Tag Archive: Rowan Atkinson

1. Banijay Rights FAST Sends Bean to Samsung TV Plus in the US and Canada

   26th August 2025 10:17 am Comments Off on Banijay Rights FAST Sends Bean to Samsung TV Plus in the US and Canada

   Banijay Rights, the global distribution arm of content powerhouse Banijay Entertainment, today announces the launch of its Mr Bean: The Animated Series FAST channel on Samsung TV Plus in the US and Canada.

   The 24/7 FAST (Free Ad-Supported Television) channel will roll-out on Samsung TV Plus comedy section on 27^th August, comprising all four seasons of Mr Bean: The Animated Series. The animation follows the antics of Mr Bean and of course Teddy, as they embark on a series of adventures, making plenty of mischief along the way.

   The launch, which follows the global roll-out of the Mr Bean FAST channel last year, marks the further expansion of the Mr Bean channel, with Mr Bean Animated and Live Action FAST channels now syndicated over 130 times, published across 37 different territories and on 12 platforms.

   Shaun Keeble, VP Digital, Banijay Rights, said: “Since launching in 2024, Mr Bean has been nothing short of a phenomenon in the FAST space. Taking Bean to Samsung TV Plus in the US and Canada further speaks to the enduring all-ages appeal of this iconic character and the brand’s ability to reach new audiences across all platforms.”

    Tom Beattie, MD Tiger Aspect Kids & Family/Series Producer, said: “Mr Bean is a true comedy legend who continues to be cherished by families across the world. Expanding this wonderful animated series in the US and Canadian FAST realm is testament to Bean’s universal appeal and we’re excited his antics will be enjoyed by a whole new viewership on Samsung TV Plus.”

   2025 marks 35 years since Mr Bean first hit screens. It has been broadcast in 200+ territories, with the series in continual distribution for 35 years. Co-created by Rowan Atkinson and Richard Curtis, the eponymous hero was played by Rowan Atkinson, who now voices the globally successful animated series. Mr Bean: The Animated Series launched in 2002. The brand also attracts significant digital audiences, with over 148 million followers on Facebook, making it the biggest TV and film brand on the platform; over 75 million subscribers and 19 billion lifetime views across official YouTube channels with the main Mr Bean Channel reaching 35 million subscribers on YouTube this month; 10 million followers on Instagram; and 11.5 million followers on TikTok.

   The fourth season of Mr Bean: The Animated Series premiered earlier this year in the UK on Boomerang and ITVX, and globally on Warner Bros. Discovery’s kids’ channels and streaming services through deals agreed by Banijay Rights. It is produced by Tiger Aspect Kids & Family (part of Banijay Kids & Family) and executive produced by Tom Beattie and Rowan Atkinson, who also provides the voice.

    Mr Bean: The Animated Series extended its UK presence with the launch of the latest series on ITV2 on 2^nd August.

2. Mr Bean Reaches 35 Million YouTube Followers in 35th Anniversary Year

   13th August 2025 10:07 am Comments Off on Mr Bean Reaches 35 Million YouTube Followers in 35th Anniversary Year

   Today, content powerhouse Banijay Entertainment reveals another milestone for the globally-loved Mr Bean – surpassing 35M subscribers on its main YouTube channel – as the brand marks 35 years on-air. In addition, Mr Bean: The Animated Series has extended its UK presence with the recent launch of the latest series on ITV2 this month, following its premiere earlier this year in the UK on ITVX and Boomerang.

   Cast your mind back…the year is 1990. The Hubble Space Telescope launches. Nelson Mandela is released from prison. East and West Germany are officially reunified. Madonna’s Vogue tops the charts. And Mr Bean lands on British screens. Immortalised by the comedic genius of Rowan Atkinson, Mr Bean premiered on ITV on 1 January 1990, watched by 13.45M viewers. Co-created by Rowan Atkinson and Richard Curtis, in the 35 years since, it has been in continual distribution, broadcast in 200+ territories. The original live-action series delivered some of the most iconic comedy moments of all time, and in addition to two successful feature films in 1997 and 2007, in 2002 it was successfully reimagined in animation form. Now, in 2025, Mr Bean is an internet sensation, accumulating nearly a quarter of a billion subscribers across social media platforms.

   Rowan Atkinson says: “You have to evolve and keep the changes coming to maintain relevancy. I quite like the fact we’ve taken Mr Bean from the theatre, where he started in the 1970’s, to live-action, films, animation and now YouTube! Generations enjoy the character equally – he’s a child trapped in a man’s body, and that’s always fun to watch.”

