Heading into the 90s he debuted another hapless character, Mr Bean. The funny yet sometimes frustrating character always wore the same suit, had a teddy as a best friend, drove a Mini and always got himself into a spot of bother. Nevertheless, it was a hit and even spawned a cartoon series later down the line.

Years later another creation of his, Johnny English, was brought to the big screen. Another calamitous man, the spy was based on Richard Lathum, an error-prone agent that Atkinson portrayed in a series of Barclaycard adverts.

In between his exploits he's been a much-loved Brit, not shying away from his involvement in politics, nor his love for cars.

Recently, after Jeremy Clarkson was hospital-bound with pneumonia, unsure of whether he could continue to presenter The Grand Tour fans voiced their desire to have the 62-year-old replace Clarkson.

Back when Clarkson, Hammond and May were on Top Gear, they tried for years to get the comic in the reasonably priced car, but their schedules didn't align for a long time.

However, when he eventually did come on he topped the leader board for celebrity guests and was very funny while doing it. Clarkson quipped while interviewing him that 'it's nice to talk to someone like you about cars', to which Atkinson admitted it's the only thing he can talk about.

Atkinson also likes to race in his spare time, which bodes well, and he is very critical of himself. It's not like we needed the proof but he still picked holes in his lap when he became the fastest guest on Top Gear.

When Chris Evans announced he'd left Top Gear after just one car crash of a series, there was a discussion on whether Atkinson should be drafted in to accompany Matt LeBlanc.

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