Rowan Atkinson has ruled out a return for his comic alter ego Mr Bean.

Rowan Atkinson has ruled out a return for his comic alter ego Mr Bean.

The Johnny English: Reborn actor believes that his take on the popular character, who he once described as "a child in a grown man's character", would not be convincing anymore.

"I've always regarded Mr Bean as an ageless, timeless figure," he told Radio 1's Newsbeat, echoing previous comments he made about the comic creation.

"I don't want him to particularly grow old, and if I carry on playing him then he's going to get older, whether we like it or not. I would like to remember Mr Bean how he was five or ten years ago."

The 56-year-old revealed last week that he is open to the possibility of reviving Blackadder.

Atkinson played Mr Bean in a series of one-off stories between 1990 and 1995 on ITV. Released in 2007, the film Mr Bean's Holiday was the franchise's last outing.