Rowan Atkinson claims Friends and The Big Bang Theory are better than UK sitcoms – moaning ‘they don’t make me laugh’

ROWAN Atkinson has claimed Friends and The Big Bang Theory are better than British sitcoms – moaning ‘they don’t make me laugh’.

The 65-year-old is behind some British comedy classics such as Blackadder and Mr Bean but has admitted he actually prefers American sitcoms.

He told the “I like American things, endless repeats of Friends and The Big Bang Theory. I tend to enjoy traditional sitcom formats.

“They say that the best sitcoms have five or six characters and are set in three rooms – that’s what both those shows are.”

While Friends came to an end in 2004, The Big Bang Theory wrapped after 12 seasons in May 2019, and Rowan has struggled to find a suitable alternative.

He continued: “There’s not a lot that makes me laugh on British TV at the moment.”

His comments come after Rowan admitted he will never play Mr Bean again as he finds the loveable childish buffoon — who made him a global star — “exhausting”.

But he will still voice him in the animated versions, with a cartoon film in the pipeline.

Rowan said: “It’s easier for me to perform the character vocally than visually. I don’t much enjoy playing him. The weight of responsibility is not pleasant.

“I find it stressful and exhausting, and I look forward to the end of it.”

Mr Bean first appeared on ITV in 1990, before spawning films and a cartoon series.

But the divorced father of three says he may return as Edmund Blackadder, whose last series ended in 1989.

He told the Radio Times: “I don’t actually like the process of making anything — with the possible exception of Blackadder.”