(Photo: Getty Images)
Rowan Atkinson returns this week in Man vs. Bee, a new Netflix comedy series about a house sitter who finds himself locked in conflict with a persistent buzzing insect. We can just imagine the pratfalls already! To celebrate Atkinson's return to the screen, we're making him our British Icon of the Week. 
Here are 10 reasons why he's become a firm favorite since launching his career in the late 1970s.
1. He's, well, Mr. Bean.
Atkinson devised his lovably bumbling Mr. Bean character while studying at Oxford University. He's the ideal vehicle for Atkinson's hilarious facial expressions and physical comedy prowess. Alongside Richard Curtis, he co-created the globally popular 1990s TV series of the same name, then starred in two movies, including 1997's Bean and 2007's Mr. Bean's Holiday. These days, Atkinson doesn't appear as Mr. Bean quite so often, but you can still hear him in Mr. Bean: The Animated Series.

2. He's also Blackadder.
Atkinson and Curtis also created this super-popular historical sitcom, which is often voted one of the U.K.'s best ever. In four different eras of British history – medieval times, Queen Elizabeth I's reign, the Regency period, and World War I – Atkinson stars as the scheming social climber Edmund Blackadder. Each season is packed with laughs, but we especially love seeing Blackadder having to rub shoulders with Hugh Laurie's dimwitted Prince Regent in Blackadder the Third. 

3. He starred in another, rather underrated sitcom.
In the mid-1990s, Atkinson appeared opposite Killing Eve favorite David Haig in The Thin Blue Line, a BBC sitcom set in a small town police station. He is perfectly cast as pompous Inspector Fowler, a stickler for the rules who's always butting heads with Haig's edgier detective, Grim. In the U.S., you can check out episodes of The Thin Blue Line over on BritBox.

4. He's also Johnny English.
This movie franchise – to date, there have been three installments – combines Mr. Bean-style physical comedy with an affectionate spoof of the James Bond franchise. No wonder it's been a big hit worldwide. And in 2018's Johnny English Reborn, Atkinson even persuaded Emma Thompson to co-star as Prime Minister.

5. He's a fabulous raconteur.
In this clip from The Graham Norton Show, Atkinson recalls the time a stranger told him he was "the absolute spitting image of Mr. Bean." The more Atkinson tried to persuade him he really is the actor who plays Bean, the less convinced the man became. The way Atkinson tells it is priceless.

6. He's a seriously excellent driver.
Atkinson is very much a petrolhead with a passion for racing cars. “Cars are my great obsession,” he told GQ recently. “I find them a very valuable escape.” When he appeared on Top Gear in 2011, he set the fastest time yet in the "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car" racing challenge, which at the time involved driving a Kia Cee'd. His time was subsequently beaten by just one other celebrity driver, Matt LeBlanc, who coincidentally became a Top Gear presenter. 
7. He's a capable pilot.
According to the BBC, Atkinson took control of a private airplane in 2001 when the pilot passed out at the helm. He's said to have safely landed the jet, saving the lives of his wife and children in the process. It sounds like a truly heroic moment.
8. He's also a fine dramatic actor.
You may also know Atkinson as the title character in Maigret, a detective drama set in 1950s Paris. In the U.S., you can find the four feature-length episodes on BritBox.

9. He cracked us up in Four Weddings and a Funeral.
Who can forget Atkinson's scene-stealing role as the trainee priest who keeps tripping over his words? This popular British rom-com was written by his longtime collaborator Richard Curtis, who really knows how to extract maximum value from Atkinson's comic timing.

10. Off-screen, he likes to maintain a low profile.
Atkinson told GQ that he finds it awkward when fans approach him and expect him to "perform" on the spot. "I perform on stage or in front of a camera," he added. "I don’t perform in King’s Cross station. I'm not a performing flea. Maybe I'm saying that I need to be paid in order to perform." 
Do you have a favorite Rowan Atkinson moment?