When Mr. Bean appeared at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games – Vangelis Papathanasiou was playing the piano

After the 2024 Olympics’ opening ceremony, many people were reminded of earlier moments, at other competitions.

One such moment that stood out was Rowan Atkinson’s appearance in the iconic role of Mr. Bean during the London opening ceremony.

Because the ceremony, of course, contained references to different parts of British culture, as this year it happened in French, but humor could not be missing, which is an important element.

On stage, Atkinson returned to the role of Bean after several years, having previously left it after the movie “Mr. Bean.” Bean Goes on Vacation was released in 2007. This alone was enough to excite millions of people who came to love the actor’s comedic character, but the sitcom’s sequel also made history.

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Mr. Bean played… Vangelis Papathanasiou at the London Olympics opening ceremony.

While the London Symphony Orchestra played Vangelis’s Fireworks, Atkinson, wearing a tie instead of Ben’s, played the piano.

However, he was not only playing the piano: at one point he sneezed and was looking for a tissue, but he was trying to catch it without taking his fingers off the piano keys and needed the help of an umbrella… Grimaces among the audience and gaffes rose to the scene of the opening ceremony and entered the list of the strangest moments of the event.

And it doesn’t stop there: Ben appears to daydream for a while, and is transported to the famous scene from Chariots of Fire, running on the beach.

Atkinson’s comedic style as Bean was considered a very good choice for such an event watched by millions around the world, as the character does not need to speak to make you laugh.

It’s a bold choice, yet one that manages to tie in harmoniously with the entire event and pay homage to an important part of British popular culture. Furthermore, he is a comedian with a rich history in the genre, apart from the Mr. Bean show, collaborating in his films with members of the legendary Monty Python, as well as the TV series Blackadder, among others.