Rowan Atkinson, the acclaimed British actor and comedian, is set to return to the West End stage next year with a new comedy sketch show titled *Rowan Live*. The production will run from February 8 to March 13 at the Gillian Lynne Theatre in London and will feature a mix of Atkinson’s most famous characters alongside new material.

The 71-year-old performer plans to revisit iconic roles from his extensive career, including characters from *Not the Nine O’Clock News*, *Blackadder*, and *Mr Bean*. This marks Atkinson’s first West End comedy sketch show in four decades, and his first major stage role since appearing in Simon Gray’s *Quartermaine’s Terms* in 2013. Tickets for the show became available from noon on the day the announcement was made.

Atkinson collaborated with long-time creative partners for the new project, including screenwriter Richard Curtis, comedian and *Blackadder* co-writer Ben Elton, and composer Howard Goodall. The trio has a history of working together dating back to their university days at Oxford, as well as past television and stage projects. Curtis described the opportunity to be part of the show as a joy and an honor, praising Atkinson’s versatile range of voices, expressions, and characters.

The show will incorporate some of the sketches that launched Atkinson’s career, as well as recently written routines performed in front of small audiences during the summer. Among the characters making a return will be Mr Bean, the largely silent, physically comic figure who gained worldwide recognition through television, film, and animated adaptations. Atkinson first developed Mr Bean on stage before expanding the character into other media and famously reprised him during the 2012 London Olympic Games opening ceremony.

*Rowan Live* will be directed by Raz Shaw and staged at the Gillian Lynne Theatre, which is scheduled to transition from its current production of *My Neighbour Totoro*, ending January 3. The show’s arrival follows a broader resurgence of nostalgia-driven theatrical productions based on classic British television series in recent years.

Atkinson’s stage career has also included notable roles such as Fagin in a 2009 West End revival of *Oliver!* and performances in various comedy specials. His return to sketch comedy on the West End stage is anticipated to offer a blend of familiar favorites and fresh material, appealing to long-standing fans and new audiences alike.