Daily Times

Sir: As a fan of Rowan Atkinson, I thought your article “Watch ‘Mr Bean’ again to realise why it was one of the best shows ever” (April 14).

The article touched upon his famous role of Mr. Bean, and how he has cultivated a worldwide fan base from this famous role. The article talked upon the talent that Atkinson had in creating this nonverbal character who was so massively expressive.

I believe that Atkinson’s ability to engulf himself in so many different roles and personas is rooted in his lifelong issues with stuttering. The fact that Atkinson has struggled with stammering in his life and his example is an inspiration to those with the speech problem. When asked in Time magazine interview in 2007 if he ever overcame his stammering, he responded: “It comes and goes.

I find when I play a character other than myself, the stammering disappears. That may have been some of the inspiration for pursuing the career I did.” Perhaps his comic face leads him to fluency. The website of The Stuttering Foundation (www.stammeringhelp.org), a non-profit charity, has a revealing article about Atkinson’s lifelong struggles with stammering entitled “Who Knew? Mr. Bean?”. The website of this nonprofit charity also provides countless free resources to stammerers of all ages.

“Mr. Bean” ran on ITV from 1990-1995. The fact that there was a major article about the show in a newspaper as far away from the UK as Pakistan explicitly conveys the magnitude of the show and its brilliance.

COLM RUANE

Bronx, New York, USA