I'm not a collector. I don't like the toy cupboard syndrome that causes so many good cars to evaporate.
Rowan Atkinson[Georges] Simenon could be very brave like that. You never quite know what you're going to get or how the story's going to be told.
Rowan AtkinsonAnd, we put a lot more value, or at least I personally put a lot more value, on the creative values and creative challenges of something than the commercial necessities.
Rowan AtkinsonI have always regarded Mr. Bean as a timeless, ageless character, and I would rather he be remembered as a character mostly in his 30s and 40s.
Rowan AtkinsonTo criticize a person for their race is manifestly irrational and ridiculous, but to criticize their religion, that is a right. That is a freedom. The freedom to criticize ideas, any ideas - even if they are sincerely held beliefs - is one of the fundamental freedoms of society. A law which attempts to say you can criticize๏ปฟ and ridicule ideas as long as they are not religious ideas is a very peculiar law indeed.
Rowan AtkinsonAlthough the great frustration about this [role] is the fact that there's one thing Maigret never does, and that's drive. He's always driven, or he takes the train, or he gets the bus. I was saying 'Well, why don't we ring the changes for the 21st Century, and stick him in the car?'. [Executive Producer and son of the author, John Simenon] said, 'Well, you can if you want, but there'll be lots of people who won't like it'. So he's a non-driver ... But no, Top Gear was never a consideration for me; and neither was I asked
Rowan Atkinson