a second film, a sequel, Mr. Bean’s Holiday, was released in 2007, and it also became an international success.
Mr Atkinson
Yes, it was very successful internationally, yes…
Host
Who is the hapless Mr. Bean? How would you describe the character?
Mr Atkinson
Mr. Bean rarely speaks, and when he does, it is usually only a few mumbled words which are in a comically low-pitched voice. His first name and profession, if any, are never mentioned. He’s a lonely man, really, just living his own self-centred life. He is childish, selfish, extremely competitive and performs everyday tasks in very unusual ways. Mr. Bean is essentially a 10-year-old child trapped in the body of a man. All cultures identify with children in a similar way, that’s why he has this bizarre global outreach.
Host
Some say that Mr. Bean has Asperger Syndrome, a mild form of autism, which makes it impossible for him to read social signals. Is this true?
Host
How did you create Mr. Bean? What was the main inspiration?
Mr Atkinson
There were several influences. My early comedy influences were Monty Python, especially the work of John Cleese. I think that he and I are quite different in our style and our approach, but certainly it was comedy I liked to watch. Another inspiration was Inspector Clouseau from The Pink Panther films – he influenced my characters Mr. Bean and Johnny English. But the main inspiration was probably the French comedian Jacques Tati and his character Monsieur Hulot.
Host
You’re best known for your use of physical comedy in your Mr. Bean persona, your other characters rely more on language. Emma Thompson, who plays the prime minister in Johnny English, has called you a modern-day Charlie Chaplin. How do you see yourself? How would you describe your comic style? You make people laugh without saying a word.
Mr Atkinson
Well, I don’t think about myself as being in the group of ‘the all-time greats’ of comedy history, like Chaplin. He really was the king of comedy, and he was certainly my inspiration, too. But the French comedian Jacques Tati was very important for Mr. Bean. I saw Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday when I was 17, and what I saw in that comedy movie really inspired me. I mean that idea of expressing yourself entirely visually rather than verbally was inspired by Jacques Tati as much as anything else.
Host
I see. And in 2012, you replayed your famous Mr. Bean character in a comedy sketch at the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympic Games in London.
Mr Atkinson
Yeah. I think people liked the performance.
Host
They sure did.
Well, it seems that Mr. Bean is a global phenomenon. In 2014, you also appeared as Mr. Bean in a TV advert for Snickers.
Mr Atkinson
Yes. I really enjoyed it.
Host
And here’s some more information about Mr. Bean’s popularity: In 2018, you – as Mr. Bean – received YouTube’s Diamond Play Button for your channel surpassing 10 million subscribers on the video platform.
And Mr. Bean is also among the most-followed Facebook pages with 94 million followers in July 2020, more than the likes of Rihanna, Manchester United or Harry Potter.
Mr Atkinson
So much praise makes me feel uncomfortable…
Host
You are adored by millions… Mr Atkinson, some years ago, you were listed in The Observer as one of the 50 funniest actors in British comedy, and among the top 50 comedians ever. You make so many people laugh, but what are you like in real life?
Mr Atkinson
People think because I can make them laugh on the stage, I’ll be able to make them laugh in person. That isn’t the case at all. I am a rather quiet, dull person who just happens to be a performer.
Host
In closing, something about your private life – marriage and children.
Host
In 1990, you married Sunetra Sastry, and you have two children, Ben and Lily.
Mr Atkinson
Yes. Unfortunately, we got divorced in 2015. In 2017, I became a father for the third time, this time with comedian Louise Ford.
Host
I see. And what do you do when you’re not working?
Mr Atkinson
I spend time with Louise and the children. And I’m a big car fan. I write articles for CAR, which is a British car magazine.
Host
And you own six or seven fast cars, don’t you? Are you a car collector?
Mr Atkinson
Well, yes, I do have several fast cars, but I’m not a car collector. I don’t think my hobby should be about showing off.
Host
Thank you very much, Mr Atkinson, for the remarkable interview.
Mr Atkinson
Thank you for having me on the show.
