Rowan Atkinson

Congratulations are in order for Rowan Atkinson, who is apparently set to become a father again at the grand age of 62. It will be his third child in all, and first child with partner Louise Ford. They are expected to welcome their new arrival in a matter of weeks.

Rowan Atkinson leaving the Royal Theatre

The British comedian has been dating the 33-year-old actress since he split with his wife in 2014, after they met one another while working on the Cheltenham Prize-winning West End play 'Quartermaine's Terms' two years previously. As far as we know, this is Louise's first baby.

Continue reading: Rowan Atkinson Expecting Third Child At The Age Of 62

Rowan Atkinson helped ITV to a ratings winner over the bank holiday weekend, making his debut as the French detective Maigret in the new series of the same name, and netting nearly 6 million viewers in the process.

Reviews and reactions were mixed to the 61 year old’s portrayal of the detective Jules Maigret, created by Georges Simenon in a series of 75 novels that began in the 1930s. However, his performance was enough to attract 5.7 million viewers and earn ITV a 28.1% share of the audience in its 9pm slot.

Rowan Atkinson plays the French detective 'Maigret' in a new two-part ITV series

Continue reading: Rowan Atkinson Receives Mixed Reviews For His Portrayal Of 'Maigret'

Rowan Atkinson has divorced his wife of more than 24 years Sunetra Sastry in a court hearing that lasted less than a minute, after he left her for a comedy actress nearly half his age.

Atkinson, 60, has been estranged from Sunetra, a BBC make-up artist, since they split in 2014. The decree nisi was granted on the grounds of unreasonable behaviour at London’s Central Family Court by District Judge Stephen Alderson, and neither he nor his ex-wife – who lodged the petition - were present for the hearing.

Atkinson and his ex-wife Sunetra Sastry

Continue reading: Rowan Atkinson's Wife Divorces Him On Grounds Of "Unreasonable Behaviour"

Sir Tony Robinson has said he thinks a new series of classic BBC comedy ‘Blackadder’ is on the cards, but only if they can meant the price of Hugh Laurie. Laurie was one of the stars of the British sitcom in the 1980's but he has since gone on to find success across the pond in Fox drama ‘House', raising his price tag.

Hugh Laurie and Rowan Atkinson in ‘Blackadder’ series three.

Speaking to The Sun, 69 year old Robinson said, “I do think a new series of 'Blackadder' is on the cards. I have spoken to virtually all the cast about this now. The only problem is Hugh’s fee. He’s a huge star now – or so he’d like to think.”

Continue reading: Tony Robinson Says He Thinks A New 'Blackadder' Series Is On The Cards

Blackadder star Rowan Atkinson has sold his beloved McLaren F1 supercar for more than £8 million. The vehicle was listed for sale in January through London-based luxury car dealer Taylor & Crawley.

Rowan Atkinson has sold his McLaren F1 for a staggering £8 million

The McLaren was the subject of two high profile crashes during Atkinson's ownership though it didn't stop the car reaching its asking price. Atkinson had done 41,000 miles since he bought it in 1997.

Continue reading: Rowan Atkinson Sells McLaren F1 Supercar For £8 Million

Captain Blackadder, Lieutenant George and Private Baldrick, some of the most enduring comedy characters of all time, had real-life namesakes, it has emerged.

The Blackadder characters were...actually...real people.

The BBC comedy Blackadder, which covered four periods of history enduring with a series, set in the trenches, was invented by Richard Curtis, Rowan Atkinson and Ben Elton. However, it seems the trio's defining creations really did 'go forth' in World War I after a specialist military genealogy website traced real life counterparts of Captain Blackadder and his cohorts.  

Continue reading: The 'Blackadder' Characters Were Real People. Oh, You Didn't Know?

Patsy Byrne, the British actress best known for her role as Nursie in Blackadder II, has died at the age of 80.

Rowan Atkinson starred alongside Byrne in Blackadder II.

An announcement in the Telegraph as Metro reports announced her passing. Byrne died on 17th June at Denville Hall, a retirement home with a number of notable former performers.

