Mr Bean’s 25th Anniversary Sees Rowan Atkinson Riding Around London Atop His Famous Mini

It’s been a long time since we last saw Mr Bean, the hilarious character Atkinson himself described as a “a child in a grown man’s body”. But for the show’s 25th anniversary, the man himself brought Mr Bean — and his memorable Mini — out of retirement for a drive around London.

He was, of course, comfortably planted on the vehicle’s roof, complete with his custom-made, broom-powered driving rig.

There’s a little more to it than just celebrating Mr Bean’s enduring success — apparently it’s a (rather welcome) marketing stunt to raise awareness of the 25th anniversary DVD box set.

Well, I think it worked.

Here’s a description of event specifics, from the YouTube clip description:

Racing down the world-famous road, weaving in and out of St James’s Park and towards Buckingham Palace and a huge pile of birthday presents, this wouldn’t be the same classic comedy icon we all know and love without him getting involved in a series of driving mishaps (!).

Not only did he manage to get the date of his birthday wrong by a week, but he managed to cause havoc to tourists around St James’s Park Lake and close down the entirety of the Mall on his journey to receive his birthday gifts, delivered to Buckingham Palace itself.

And for those who’d like to see the original scene, here is is below:

[YouTube, via TV Tonight]