Comedians seem to be getting more and more limited with the kinds of jokes they can tell on stage without backlash these days, and one person who sees this as unfortunate would be Rowan Atkinson. As someone who had spent many years in comedy with shows like Mr. Bean, Blackadder, and Johnny English, Atkinson is pretty well known in the world of comedy. Fans can check out more of his brand of slapstick humor in the new Netflix series Man vs. Bee which releases this week.
In a new interview with the Irish Times, Atkinson touched on the current climate in comedy and how it has been affected by "cancel culture." For his part, Atkinson doesn't understand the controversy when it comes to comedians getting in trouble for telling offensive jokes. He believes that the very nature of comedy is to offend as every joke needs to target someone.
"It does seem to me that the job of comedy is to offend, or have the potential to offend, and it cannot be drained of that potential. Every joke has a victim. That’s the definition of a joke. Someone or something or an idea is made to look ridiculous.”
The argument has been made that comedians should never "punch down" with their material. When Atkinson was asked if comedians should instead "kick up" by only joking about people in high positions of power, the Mr. Bean star suggested that comedians should be able to joke about anything.
“I think you’ve got to be very, very careful about saying what you’re allowed to make jokes about. You’ve always got to kick up? Really? What if there’s someone extremely smug, arrogant, aggressive, self-satisfied, who happens to be below in society? They’re not all in houses of parliament or in monarchies. There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything... Not all jokes are for everyone.”
Rowan Atkinson Stars in Man vs. Bee
Atkinson's latest work has the actor quarreling with a bee. Aptly titled Man vs. Bee, the series is set to hit Netflix on June 24. You can check out the official synopsis for the series below, along with an official trailer that will give fans a sneak peek at what's to come from Atkinson with his latest comedy role.
"When lovable, but bumbling, dad Trevor lands a new job as a housesitter, his first assignment is a luxurious mansion filled with priceless artwork, classic cars and an adorable dog called Cupcake. But when a bee lands on the scene, can Trevor keep everything under control, or will their raucous rivalry just lead to increasingly disastrous consequences? And what irreparable damage will be done in the process? See the chaos unfold in this watch-together zippy comedy series of short-sized episodes."