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Mr. Bean To Beam Onto U.S. TV And Video

MR. BEAN, the eccentric character created by British writer/actor Rowan Atkinson, is set for his U.S. animated television debut on American Public Television (APT) in April 2003 and will launch on home video in fall 2003 via a full-scale retail release by A&E Home Video. "We have quite a few stations who have committed to airing this series," an APT spokesperson said. They expect high carriage from this series especially since "adult animation is quite a hot topic at the moment." APT has U.S. distribution rights from April 1, 2003 through March 30, 2004.

APT and A&E have also bought the live-action MR. BEAN series. Atkinson was closely involved with the animated version of his character as well. "As a live-action character, Mr. Bean always possessed a cartoon-like quality," said Atkinson, who was filmed for every episode of the series so animators could use his distinct movements when creating the animated MR. BEAN. Atkinson also provided all of the voice-over for the character. Atkinson will premiere in his new movie, JOHNNY ENGLISH, in summer 2003.

The animated MR. BEAN is produced by London-based Tiger Aspect Productions in association with Richard Purdum Productions and Budapest-based Varga Holdings. International handler Fremantle International Distribution sold it to more than 28 countries, including Super RTL (Germany), ABC (Australia), Disney (Asia), SVT (Sweden), YLE (Finland), CYBC (Cyprus), CBC (Canada), Forte (Spain), RTE (Ireland) and ATV (Hong Kong).

Tiger Aspect is a prolific U.K. independent producer of comedy, drama, entertainment, animation, factual, plus music and arts programming. The studio produces for all five U.K. terrestrial broadcasters, BSkyB, and a range of cable and satellite channels. For more on Tiger Aspect check out www.tigeraspect.co.uk. For 41 years, APT has been a major source of programming for public television stations in the U.S. For more information on APT's programs and services, visit ßwww.aptonline.org.

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