Comic Relief 2015: Rowan Atkinson to revive Mr Bean for first time in three years

The popular character was last seen at the London Olympics opening ceremony

Rowan Atkinson is bringing back Mr Bean for Comic Relief (Rex Features)

Rowan Atkinson is wheeling out Mr Bean for the first time in nearly three years for Comic Relief.

The English actor, 60, will bring back his popular slapstick character on Friday 13 March as part of BBC1’s Red Nose Day celebrations, a BBC spokesperson confirmed. The appearance will mark his 25th anniversary in the role.

Mr Bean’s last outing was at the opening ceremony of the London Olympics in 2012, when his bumbling ways were enjoyed by a global audience of 900 million.

Atkinson was last involved in Comic Relief in 2013, when he sparked more than 2,000 viewer complaints by impersonating the Archbishop of Canterbury in the most controversial TV moment of the year.

In the three-minute skit, he compared One Direction to Jesus’s disciples and warned that Jesus said “love your neighbours” not “shag your neighbours”, all before the 9pm watershed.

Joining Atkinson on the Comic Relief line-up is Dawn French, who returns for a one-off special of The Vicar of Dibley, and another Great Comic Relief Bake Off featuring 16 celebrities from Gok Wan to Jonathan Ross.

This weekend Atkinson revealed that he is selling his £8 million F1 Maclaren “supercar”, which has a top speed of 240mph.