Continue reading: Patsy Byrne, Actress Best Known As Nursie In 'Blackadder II', Dies Aged 80

Adele has yet another award to stick on the mantlepiece; this time the singer has been awarded an MBE by Queen Elizabeth II as part of the royal's annual Birthday Honours List. Fellow female singer PJ Harvey has also been recognised with an MBE, with sports broadcaster Clare Balding being handed an OBE, capping off a successful honours list for women, in which 47% of the list were female.

After winning yet another arm-full of Grammys and her first ever Oscar (not to mention giving birth to her first child), Adele has had yet another remarkable year in her career, with 2012 becoming the second year in a row that the singer became the highest-selling artist for the year. Harvey meanwhile has been a darling in alternative circles for most of her career and her last album, Let England Shake, even won the singer the coveted Mercury Music Prize. Thanks to her appearance throughout the Olympics, Balding endured herself to the British public even more and after a triumphant year of British sport she has emerged as one of the main stars of the year, with her royal honour no doubt being the icing on the cake of what has been a glorious twelve months.

There were of course decorations being handed out for the men too, with Welsh comic Rob Brydon being handed a MBE for his services to entertainment. In a rather unusual turn-up for the book, Blackadder star Tony Robinson has been knighted, whilst his co-star Rowan Atkinson - who has achieved worldwide fame for his roles in various movies and for his portrayal as Mr Bean - was only given a CBE. Robinson told the press upon the news that he is to be made a sir that he is "thrilled, flattered and a little gob-smacked" to get the honour, pledging, "that from this day on I'll slaughter all unruly dragons, and rescue any damsels in distress who request my help."

Continue reading: Adele And PJ Harvey Among Those Honoured In Queen's Birthday Honours List

It's officially the most expensive; Mr. Bean's $1.4m (£910k) car repair tops an unwanted chart after Rowan Atkinson's insurance company shelled out big bucks to fix his McLaren F1.

Atkinson crashed McLaren F1 - which can reach speeds of 240mph - in 2011 for the second time, culminating in a hefty, hefty repair bill, which is astronomically high because it's made mostly of carbon fibre. Luckily, for Mr. Bean anyway, it was the insurance company that were creasing at signing that mega-cheque. Atkinson actually picked up the supercar back in 1997 - around 16 years ago - but due to inflation and the rarity of the model, its value has skyrocketed. In fact, Atkinson's is one of only 64 F1s McLaren built. We hate to think what the monthly payments on that car are now. Reports say that it took over a year before expert technicians from McLaren were able to restore Mr. Bean's automobile. "I'm not a collector," he says, "I don't like the toy cupboard syndrome that causes so many good cars to evaporate. It depresses me that they are hidden away like investment art, or gold ingots in a Swiss vault. The McLaren is just so usable, it is a crime not to use it. No gritted teeth, you just get in and drive." (via The Sun).

This probably won't be too much of a problem for Mr Atkinson, though, his infamous turn as Mr. Bean, followed by a string of hilarious movie roles and some impressive writing credits have lead him to a reported net worth of $112 million. 

Continue reading: Mr. Bean's $1.4M Car Repair The Biggest Repair Bill Ever In Britain

We've all had that moment; looking at photos of our favourite celebs and then jumping out of our seats screaming, 'He's HOW old?!' Well, we've been doing a lot of that here at ContactMusic. Some stars seem to have crept up the age ladder pretty sneakily, the odd wrinkle and grey hair barely registering on our radar, while others don't seem to have aged at all! English football player David Beckham was in his twenties when he rose to global popularity and, looking at his recent H&M underwear advert, it seems that his iconic hairstyles and tattoos are our only way of working out the old from the newer pictures of him. However, he is only 37 and has plenty of time to catch up yet. It's the over-50s that have really had our mouths agape in recent times as we've been scouring the net for the most youthful looking middle to old aged stars. 

(Anthony Kiedis, Tom Cruise, Jim Carrey)

Continue reading: Good Genes Or Good Ops: Which Male Celebrities Don't Show Their Age?