   The fourth season of Mr Bean: The Animated Series premiered earlier this year in the UK on ITVX and Boomerang, and globally on Warner Bros. Discovery’s kids’ channels and streaming services through deals agreed by Banijay Rights. It is produced by Tiger Aspect Kids & Family (part of Banijay Kids & Family) and executive produced by Tom Beattie and Rowan Atkinson, who also provides the voice.

   Mr Bean Facts

   • Only 14 live action episodes were ever produced
     • There are 182 episodes (and counting!) of the animated series
   • Nearly 250M subscribers across social media platforms
     • 35M subscribers on main YouTube channel
     • 75M subscribers across all 19 Mr Bean YouTube channels
     • 148M followers across Facebook – the 4th biggest page in the world
     • 10M followers on Instagram
     • 11.5M followers on TikTok
   • Over 130 syndications of Mr Bean animated and live-action FAST Channels
   • The series spawned two films, Bean: The Movie and Mr Bean’s Holiday
   • Original theme tune composed by Howard Goodall
     • The opening line ‘Ecce homo qui est faba’ translates to ‘Behold the man who is a bean’
     • Goodall also composed the music for the live-action and animated series and the two feature films
   • First existed as part of a sketch at the Oxford Playhouse in 1979
   • Mr Bean was once a contestant in Blind Date for a 1993 Comic Relief special
   • According to his passport, Mr Bean’s first name is Mr
   • Creators toyed with the name of the character – Mr Cauliflower and Mr White were both considered
   • Mr Bean is known and celebrated all around the world
     • Reimagined in street art form from Kochi to Penang
     • Mr Bean’s image was even created out of rice varieties in a paddy field in China
   • Several of the iconic Minis were used during filming – one is on display at the National Motor Museum

3. Bean is Back

   4th January 2024 9:30 am Comments Off on Bean is Back

   Tiger Aspect Kids & Family (a Banijay Kids & Family company), today announces its hit comedy, Mr Bean: The Animated Series, has been commissioned for a fourth run, in partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery and ITVX, through deals agreed by Banijay Rights.

   Executive produced and voiced by Rowan Atkinson, season 4 will comprise 52 x 11’ episodes, bringing the total number of episodes across all series to 182 x 11-minutes. It will air on Cartoonito and HBO Max across EMEA, on Warner Bros. Discovery’s kids channels and streaming services across South East Asia and South Asia, and on ITVX Kids in the UK and Eire from 2025, which will be the 35^th anniversary of the first live-action episode. The animation follows the antics of Mr Bean and of course Teddy, as they embark on a series of adventures, making plenty of mischief along the way.

   Rowan Atkinson says: “I have always enjoyed this iteration of the Mr Bean character and the particular freedoms he has in animated form. We can take him into space or down a tin mine, without me personally having to suffer the consequences. The animation process creatively is always fascinating and I’m looking forward to getting stuck into the new series very much.”

   Tom Beattie, MD Tiger Aspect Kids & Family/Series Producer says: “It’s a real pleasure to have the opportunity to go back to such a special series. Mr Bean is an iconic comedy legend and it’s an honour to work with Rowan to create this physically funny series.” 

   Cathy Payne, CEO Banijay Rights says: “One of the most loved characters in television comedy history, Mr Bean’s amusing escapades are cherished by children and families across the world. So we’re thrilled to continue our long-standing partnership with Warner Bros Discovery and ITV on this wonderful animated series which captures Bean’s world so brilliantly.”

   Zia Sands, Lead Content Acquisitions, Partnerships & Co-productions, KIDS, EMEA, Warner Bros Discovery says: “We’re thrilled to continue our long standing partnership with Mr Bean, making Cartoonito its home across EMEA  alongside our kids channels and streaming services in South and South-East Asia. Mr Bean’s comedy antics continue to resonate universally, and we are excited to bring our audiences more of what they love.”

   Darren Nartey, Senior Acquisitions Manager for Film and Kids at ITVX says: “We are so looking forward to welcoming back a British icon to ITVX Kids in 2025, and can’t wait to share more of Mr Bean’s unique sense of humour with the young and the young-at-heart.”

   Mr Bean is a British icon, with the original live-action series first hitting screens in 1990. It has since been broadcast in 195 territories, with the series in continual distribution for over 30 years. Co-created by Rowan Atkinson and Richard Curtis, the eponymous hero was played by Rowan Atkinson, who now voices the globally successful animated series, which launched in 2002. The brand also attracts significant digital audiences, with over 140 million followers on Meta, making it the biggest TV brand on the platform; over 72 million subscribers and 19 billion lifetime views across official YouTube channels; 10 million followers on Instagram; and 14.2 million likes on TikTok.

