Rowan Atkinson to bring back Blackadder and Mr Bean after decades in new show

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To quote Blackadder’s Baldrick, it seems that Rowan Atkinson has a cunning plan in store for fans of the BBC sitcom – with the comedian bringing back a number of his beloved characters for a stage show.

The Johnny English actor, 71, is set to star in Rowan Live, a West End show which will see him revisit some of his most famous sketches and roles.

He’ll be teaming up with Blackadder co-writers Richard Curtis and Ben Elton once again for the show, as well as composer Howard Goodall, and will deliver just 30 performances.

“It is 40 years since I last did a comedy sketch show in the West End,” he said in a statement shared by The Guardian.

“I thought it would be fun to perform again the sketches that began it all for myself and [writer] Richard Curtis, and in which my most well-known characters originated, alongside some surprise new material written especially for this show.”

Atkinson also teased the show in a social media video, in which he was seen digging out his old costumes. From the constantly misfortunate Edmund Blackadder to teddy-obsessed Mr Bean and Gerald the Gorilla from Not the Nine O’Clock News, the comic revisited his classic characters before revealing that he would be performing at the Gillian Lynne Theatre from 8 February next year.

Atkinson first began working with Curtis and Goodall after meeting at Oxford University, where the group would regularly write and perform sketches. He made his TV debut in 1979 on sketch show Not the Nine O’Clock News alongside Pamela Stephenson, Mel Smith and Griff Rhys Jones, giving us memorable characters like his congregation-berating vicar and the surprisingly eloquent gorilla Gerald.

He went on to star in several series of sitcom Blackadder from 1983 until 1989, playing various descendants of the unlucky Edmund Blackadder during different periods of history. The show has been regularly cited as one of the best British sitcoms of all time and featured the likes of Tony Robinson, Tim McInnerny, Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry, Miranda Richardson and Miriam Margolyes.

For younger generations, Atkinson is best known for playing the bumbling Mr Bean in his ITV sitcom of the same name throughout the Nineties. The hit show inspired an animated spin-off, multiple feature films and even a cameo from Mr Bean during the 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony.

Atkinson’s stage show will mark the first time fans will have seen him as Blackadder since he reprised the role for a live theatre sketch in 2012. Meanwhile, Mr Bean last popped up in 2017 Chinese film Top Funny Comedian: The Movie, in which Atkinson made a cameo as the character.

Rowan Live will run from 8 February until 13 March at the Gillian Lynne Theatre in London.