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Rowan Atkinson

Date of birth: 06-01-1955

Born in Consett, near Durham, Rowan Atkinson was educated at Durham Choristers School, and St Bees School, before going on to study electrical engineering at Newcastle University and a master's degree at Queen's College, Oxford. There he performed sketches with the Oxford University Dramatic Society and the Experimental Theatre Club, where he met writer Richard Curtis.

He took part in various student revues at the Edinburgh Fringe from 1973 to 1977, followed by a revue in London's Hampstead Theatre in 1978 called Beyond A Joke.

That year, he was offered his own television series by ITV but turned it down in favour of Not the Nine O'Clock News, for which he also wrote many of the sketches.

His performance in the Secret Policeman's Ball Amnesty benefits in 1979 - where he was one of the most junior comics alongside the likes of John Cleese and Peter Cook - helped cement his reputation. And he returned for the Secret Policeman's Other Ball in 1981. That year, he also performed in revue with Richard Curtis at London's Globe Theatre.

His growing success led to his starring in the medieval sitcom The Black Adder, which he also co-wrote with Richard Curtis, in 1983. For the remaining three series (in 1985, 1978 and 1989), Ben Elton replaced Atkinson as co-writer.

Atkinson toured with Angus Deayton as his sidekick in 1986 and again in 1991. He also appeared at Montreal's Just For Laughs festival in 1987 and 1989. His stand-up shows were released in two albums: Live In Belfast in 1982, and Not Just A Pretty Face in 1987.

Also on stage, he performed in The Nerd in 1984-85 and in Chekov's The Sneeze in 1988-89, both at the Adwych Theatre in the West End. In 2009, he will return to the stage to play Fagin in the revival of Oliver!

Other than Blackadder, his most famous creation is Mr Bean, a silent nerdish character, a version of who first appeared in the live shows. A total of 18 half-hour specials were made for ITV between 1990 and 1995. A huge international hit, thanks to the comedy not depending on language, the character appeared in his own blockbuster movie in 1997 and a follow-up is due for release in 2007. An animated children's series was launched in 2002.

Atkinson's other film credits include The Tall Guy in 1989, a cameo as a vicar in 1994's Four Weddings And A Funeral, the voice of Zazu in The Lion King in 1994, spy spoof Johnny English in 2003, and Love Actually also in 2003.

He was also one of the founders of Comic Relief, appearing in the original 1986 live show and making various appearances in the telethons over the years. He also starred in the Ben Elton-penned police sitcom The Thin Blue Line in 1995-6.

Away from his work, Atkinson prefers a life out of the spotlight, living in a secluded manor house in Oxfordshire with his wife Sunetra, who he married in 1990, his two children, Lily and Benjamin, and large collection of cars.

Rare comedy archives to be released

Footage from Rowan Atkinson, Michael Palin, Stewart Lee and Richard Herring in their student days

Early comedy performances from the likes of Rowan Atkinson, Michael Palin and Stewart Lee and Richard Herring are to be made available for the first time in a new online ‘museum’.

The footage forms part of the new Oxford Comedy Archive, which aims to offer a definitive history of seven decades of shows from students from the university’s revue team and elsewhere

Curators say: ‘While it is widely known that Oxford has a substantial comedy heritage, exact details and significant historical context have never been available in one place before.

‘The archive will expose strange truths about many figures in British comedy - from a fist-fighting Simon Munnery to a rollerskating Ian Hislop to Richard Curtis's unwise bet with a chilli-pepper-wielding ice cream man.

‘The archive will also have a detailed and fully referenced written account telling the story of Oxford as a microcosm of British comedy - and crucially discussing whether the disproportionate cultural influence of Oxford is or was ever warranted.’

The archives – which go live at www.oxfordcomedyarchive.com on July 18 – will be supplemented by more than 11 hours of exclusive audio interviews with many of the people who were there, including Atkinson and Palin.

Chortle can today exclusively share some of the footage.

Here’s the earliest recorded comedy from Dudley Moore, from the 1958 Edinburgh Fringe show All For Money:

Here’s Michael Palin at the 1964 Fringe, when he worked with Terry Jones. The show directly inspired David Frost to team them up with John Cleese, Eric Idle and Graham Chapman, planting the seeds for Monty Python:

Here’s a 1978 sketch written by Richard Curtis, which was the prototype for the series Blackadder - even down to including the first known 'I have a cunning plan…’ line:

Here’s a clip from the Seven Raymonds from 1988 or 1989 featuring Lee and Herring alongside Emma Kennedy and others:

Other items in the archive will include extracts from the original release of Beyond The Fringe, featuring Moore alongside Peter Cook, Alan Bennet and Jonathan Miller; a number of 1979 Rowan Atkinson sketches, including never-released-before performances in the Oxford Playhouse show ‘Inferiors, and a 1981 stage performance of Radio Active, including Angus Deayton and featuring an appearance by parody group The Hee Bee Gee Bees.

The Oxford Comedy Archive is curated by Jack McMinn and Absana Rutherford and will launch with a comedy gig in Oxford’s Jericho Tavern on July 18.

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Published: 1 Jul 2024