Rowan Atkinson: I'm too old to play Mr Bean again: Rowan Atkinson, 56, says goodbye to his bumbling character

'Getting on': Comedian Rowan Atkinson, pictured in Sydney yesterday, claims he's too old to play Mr Bean

He is Rowan Atkinson’s most commercially successful creation. However, Mr Bean is unlikely to appear on our screens again in any new adventures. Atkinson, 56, says he believes he is too old to play the bumbling character.

Mr Bean first blundered on to television in an ITV series which ran for five years from 1990.

Despite the derision of some critics, the programme proved a huge ratings success, with viewing figures of more than 18million.

The character proved such a draw – even in the notoriously difficult U.S. market – that two films were made of his exploits, Bean: The Ultimate Disaster Movie in 1997 and Mr Bean’s Holiday four year ago. www.mannastores.com