>> Stephen: WELCOME BACK "THE LATE SHOW,"" EVERYBODY.
>> Stephen: FOLKS, MY NEXT GUEST HAS BEEN AN INTERNATIONAL COMEDY
STAR FOR OVER 30 YEARS.
YOU KNOW HIM AS "MR. BEAN," EDMUND BLACKADDER, AND STARTING
THIS FRIDAY, YOU CAN SEE HIM IN "JOHNNY ENGLISH STRIKES AGAIN."
>> MERCI.
>> CHEERS.
>> I'M NOT SURE I'VE EVER MET A MAN WHITE LIKE YOU.
>> LET ME CLEAR UP THE UNCERTAINTY FOR YOU.
YOU HAVEN'T.
( CLEARS THROAT ) >> Stephen: PLEASE WELCOME ROWAN
ATKINSON!
♪ ♪ ♪
>> Stephen: LOOK AT THAT.
>> YOU'RE VERY KIND.
>> Stephen: THANKS FOR BEING HERE.
NOT EVERYBODY GETS A STANDING OVATION.
>> WHAT LOVELY PEOPLE.
>> Stephen: THEY ARE, AREN'T THEY?
I'M A HUGE FAN.
I WENT AND FANNED AT YOU A LITTLE BIT BACKSTAGE BEFORE YOU
CAME OUT HERE.
>> WELL, THAT'S VERY KIND OF YOU.
>> Stephen: I'M A VERY KIND PERSON.
>> THAT'S TRUE.
>> Stephen: I'VE BEEN A FAN EVER SINCE I FELL IN LOVE WITH
YOUR SHOW.
MY DEAR FRIEND HUGH LORI.
WHERE DID THIS IDEA COME FROM?
IT'S FOUR DIFFERENT AGES OF ENGLAND STARTING IN THE MEDIEVAL
TIMES.
>> IT'S A PERIOD SITCOM, AND THE FIRST SERIES WAS SET IN THE
15th CENTURY, I THINK IT WAS.
I THINK IT'S BECAUSE-- THE FIRST SERIES WAS COWRITTEN AND COCOB
CEIVED, I SUPPOSE, BY MYSELF AND RICHARD CURTIS, THE
SCREENWRITER.
AND WE'D BEEN WORKING ON A SKETCH CALLED "NOT THE 9:00
NEWS" IN ENGLAND, AND WE THOUGHT WE'D LIKE TO DO A SITCOM, A
SITUATION COMEDY OF SOME KIND.
>> Stephen: I KNOW WHAT A SITCOM IS.
>> I THOUGHT I SHOULD TRANSLATE JUST IN CASE, THE JARGON CAN BE
CONFUSION.
>> Stephen: YUP
>> ANYWAY, THE BIG SITCOM-- I'M USING THE TERM AGAIN-- AT THE
TIME -- >> Stephen: OXFORD, RIGHT, YOU
LEARNED THAT AT OXFORD, RIGHT?
>> YES, WELL, ACTUALLY, EVEN BEFORE THEN, I KNEW IT.
>> Stephen: A PRODIGY.
A PRODIGY.
>> I CAN'T-- I'VE COMPLETELY LOST THIGH-- OH, YES.
WHY WE-- WHY?
>> Stephen: WHY ARE WE HERE?
>> WHY ARE WE HERE?
THE BIG SITCOM AT THE TIME EYE USED IT AGAIN-- WAS "FAULTY
TOWERS" WHICH WAS A JOHN CLEESE.
YOU MAY KNOW HIM.
IT WAS SUCH A HUGE HIT AT THE TIME, AND WE FELT ANY SITCOM WE
DID WOULD BE UNFAVORABLY COMPARED TO "FAULTY TOWERS"
WHATEVER WE DID.
AND I'M SURE IT IS UNFAVORABLY COMPARED TO "FAULTY TOWERS,"
EVEN NOW.
WE THOUGHT WE WOULD REDUCE THE CHANCES OF THAT BY TAKING IT
COMPLETELY OUT OF THE 20th CENTURY, WHICH IS THE CENTURY WE
WERE IN AT THE TIME.
>> Stephen: MORE OF THAT OXFORD EDUCATION COMING BACK
( LAUGHTER ).
>> YOU'RE DEALING WITH THE CREME DA LA CREME HERE.
>> Stephen: I ACTUALLY HAD A CHANCE TO TALK TO RICHARD CURTIS
ONCE, AND I WAS ASKING ABOUT HIS BEGINNINGINGS IN COMEDY, AND HE
SAID WHEN HE WAS AT OXFORD HE THOUGHT HE WAS PRETTY DARN FUNNY
AND WAS GOING TO DO SOMETHING IN REVIEW.
HE SAID BEFORE HE WENT ON THIS GUY GOES UP THERE WHO HE HAD
NEVER MET BEFORE AND HOLDING JUST A PIECE OF PAPER HE MADE
EVERYONE LAUGH FOR SEVEN MINUTES WITHOUT SAYING A WORD.
