London 2012 Opening Ceremony: Mr. Bean Steals the Show in Spectacular Fashion

Sure, Paul McCartney is set to close the Opening Ceremony for the 2012 London Olympics with a song. And yes, there was a giant Voldemort followed by an array of Mary Poppins falling from the sky.

But neither can compare to the biggest star who appeared in the Opening Ceremony. No, that distinction belongs to...

...Wait for it...

MR. BEAN!

You didn't see that one coming, did you?

That's right, Mr. Bean made a stirring, dramatic (okay, ridiculous) appearance at the Opening Ceremony. You want pictures?

I got pictures.

Bleacher Report tweeted out this bad boy:

"

Mr. Bean has arrived #Olympics twitpic.com/acfnc0

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 27, 2012"

And BuzzFeed brought the goods as well:

"

Mr. Bean redefines Chariots of Fire. twitter.com/BuzzFeedSports…

— BuzzFeed Sports (@BuzzFeedSports) July 27, 2012"

The Washington Post's Mike Wise broke down the action as follows:

"

So the orchestra launches into a wonderful rendition of “Chariots of Fire,” which I’m sure will link to my story from today right here.

And Rowan Atkinson, who plays the silent character Mr. Bean (you Brits will know who I’m talking about) is actually playing the synthesizer. Now he’s running down the white sand beach in St. Andrews, just like the opening scene of the movie. And he’s pushing people out of the way. It’s freakin’ hilarious. Which leads me to my first…Brilliant!

"

See, this is what the Opening Ceremony needed to be: cheeky and clever and, you know, decidedly British. They weren't going to match the crazy drummers or fireworks display that half the known universe admired from the 2008 Beijing Opening Ceremony.

And who wants to spend $100 million on the world's most ridiculous introduction, anyway?

No, this needed to represent Great Britain and be memorable in its own way. We needed the references to literature, cameos from the Queen and James Bond. We need the more serious odes to Britain's agrarian past, the Industrial Revolution, a lovely moment of silence.

It all just represents Great Britain accurately, and for that, is memorable.

Plus, Mr. Bean! Who saw that one coming?

Brilliant!

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