Mr Bean has taken up table tennis in his own inimitable fashion, with typically madcap results!
The fourth series of Mr Bean: The Animated Series features a table tennis episode – and a Table Tennis England member played a key role in its creation.
The episode Table Tennis Trick is out now on ITVX and Boomerang, and the inspiration behind it came from Tom Beattie, Managing Director of Tiger Aspect Kids & Family, who is Executive Producer of the series.
Tom’s own passion for table tennis began during lockdown when he started playing with his son, Dexter. They both later joined Sparta Table Tennis Club in Kent and now compete in the Bromley and Croydon local leagues.
While discussing ideas for the new series with actor Rowan Atkinson, who co-created the lovable but hapless hero, Tom shared his and Dexter’s enthusiasm for the sport – and suggested that table tennis would provide the perfect setting for Mr Bean’s unique brand of chaos.
Rowan agreed, the writers were briefed, and the idea was brought to life for the new series.
In Table Tennis Trick, Mr Bean spots his neighbour, Mr Paliwal, practising for a local table tennis tournament and decides to enter in pursuit of the cash prize.
Back at home, Bean transforms his dining table into a makeshift table tennis table and invents an ingenious ball-firing machine to sharpen his skills. Inevitably, when he adapts his invention to give himself an advantage in the competition, things don’t quite go according to plan.
The episode also contains a special tribute to the real-life club that inspired it. Wanting to pay homage to Sparta Table Tennis Club, Tom incorporated the club’s colours and logo into the tournament venue, and players featured in the animation.
Before production began, Tom secretly approached Sparta’s club secretary, Harry Isaacs, for permission. With animation’s lengthy production timelines, it was another year before Harry saw any results. In January, Tom held a surprise premiere screening of the episode at the club for members who had been kept completely in the dark about the project.
Dexter also played his own part in bringing the episode to life, helping to record bespoke sound effects needed for a scene in which Mr Bean plays table tennis using a bat fashioned from a dining table mat.
Tom said: “I came to table tennis relatively late, but I’ve found a sport and a community that I hope to be part of for many years to come.
“I have enormous respect for Harry and everyone at Sparta Table Tennis Club, so I wanted to show my appreciation by bringing a little of the table tennis world into my TV world and paying tribute to the club.”
About Mr Bean
Mr Bean is a British icon, with the original live-action series first hitting screens in 1990. It has since been broadcast in 200+ territories, with the series in continual distribution for over 30 years.
Co-created by Rowan Atkinson and Richard Curtis, the eponymous hero was played by Rowan Atkinson, who now voices the globally successful animated series, which launched in 2002.
The brand also attracts significant digital audiences, with over 148 million followers on Facebook, making it the biggest TV brand on the platform; over 75 million subscribers and 23 billion lifetime views across official YouTube channels; 10 million followers on Instagram; and more than 32 million likes on TikTok.
Win a fantastic Mr Bean prize pack!
To celebrate Mr Bean’s table tennis debut we are giving you the chance to win a fantastic pack of Mr Bean goodies!
Enter the competition using the form below. You can enter now, but to be in with a chance of winning, you must set up an active Table Tennis England membership for the 2026/27 season before the closing date of 5pm on Wednesday 30 September. Click here to renew or join now – free Supporter memberships are eligible and don’t forget, if there is a little Mr Bean fan in the family, under-11 memberships are completely free! Terms and conditions apply.
