Merry Christmas, Mr. Bean

"Merry Christmas Mr. Bean"
Mr. Bean episode
Episode no.	Episode 7
Directed by	John Birkin
Written by	Robin Driscoll Richard Curtis Rowan Atkinson
Produced by	Sue Vertue
Original air date	29 December 1992 (1992-12-29)
Guest actors
Owen Brenman Matilda Ziegler John Warner Jonathan Stratt
Awards	CableACE Award Best Comedy Special
Episode chronology
← Previous "Mr. Bean Rides Again" Next → "Mr. Bean in Room 426"
List of Mr. Bean episodes

"Merry Christmas Mr. Bean" is the seventh episode of the television series Mr. Bean that first aired on ITV on 29 December 1992.

Plot

Act 1

It is Christmas and Bean decides to visit Harrods, causing his usual brand of chaos by behaving rather inappropriately while inside such a prestigious department store. After parking directly at the front of the store and harassing a man dressed as Father Christmas by pulling his fake beard, Bean proceeds to shop for Christmas decorations, subjecting them to his usual scrutiny—if it breaks, do not buy it. He also tests some Christmas lights using the same socket used for the exterior Christmas lights, plunging the exterior of the store into darkness in the process. He then starts playing with the figurines in a nativity scene in-store display, performing a rather inaccurate Nativity scene involving a T. rex, two army tanks, a Dalek, a helicopter, and also the bedroom of a dollhouse where he transforms the figures to. The store manager stops him by putting a figurine of a policeman onto the set and gives him his bag of Christmas shopping and Bean leaves while the store manager looks on.

Act 2

Bean meets Irma Gobb in the town, where she sees a sparkly ring a shop window. She tells him she wants the ring as a present, however Bean sees a picture of a couple getting engaged advertising the rings on sale and thinks she wants that and then goes into buy it much to Irma's happiness although she thinks he is getting the ring. He wins a free turkey by cheating, then upon seeing another man dressed as Father Christmas he pulls the beard again like earlier, only for the beard to be real, causing Bean to make a quick exit while the man recovers. He then catches a pickpocket and gives the thief's items to a Salvation Army brass band conductor. Bean then ends up conducting the band in a ridiculous way while the conductor tries on the items that the pickpocket stole. Bean leaves, but not before he takes the town's very large Christmas tree home with him.

Act 3

The next night Bean prepares for Christmas Eve by setting up the Christmas tree that he stole. Then putting out the stockings for Father Christmas; one for himself, one for Teddy and a tiny one for a mouse. He makes a “super cracker”, a Christmas cracker with many fuses from other crackers inside. Bean gives himself several Christmas cards—all of the same design. He swiftly despairs of war films on every channel, and then shuts the door rather rudely on young carol singers without giving them anything, even though he brings a box of chocolates to the door.

Act 4

This act starts on Christmas morning when Bean wakes up and eagerly gets out of bed acting like a child for a minute and then discovers what Father Christmas gave him. He got a new pair of socks the sock matches the stocking so he puts both of them on, Teddy got a tin of two drawing pins to replace his eyes as his button eyes were took off, the pins give Teddy a new look, and the mouse got a piece of cheese—which Bean ironically places on a mousetrap. He then tries to prepare the turkey, but loses his watch while stuffing it, and pokes his head inside to find it. However just as his girlfriend arrives he gets the turkey stuck on his head and tries to prevent Irma from seeing it. He picks up a crosscut saw to try to get it off, but accidentally freaks her out. She then helps Bean get the turkey off. Later, they have dinner (cranberry sauce sandwiches), Irma gives Bean her present but wanted a Christmas kiss off him first but Bean outsmarted her and rudely grabbed it. He opens it to find a modelling ship. Bean gives his girlfriend her present: not the engagement ring she wanted, but the portrait used as part of the shop's window advertising the ring, which he believed is what she was pointing to. She begins to cry, but Mr. Bean mutters "I forgot the main bit!" He takes out a ring box and hands it to her. As she opens the box eagerly, she discovers that it was not an engagement ring but in fact a hook, meant for hanging the picture. She leaves the flat, very upset and slams the door behind her. Bean mutters to himself looking at the portrait "What was wrong with it?" At the end of the episode, an outside view of Mr Bean's window is given, as he pulls the “super cracker” he made earlier; it produces a bright flash seen through the curtains.

Continuity

Bean appears to have moved as the flat and its exterior have changed. This is the last episode to star Matilda Ziegler as Irma Gobb. Some of Mr. Bean's art collection, including a famous photo of Shirley Bassey, were later packed and brought along in "Mr. Bean in Room 426", in which Bean hung his art collection inside his hotel room.

In this episode, Irma Gobb saw Teddy for the first time, although it was the only time in this series. They would not see each other again until Mr. Bean, The Animated Series, this time with Irma's own female Teddy.

Production

This was the final episode written by Richard Curtis. Later episodes only featured Robin Driscoll and the show's main actor, Rowan Atkinson as co-writers of Mr. Bean.due to that company losing its Independent Television franchise and shutting down 7 days later. Subsequent episodes were produced in association with Central Independent Television. All scenes in this episode were shot on videotape, by John Birkin. The market scene was shot in Kingston.

Broadcast and reception

Although not the highest rated episode of Mr Bean, it came very close, with 18.48 million viewers watching the original transmission.

Outside references

During Act 1, when Mr. Bean plays with the toys, he hums The British Grenadiers when using the soldiers. This tune is also the theme tune for Atkinson's Blackadder Goes Forth.

Alternate versions

The retail version of this episode includes an extra scene where Bean attempts to win the turkey he eventually ended up wearing on his head. The contest being to guess the turkey's weight, he sneaks a pair of scales to the counter; having already weighed himself, he subtracts his weight from the combined weight using a Casio calculator, thus being able to state the turkey's exact weight and winning it. The A&E DVD release (distributed in the US by New Video) is missing this scene.

Awards and legacy

After its broadcast on American cable television network HBO, this episode won the 1995 CableACE award for best comedy special.

The 'lights on a well known building being accidentally switched off' gag is used by comedian Peter Kay at the end of his Live at the Top of the Tower DVD.

The first Bean film also contained the turkey joke, although they eventually tried to cook the turkey before the microwave explodes. This scene like others were cut out of the film and is seen on the special feature "Deleted Bean" The turkey scene also inspires another Mr. Bean, The Animated Series short called "Dinner for Two". The turkey scene could have also inspired the Friends episode The One with All the Thanksgivings where Joey gets a turkey stuck on his head (in a flashback to 1992 surprisingly) and afterwards Monica puts a turkey on her head.

External links

• "Merry Christmas, Mr. Bean" at the Internet Movie Database