"Before Mr. Bean there was Frank Spencer, the original master of disaster." I got the complete series of Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em for Christmas a few months ago. That opening sentence is on my DVD package. Tonight, my PBS affiliate started airing Mr. Bean again after a very long absence. I had remembered really liking it when I was younger. I saw the pilot tonight and am not into it like I was. Michael Crawford (yes that multi-talented Michael Crawford who later became Phantom of the Opera), while highly clumsy and inept, is genuinely likable and funny on Some Mothers. Rowan Atkinson, on the other hand, is an obnoxious, crude, and rude twit. The test part wasn't terrible but it went downhill in the next segments. Sadly the poll here will likely have skewed results as Mr. Bean became much more famous than Some Mothers. :( I was not expecting to like Mr. Bean a whole lot less than tonight's lead-in As Time Goes By.

I'm only slightly familiar with Some Mothers, but Mr. Bean has always been a mystery to me.

How eerie. Shortly after mentioning Phantom of the Opera here, one of my friends commented on its Facebook page (I don't follow the Phantom page otherwise).

I picked Mr Bean. (I havent ever seen any of that other)

Mr Bean

Mr. Bean is permanently off my schedule. I gave episode two another chance and it did not improve. Five year olds act less boorish than him. ohno: