Do the English Really Like Mr. Bean? | Easy English 95

Hello, welcome to Easy English.

So with two films, an animated  series and fifteen episodes,

Mr. Bean is one of the most  popular British characters.

But what do Brits think about him?

I'm on Brighton beach to find out, here we go.

Do you like Mr. Bean? - I like Mr. Bean.

Do you like him? - I like  Mr. Bean ‘cos there is a…

there's a certain Britishness about it.

What are your thoughts on Mr. Bean?  - I think he’s typically English.

Right. - I like Mr. Bean.  Do you? - Yeah, he’s funny.

He's funny. - He’s funny? - Yeah. - In what way?

Why is he so funny? - ‘Cos he does daft things.

I think he’s a bit too silly. - Too silly?

Too silly; it doesn’t appeal  to me, that sort of, humour.

My opinion on Mr. Bean is that  one; the person that plays him;

Rowan Atkinson, is a fantastic  character actor. - Yes.

And, I think that he therefore, plays  Mr. Bean in a very irritating way.

What are your thoughts on Mr. Bean?

Yeah, I'd like to meet Mr. Bean,  he is a very interesting character.

You’d actually like to meet Mr. Bean? - I'd like…

I’d like to meet the… yeah,  not the actor, but Mr. Bean.

Yeah, I might spend a day with him,  I think it’d be quite interesting.

He’s a good, funny character. - Yeah?

Yeah, erm… I like his stuff  from back in the 90’s. - Yeah.

Good comedy, even though he  didn't actually use many words,

it was all, more gestures.

How about you, what's your thoughts on Mr Bean?

In some circumstances, it's quite funny because

there are characters out there  like that, in the real world.

How about you, what… what  d’you think about Mr. Bean?

I think Mr. Bean is very inventive and erm… funny.

I like the way he… he builds rou… he builds round…

he builds round problems in  funny ways and… weird ways.

What are your thoughts on Mr. Bean?

Very little, because I really don't  know Rowan Atkinson as Mr. Bean,

I know him more in ''Blackadder'',  in some of the films he's done.

But I'm afraid, I'm probably too old  to have really got into Mr. Bean.

I see, okay. I'll come back to that, actually.

And, what… what are your thoughts on Mr. Bean?

I'm very negative about Mr. Bean. - Right.

‘Cos I… well I… I haven’t watched many programmes,

I think I’ve probably seen, not a whole one,

perhaps part of one, but I  found it quite offensive.

And erm… I thought there was something about…

it was being quite insulting to  people who maybe are autistic.

And it… that comes across to me,  as what Mr. Bean seems like to me.

Interesting.

In terms of his character; do you think this is,

in any way reflective on… of British people?

Erm… in some senses, it is  reflective of British people.

Yeah? In what sense? - Well, he’s very erm…

he’s blasé and very sort  of… he bumbles about a bit.

You know, I’m not too sure. He… he… I dunno.

He just… he’s a funny, weird looking character

and most English people are  funny, weird looking people.

Do you think his character  reflects British people accurately?

A little bit, yeah. We're not  all like that though are we,

I don’t think. - No? - He’s quite eccentric.

I’d describe him as eccentric. - right, okay.

Which is quite a British trait, really.

I think he embodies what it  means to be British, in a way.

Aw… a bit awkward, a bit  matter of fact, a bit kind of,

simple in approach to life. - Yeah.

And, I think that's what people like about him,

that's what I like about him.

I think it’s a caricature of  English… of some English people.

Right. - Not all of them, thankfully.

Certainly not me, because I'm Welsh, so.

But er… no, I think I… I think he  does a great caricature. - Yeah.

But no, it's not the norm for an  English person to behave like Mr. Bean.

I don't know about that one  really. - Are we silly people?

I don't think so. Well, we  can have our moments, I think.

Like most peop… like most human beings, I suppose.

You know, we… we can’t always be sensible, can we?

You say he is very British,

but then is the comedy of the actual show,

would you say it reflects kind of, British humour?

Yeah, massively. I think… I  think it’s... how to describe it.

It’s… it's self deprecating in a way, it's ironic,

it’s laughing at somebody’s misfortune,

which I think is very… a very British thing to do.

Do you think Mr. Bean reflects British humour?

Definitely. - Yeah, definitely. -  Definitely, I don't think… well,

I say British, I’m comparing to  like, American humour or something.

I don't think they’d get him. - Yeah, same.

Wha… and what is it like, how does it reflect it?

Are we silly? - stupidity. -  yeah, stupidity. We find it funny.

Do you think he reflects British humour?

I think so, ‘cos he erm… he sort of,

erm… as you say, it's quite inventive.

I think Brits can be quite inventive  and he doesn't laugh at himself,

but I don't think he takes himself too seriously

when there’s the episode, when  he puts to Turkey on his head

and he gets the Turkey stuck  on his head and he sort of,

I think he can see the funny side, yes.

He’s got that self-deprecating humour.

That’s right, which Brits have, yeah.

Is there something else that  you would recommend people watch

if they were to get a better…  like, a Rowan Atkinson that is…

Oh, the… any ''Blackadder''. - ''Blackadder''.

Any… any ''Blackadder''.

Like my wife, I… I think I prefer  Rowan Atkinson in his other roles;

''Blackadder'' erm… and er… and…  that was very good, I think.

And certainly, when they  were in the First World War.

They… they… I think they were  treading on dangerous ground there,

in some respect. Because it was  such a serious, sad subject.

But I think they handled it quite well,

very good writing and really quite funny.

What is it about ''Blackadder''  that maybe makes it a bit more er…

relevant or interesting to you, over Mr. Bean?

Well certainly the first series of ''Blackadder'',

it was much more like Mr. Bean,

from the one or two short  things I've seen of Mr. Bean.

Right. - But the second,  third and fourth one were,

I thought, really good. Well, the writers changed,

it was much cleverer when he morphs.

‘Cos was in the first one, he's  the idiot. - Right, yeah… oh yeah.

And Baldrick is the clever one  and then the second and third one,

it turns around; Baldrick is the… the patsy,

the fall guy and Blackadder is the scheming,

trying to make a fast buck,  trying to get the better of the…

the richer, more powerful people.

It’s the little man trying to make good,

which is… you know, it’s  got good history and humour.

Yeah, I was gonna say, there’s a bit more…

I like the fact it’s, you could  almost, not learn from it,

but it is kind of, relevant  to British history, right?

Yeah. - Would you… is there… because it's like,

a lineage of Blackadder’s, right?

Is there a specific series that you prefer like,

the Richard III one, the Elizab…  Queen Elizabeth, the First World War?

I like the regency one. - Right, okay.

I think that’s particularly  good. And the last few of the…

the First World War, because  I remember watching the last…

very last episode; I was in  tears, it was such a shock,

it was a real… I'm not… nobody  could have handled it better,

I don't think. It was just (a) very sad ending,

but the the correct ending,  it really was very good.

And would you then, last question,

say that he (Mr. Bean) is still relevant?

Oh yeah, I think so yeah. In.. in  an exaggerated way, yeah. - Yeah.

Yes, I think so. It makes people  laugh and that's always relevant,

isn’t it? - Nicely said. -  It’s a good thing to have,

someone who makes you laugh. - Perfect.

Thanks for watching this week's episode.

Let us know in the comments  below, your thoughts on Mr. Bean.

And we'll see you next week, bye.