AND HE SAID THAT WAS YOU.
>> THAT WAS ME, YES.
>> Stephen: HE GOES, HE FOUND IT SO DEMORALIZING THAT HE HAD
HIS LITTLE CLEVER IDEAS AND HIS LITTLE WORD PLAY, BUT YOU WENT
UP THERE AND SAID NOTHING AND ABSOLUTELY KILLED THE ROOM.
DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT DID YOU?
DO YOU REMEMBER THAT NIGHT?
>> YES, I CERTAINLY REMEMBER THE NIGHT.
IT WAS A ONE-NIGHT-- ONE-NIGHT REVIEW, AND I-- AND I WAS ASKED
IF I WANTED TO DO SOMETHING, AND I COULDN'T THINK OF ANYTHING.
AND I'M NOT REALLY A VERY DILIGENT WRITER, SO I JUST STOOD
IN FRONT OF A MIRROR, TO BE HONEST, AND I JUST STARTED
PULLING FACES, I MEAN, FOR WANT OF A BETTER TERM.
AND I WAS SORT OF DOING THIS...
( LAUGHTER ) ( LAUGHTER )
AND THEN THERE WAS THIS IDEA OF HAVING A CARD-- HAVE YOU GOT
ANYTHING THAT I COULD-- WELL, IT WAS A PIECE OF PAPER OF WHERE I
WOULD JUST-- CAN I STAND UP?
IS THAT OKAY?
WELL, I CAN STAND UP.
AM I ALLOWED TO STAND UP?
AND WHERE-- I JUST-- I CAN'T REMEMBER VERY WELL NOW.
SO THIS WON'T BE AT ALL FUNNY, BUT I'LL DO IT ANYWAY.
>> Stephen: GREAT.
>> I'LL DO IT ANYWAY.
I CAME OUT AND THE AUDIENCE WERE THERE-- AS INDEED THEY ARE HERE
TONIGHT, AND I CAME OUT...
( BABBLING )
ANYWAY, IT WAS SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
( APPLAUSE ) ( CHEERS )
IT WAS SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
WHAT A LOAD OF RUBBISH.
>> Stephen: THURKS THE SITCOM WAS BORN.
>> THE SITCOM WAS BORN.
>> Stephen: THE NEW MOVIE-- IS IT THE THIRD JOHNNY ENGLISH?
>> IT IS THE THIRD.
>> Stephen: WHAT IS THE PREMISE OF JOHNNY ENGLISH.
A SPY?
>> YES, IN THE LAST TWO MOVIES HE'S RETIRED.
I GOT OLDER AND WHY IS THIS OLDER MAN STILL A SPY?
ALTHOUGH AS YOU MENTIONED, ROGER MOORE WAS A SPY WHEN HE WAS 57.
>> Stephen: AND THIS IS THE THIRD.
>> THE THIRD.
>> Stephen: AND HE STRIKES AGAIN?
HOW IS HE TRIKING AGAIN GWEN?
>> HE'S TRIKING AGAIN BECAUSE HE'S BROUGHT OUT OF RETIREMENT.
WE SEE HIM AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MOVIE, HE'S TEACHING AT THE
SCHOOL, HE'S SUPPOSED TO BE TEACHING THEM GEOGRAPHY BUT HE'S
NOT.
HE'S TEACHING ESPIONAGE.
ESPIONAGE TECHNIQUES.
BUT ANYWAY, WHAT HAPPENS IS EXACTLY LIKE THE BEGINNING OF
THE JAMES BOND MOVIE "SKYFALL," THERE IS A COMPUTER HACK OF
BRITISH GOVERNMENT, AND ALL BRITISH SPIES ARE COMPROMISED.
THEIR IDENTITIES ARE EXPOSED, AND OF COURSE, ALL THE SPIES ARE
EXPOSED, THERE AREN'T ANY SPIES TO GO AND FIND OUT WHO HAS
EXPOSED THE SPIES.
( LAUGHTER )
ARE YOU FOLLOWING ME?
THIS IS-- THIS IS PRETTY -- >> Stephen: I'M THERE, I'M
THERE.
>> THIS IS PRETTY HIGH -- >> Stephen: I CAN TASTE THE
POPCORN.
>> THIS IS PRETTY HIGHFALUTIN STUFF.
>> Stephen: SO THEY HAVE TO GET A RETIRED SPY.
>> THEY HAVE TO GET A RETIRED SPY.
WE THOUGHT OF THAT IDEA BEFORE YOU DID, BUT, YES, YES.
>> Stephen: I DON'T KNOW.
I'LL SEE.
I'LL SEE AND FIND OUT.
ROWAN IT'S SO NICE TO MEET YOU.
>> IT'S NICE TO MEET YOU.
>> Stephen: "JOHNNY ENGLISH STRIKES AGAIN" OPENS ON FRIDAY.
ROWAN ATKINSON, EVERYBODY!
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK.
I'M GOING TO COOK WITH THE "BAREFOOT CONTESSA" INA GARTEN.