   Produced by Tiger Aspect Kids & Family (part of Banijay Kids & Family), MD Tom Beattie is Exec Producer along with Rowan Atkinson. Dave Osborne will direct the series, Arnold Widdowson is producer and the head writers are Ciaran Murtagh and Andrew Barnett Jones.

   Led by Benoît Di Sabatino, Banijay Kids & Family is part of media and entertainment powerhouse Banijay.

4. Mr Bean Lands in the Metaverse

   9th May 2022 12:15 pm Comments Off on Mr Bean Lands in the Metaverse

   Banijay, the largest independent content producer and distributor, today announces its first activation in the Metaverse with a Mr Bean NFT drop, in collaboration with intellectual property specialist, Metaverse architectsand leaders in the Web3 revolution; FOMO Lab.

    

   NFTs have captured the attention of millions, and now cultural icon Mr Bean is taking steps into the Metaverse with the help of FOMO Lab. Fans will be able to own Mr Bean digital assets and collectibles, inspired by the hit animated series. Available via FOMO Lab’s marketplace, The Avenue, the genesis Mr Bean NFT collection will be an assortment of 3,333 unique digital collectibles, purchasable from 25^th May using cryptocurrency Ether on FOMO Lab’s NFT marketplace, TheAvenue.market.

    

   By purchasing the Mr Bean digital collectibles, holders will also have access to phygital rewards, competitions and redeemables including a signed, unpublished hand-drawn still of Mr Bean from the first animated series. Further Mr Bean NFT drops with FOMO Lab are planned throughout 2022. Keep up to date by joining the official Discord channel.

    

   Mr Bean co-creator and actor Rowan Atkinson commented: “I think that this is a great idea. Any initiative which not only draws attention to but actually enables access to the fabulous artwork associated with the Mr Bean Animation series, I welcome with open arms.”

    

   Owain Walbyoff, Chief Commercial Officer, Banijay says: “Banijay has many exciting Metaverse projects to announce this year, as we continue to adopt new technologies to futureproof our brands. With his huge global following, Mr Bean is rightly taking his first steps into this space, and the combination of digital and physical rewards gives the NFT long term value for the lucky few who manage to purchase them.”

    

   Khalil Kassam, Co-Founder & Chief Business Officer, FOMO Lab added: “”FOMO Lab is the bridge between brands entering the Metaverse and NFT space and the Web3 Community changing the digital landscape forever, and we are delighted to partner with innovator Banijay to launch the official Mr Bean NFT collection, available via our marketplace The Avenue. We are continuously evolving our product offering, working closely with tier one brands, as well as the next generation of creators, relentlessly providing value to our community. It’s our mission to bring NFTs to a wide audience, with exclusive access to the latest and most sought-after products on the market.”

    

   One of Britain’s most famous comic creations of all time, Mr Bean, first appeared on screens in 1990, with the versatile performer Rowan Atkinson playing the hapless hero.  The show has now been in continual distribution for over 30 years, spawning a globally successful animated series voiced by Atkinson which launched in 2002. The brand attracts significant digital audiences, with over 129 million followers on Facebook, making it the biggest TV brand on the platform; nearly 50 million subscribers and 15 billion lifetime views across official YouTube channels; 8.7 million followers on Instagram; and 8.3 million likes on TikTok.

    

   FOMO Lab is spearheading the Web3 revolution, emerging as the gatekeeper of intellectual property by guiding and protecting brands as they enter the Metaverse and NFT space. FOMO Lab is the trusted partner of choice, with recent collaborations including road racing cyclist Mark Cavendish, MEFCC (Middle East and Film Comic Con), entrepreneur Roland Berger, and the heavyweight champion Tyson Fury alongside other tier one brands. The legacy NFT collection with Tyson Fury saw FOMO Lab achieving the highest bid in NFT boxing history, selling the 1-of-1 NFT for $987,000.

    

   FOMO Lab is creating an entire product suite which includes a multi-chain NFT marketplace, a staking ecosystem, FOMO Lab Launchpad, a revolutionary Metaverse platform with a ground-breaking mobile social application for NFT collectors, and many more products. The Avenue provides its holders with full control over their digital assets with over 3,000 users signed up, alongside an average visitor count exceeding 30,000 monthly. FOMO Lab is truly bringing NFTs to the masses, ensuring that NFT utility, Web3 and Metaverse applications are here to stay.

    

   Mr Bean: The Animated Series is produced by Tiger Aspect Kids and Family, part of Banijay Kids and Family.