>> 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! ♪ ♪ ♪<i>
( APPLAUSE )</i> ♪ ♪ ♪<i>
( APPLAUSE )</i> >> 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<i>
( LAUGHTER ).</i> >> 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 <i> ( LAUGHTER ).</i> >> 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... <i> ( LAUGHTER )
( LAUGHTER )</i> 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 )<i>
( LAUGHTER )</i> ( BABBLING )<i>
( LAUGHTER )</i> ANYWAY, IT WAS SOMETHING LIKE
THAT. <i> ( APPLAUSE )
( CHEERS )</i> 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. <i> ( LAUGHTER )</i>
SO THEY HAVE TO BRING SOMEONE-- 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.
