Rowan's Bean to the Palace | WTF: Weekly Trivia File

Rowan's Bean to the Palace

WTF: Weekly Trivia File

• 'In America, our comedy people, with some notable exceptions, have really out-sized egos. But in Britain, the guys just do the work and don't proclaim themselves in the same way, and their work is great.' Harry Shearer.

Rowan Atkinson turned heads in London today as he headed to Buckingham Palace, sat in a battered armchair atop his lime green Mini, to celebrate 25th anniversary of Mr Bean – who has sold 35 million DVDs and racked up 1.5 billion views on YouTube.

We're not saying the Jongleurs website isn't kept up to date, but this is the picture of Dara O Briain they're using on their front page…

• A Radio 4 producer got in touch with Elis James yesterday as the comic was travelling to Nicosia to watch Wales's Euro 2016 qualifier against Cyprus, asking if he could be interviewed later that night about his nation leapfrogging England in the Fifa World Rankings. James's reply, via Twitter, was certainly to the point: 'I will be shitfaced unfortunately.' And that was even before Gareth Bales propelled them to a 1-0 victory…

Jack Whitehall is fronting a series of ads for Samsung to tie in with the Rugby World cup. The comic plays the fool in six films as he's taught the rules of the game by the sport's heroes such as Martin Johnson and Lawrence Dallaglio. The company's marketing boss Russell Taylor said: 'There's a wonderful chemistry between the old players and this approachable comedian.' The electronics giant is not a sponsor of the World Cup, so the tournament is not mentioned, but does back the RFU.

• Hot news from the North Devon Journal! Micky Flanagan had a cream tea in Braunton on Wednesday. Read all abahrt it!

• Danny Baker has an answer for critics who complain about Peter Kay's odd accent in Cradle To Grave, the new BBC sitcom based on his memoirs. Regardless of whether it's an accurate reproduction of his dad's South London voice, Baker insisted: 'That's how his character talks.'

• There was a moment in Seymour Mace's Edinburgh-Comedy-Award-nominated show when he donned a Victorian nightgown and channeled the spirit of Scrooge to yell out the window of his first-floor venue: 'You! You there! What day is this?' – to the surprise if passers-by. But on the last day of the Fringe, there was a surprise waiting for the comic…

Patrick Kielty and Cat Deeley are expecting their first baby together. Deeler revealed the news on Twitter, writing: 'Exciting news… Paddy and I are so happy to be expecting our first child in the Spring….. Lucky us.'

• Student review website Arts Award Voice must have a filter to stop its writers swearing… why else would they describe Marney Godden's Edinburgh show as 'under-rehe****d'

• He was once the toast of X Factor… now Wagner can command fees of up to £20 for an advert. Working on a tight budget, Irish stand-up Alison Spittle paid that much to the Brazilian-born karate enthusiast and singer to record a promo for her show at the Tiger Dublin Fringe Festival. Marvel at the production values here:

• And sticking with videos, Mark Watson performed a gig in a toilet on Monday. Here's how it went:

• Tweets of the week

Published: 4 Sep 2015

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