Mr. Bean

The first episode of the series, “Mr. Bean,” aired on January 1, 1990, on ITV, watched by 13 million British viewers. It follows Mr. Bean through three iconic sketches: the exam, the beach, and church. A landmark episode that laid the foundations for both the character and the series.

First broadcasts:
January 1, 1990 ITV - June 23, 1995 France 2

Written by:
Ben Elton, Richard Curtis & Rowan Atkinson

Cast:
Rowan Atkinson, Paul Bown, Rudolph Walker, Roger Sloman, Howard Goodall, Richard Briers

Episode 1

Sources : Casting IMDb - Audience mrbean.fandom - Broadcast INA - Filming locations Findthatlocation - Photo © Tiger Aspect Productions

The exam

In this episode, Mr. Bean, driving an orange Mini, is on his way to an exam. During the journey, he encounters a blue Reliant, which he overtakes at high speed. Unstable with its three wheels, the Reliant ends up on its side! (Dangerous)

Arriving in the exam room, Mr. Bean's tablemate asks him if he has revised well. He replies that he has focused mainly on trigonometry, while his neighbor has studied calculus. At this point, Mr. Bean mocks him, saying that calculus was last year's subject! (Mockingly)

This is when a battle of superiority begins between the two characters, where Mr. Bean wants to show off that he owns more pens than his neighbor. (Boastful)

As the exam begins, Mr. Bean realizes that the topic isn't the one he studied for. Completely lost by the questions he can't answer, Mr. Bean tries to cheat his neighbor as much as possible. Despite his outlandish schemes, he fails. (Cheater)

A few minutes before the end of the exam, the proctor explained that each student's exam paper had to be placed in one of two boxes. Green for calculations, white for trigonometry. (Desperate)

Mr. Bean then realizes that the envelope did indeed contain a trigonometry exam! He tries to answer the questions for the remaining two minutes, even going so far as to take his neighbor's pen! He is finally stopped by the invigilator who, furious, orders him to stop for the third time. (Disobedient)

Video

The beach

Mr. Bean then goes to the beach where he crosses paths with the blue Reliant again, which ends up in the grass, and crashes into another " To the beach " sign . (Dangerous)

Arriving at the beach, he decided to put on his swimsuit, but noticed someone sitting next to him on a sun lounger. Not wanting to undress in front of this man, he decided to come up with a plan: he put his swimsuit on over his trousers and tried his best to take his trousers off. (Clever!)

After a few awkward moments, Mr. Bean succeeds. Just then, the other person gets up to leave... with a white cane in hand! (Stupid)

Anecdotes

• This episode was filmed in the south of England around Brighton in 1989.

• There is no usual opening credits (sound and visuals).

• Mr. Bean doesn't drive his green and black Mini, but an orange model.

• Mr. Bean crashes into two signs with his Mini.

• Gag appearance of the Reliant x4.

• Roger Sloman (The Blind Man) plays the heart-stricken man in " Mr Bean Rides Again ".

The Mass

Mr. Bean goes to church. He takes the Reliant owner's parking space by ramming into his car. (Dangerous)

Sitting in the front row, he constantly draws attention to himself: he falls asleep on his neighbor, sneezes, and blows his nose in his suit pocket. Wanting to pass the time, Mr. Bean wants to eat a candy. Initially accommodating, his neighbor, Mr. Sprout, soon becomes annoyed by Bean's behavior. After a few mishaps, Bean manages to get his candy back, but faced with Sprout's suspicion, he makes a mistake. (Disrespectful)

Mr. Bean puts his candy back in the pocket... in which he had just blown his nose! (Stupid)

The story ends with Mr. Bean, still speeding, turning onto a one-way street. He loses control of his orange Mini, and there's an accident. The Reliant, being cautious, decides to turn right. For the first time in this episode, the Reliant emerges unscathed, unlike Mr. Bean and his Mini! (Dangerous)

Mr. Bean suitcase !

What secrets does Mr Bean's mysterious suitcase hold?
A creation concocted with a touch of artificial intelligence.