With Teddy by his side, Mr Bean fetes 25 years with London drive

[September 05, 2015]  LONDON (Reuters) - Sitting in an armchair strapped atop his green mini with his loyal Teddy by his side, Mr Bean celebrated 25 years of his popular television antics on Friday with a London drive to Buckingham Palace.

His car filled with presents, the comedy character portrayed by British actor Rowan Atkinson used a mop to guide the car, just as Mr Bean did in one of the sitcom's episodes after filling his mini with purchases from a store sale.

The mainly silent Mr Bean made his television debut in Britain in 1990, and his amusing and often disruptive exploits, won him fans around the world.

"Well it's fantastic. I mean I'm known in Brighton and Birmingham, literally all over the world I'm known which is fantastic," Atkinson in character as Mr Bean said outside the palace where he posed for photos and received a cake.

"It's sweet, it's flattering, but it hasn't gone to my head."

Asked how he would celebrate the anniversary, he said: "Well I'm just going to have a small birthday party. It's just me and my friend Teddy."

An official Mr Bean Twitter account showed pictures of the globally recognized character on his drive with his toy bear, standing by his large pile of presents and even posing for a photo with the Metropolitan police.

(Reporting By Reuters Television; Writing by Marie-Louise Gumuchian; Editing by Hugh Lawson)

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