Before They Were Stars: Rowan Atkinson in “Dead on Time”

There’s never a good time not to post rare Rowan Atkinson footage and this is one of his most obscure projects. In 1983, Atkinson starred in a 32-minute comedy short film called Dead on Time, which was co-written by himself and longtime collaborator, Richard Curtis. The story essentially unfolds in real time, as Atkinson’s character finds out he only has 30 minutes to live and wants to spend the rest of his time doing everything humanly possible. In some ways, Atkinson seems to be showcasing an early prototype of Mr. Bean and a number of recognizable faces pop up in Dead on Time, including Jim Broadbent, Rupert Everett, Nigel Hawthorne, Greta Scacchi and Tim McInnerny.