Hope for British Comedy lingers on

Comedy fans across the globe put aside their differences yesterday afternoon and celebrated the news that Rowan Atkinson's abomination of a character and series, Mr Bean, would not make a misguided return to British television.

Scenes like this one have been common.

The Oxford-educated actor told Radio 1's Newsbeat that he wanted the character to remain, 'timeless' and it is certainly true, that Mr Bean stands as a tragically immortal testament to just how low a truly gifted comedian will stoop to please idiots. Idiots who would otherwise have been equally thrilled by jangling car keys.

Atkinson has come under fire repeatedly for Mr Bean ever since its conception. Predominantly by people who ardently believe that comedy should be derived from jokes, rather than lingering shots of an inanely grinning psychopath with special needs failing to understand how revolving doors work.

The announcement that we will never again be forced to watch Atkinson humiliate himself comes at a time shortly after the release of the suspiciously similar Johnny English sequel. Described as a 'spy spoof', the original Johnny English was a masterpiece of failed gags, soporific plotting and career-murdering performances from all involved. But experts have confirmed that it did little to tarnish Atkinson's reputation any further than the catastrophic opening night of Mr Bean's Holiday in 2007, which still stands as the quickest executed and largest mass suicide pact in history.