Every Rowan Atkinson Film & TV Project Ranked From Worst To Best
4. Not The Nine O'clock News
Of all the entries on the list, this BBC satirical sketch show is the one that can really be described as Atkinson's breakout role.
Highly influential to this day, the series has largely aged very well, with many of the takedowns of the politics of the era still sadly resonant today, and the unique presentation style would not look out of place in the cutting edge of modern comedy.
The musical numbers are also an integral part of the show's lasting impact, the cast would have two albums reach the top 5 of the UK charts, and anyone who has heard the song The Memory Kinda Lingers has it burned into their brain forevermore.
A US adaptation named Not Necessarily The News would have an eight season run off the back of the UK show's success, launching the careers of Rich Hall, Conan O'Brien, Al Jean, and a number of other future Simpsons writers.
An interesting thought experiment into the Butterfly Effect, without Not The Nine O'clock News, would The Simpsons have been the success it was? Subsequently, would we even have Family Guy, South Park, or Rick And Morty?