...so he could enjoy holidays there without being recognised

He created a global comedy icon that has netted him millions, but Rowan Atkinson says he got Mr Bean banned in Italy so he could still enjoy his holidays there.

Speaking to Graham Norton on his BBC One chat show due to air tonight, the comic said: ‘Back in the 90s, pre-internet, when TV programmes were distributed around the world, I saw the opportunity to stop it being seen in Italy because I liked Italy and wanted to go there on holiday without people recognising me.  

‘It worked really well and no one had the slightest idea who I was.’

According to the Mr Bean wiki page on Fandom, the second episode of Mr Bean aired in Italy in 1997 – seven years after it launched in the UK.

The comedian also repeated comments he made earlier in the week about his latest character, Trevor Bingley, being more empathetic than his most famous characters. Bingley debuted in Man Vs Bee on Netflix in 2022 and is back for Man Vs Baby.

Atkinson told Norton: ‘I feel sorry for him.  He’s not so psychopathic as he was in Bee and is a genuinely sweet man, which is rare in the characters I have played.  

‘I think Mr Bean is a selfish, self-centred anarchic child.  He looks after number one and is quite charmless. Blackadder is humorous but sarcastic, sardonic, and negative. And, even Johnny English is vain and doesn’t care about anyone else. 

‘So, I think Trevor is a pleasant contrast to this catalogue of people you wouldn’t want to have dinner with.’ 

When asked about not watching himself on screen, Atkinson adds: ‘It is by design, but I sometimes see things accidentally.  I was on a plane once, and they were showing the last series of Blackadder.  I had never seen it before, so I watched it and it was quite good.  I was surprised how good it was.’ 

The Graham Norton Show is on BBC One and iPlayer from 10.40pm. The other guests are Emma Thompson, Timothée Chalamet and former Vogue editor Edward Enninful  with music from Jade.

Published: 12 Dec 2025