Every Rowan Atkinson Film & TV Project Ranked From Worst To Best

Dead On Time is a frantic 1982 short film, that is not without its moments, but does rather feel like a (particularly strong) student project. Atkinson's Bernard Fripp is incorrectly diagnosed with a terminal illness, leaving him with around 30 minutes to live.

Inconsistent levels of hilarity ensue as Fripp attempts to speedrun his bucket list, attempting to enjoy the finest in arts and culture, find true love, as well as some opportunistic solvent abuse, all within the immediate surrounds of his doctor's office.

This was a real early showcase of Atkinson's physical talents, spending almost the entire film as a constant blur of motion, charging around Covent Garden like a man possessed and dodging around his fellow actors with impressive agility.

This would, however, be Fripp's downfall, having been re-assured by his doctor on the false diagnosis, his lack of regard for his surroundings see the credits roll just as he strays into the path of a speeding van.

Fripp, much like the character from Canned Laughter, clearly had some influence in the creation of the Mr. Bean character, and the ITV film would be shown just as Atkinson's career was about to evolve from working as part of a talented ensemble to carrying his own prime time comedy series, with Blackadder debuting the following year.