![\"Rowan](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/rowan-atkinson-for-new-stage-show-rowan-live.jpg\")
<\/p>\nRowan Atkinson is set to revive Mr Bean and Blackadder after a decades-long hiatus.<\/p>\n
The 71-year-old comedian will reprise the two iconic characters, along with others from his career, in a new West End show, Rowan Live.<\/p>\n
Mr Atkinson will perform both past sketches and new material in the show, which will have a limited run of 30 performances.<\/p>\n
In a statement, he said: “It is 40 years since I last did a comedy sketch show in the West End.<\/p>\n
“I thought it would be fun to perform again the sketches that began it all for myself and Richard Curtis, and in which my most well-known characters originated, alongside some surprise new material written especially for this show.”<\/p>\n
The performer will also again collaborate with Blackadder writer Ben Elton and its composer Howard Goodall.<\/p>\n
Mr Curtis created comedy stage shows with Mr Atkinson and Mr Goodall at Oxford University before all three of their careers took off with satirical series Not the Nine O’Clock News.<\/p>\n
Mr Atkinson’s mostly nonverbal character of Mr Bean brought him further success in both TV and film in the 90s, leading to an animated iteration.<\/p>\n
Rowan Atkinson will perform his most iconic sketches and has teased ‘some surprise new material written especially for this show’<\/p>\n
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The Four Weddings and a Funeral writer said of the new show: “I first saw Rowan perform on stage in 1976, 50 years ago – and it was instantly clear to all of us that we were watching a unique, once in a lifetime talent.<\/p>\n
“Fifty years later, this summer, we started putting this show together in front of a small audience, and all that magic, that unique accuracy and comic genius is still there for all to see.<\/p>\n
“It’s such a joy and honour for me to be part of a show that will include the very best of Rowan on stage – all his voices, shapes, faces and characters. I hope it will make people very happy.”<\/p>\n
A new Blackadder sketch was performed in 2012 at the Royal Albert Hall in a Prince’s Trust gala event, this time focused on the global financial crisis.<\/p>\n
![\"Rowan](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/rowan-atkinson.jpg\")
Mr Atkinson last appeared on the West in 2013 in a production of the Quartermaine’s Terms<\/p>\n
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Blackadder appeared as the chief executive of a bank, while co-star Tony Robinson appeared as his gardener.<\/p>\n
Mr Atkinson last appeared on the West End in 2013 in a production of the Quartermaine’s Terms in the titular role.<\/p>\n
He also received an Olivier nomination for his role as Fagin in Oliver! in 2009.<\/p>\n
Promotional material from the show features the Johnny English performer pulling out a priest vestment, his iconic Mr Bean suit, a gorilla mask, and Blackadder’s Elizabethan garbs from a chest.<\/p>\n
![\"Richard](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/richard-curtis.jpg\")
Richard Curtis said it has been 50 years since he first saw Mr Atkinson on stage<\/p>\n
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The gorilla mask nods to the sketch from Not the Nine O’Clock News, where Mr Atkinson played Gerald the gorilla.<\/p>\n
A professor, played by Mel Smith, says the animal was “completely wild” when they captured it. “Wild?” retorts Gerald. “I was absolutely livid!”<\/p>\n
The vestments reference his routine as a priest, who recounts how Jesus’s miracles led him into a career as a magician.<\/p>\n
Rowan Live will be directed by Raz Shaw and runs at the Gillian Lynne Theatre from February 8 to March 13. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Rowan Atkinson is set to revive Mr Bean and Blackadder after a decades-long hiatus. The 71-year-old comedian will…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":794663,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[830,96,59,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-794662","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-celebrity","tag-entertainment","tag-gb","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/794662","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=794662"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/794662\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/794663"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=794662"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=794662"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=794662"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}