Rowan Atkinson to revive ‘Mr Bean’, ‘Blackadder’ sketches on West End stage

Rowan Atkinson will return to the West End next year with “Rowan Live”, a new stage show that revisits some of the sketches and characters that made him one of Britain’s best-known comedians.

The limited season will run at London’s Gillian Lynne Theatre from February 8 to March 13, bringing together material from “Mr Bean”, “Blackadder” and “Not the Nine O’Clock News”, alongside new sketches written with some of Atkinson’s long-time collaborators.

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The show marks Atkinson’s return to a West End comedy sketch show after four decades. He will reunite with writer Richard Curtis, with whom he created some of his earliest and most recognisable comedy, as well as “Blackadder” co-creator Ben Elton and composer Howard Goodall.

“It is forty years since I last did a comedy sketch show in the West End, and 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."

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Atkinson first performed on stage with Curtis in the 1970s, before their work together helped shape some of British television’s most enduring comedy. “Not the Nine O’Clock News” established Atkinson as a major comic performer, while “Blackadder” and “Mr Bean” later became defining parts of his career.

Curtis recalled first seeing Atkinson perform half a century ago and said the comedian’s distinctive stage presence remained intact.

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“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. 50 years later, this summer, we started putting this show together for a small audience, and all that magic, that unique accuracy and comic genius, is still there for all to see. It’s a joy and an honour for me to be part of a show that will feature the very best of Rowan on stage, all his voices, shapes, faces and characters. I hope it will make people very happy.”

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The show will be directed by Raz Shaw, with music by Goodall.

The production will draw on Atkinson’s established characters while introducing new material, giving audiences a chance to see the comedian return to the sketch-show format that helped launch his career.