Shadowing Practice: Rowan Atkinson Breaking Celebrities Without Saying a WORD - Learn English Speaking with Video
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in the same scene weren't you yeah yes exactly
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but i think you see this is the problem with not
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actually watching films you can make let's talk about being a stage performer should we
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tell me do you ever watch other performers and get jealous
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some comedians need punch lines rowan atkinson just needs a facial expression for decades he's been making audiences interviewers
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and fellow celebrities completely lose it with a style of comedy
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that nobody else can pull off there's somebody there called bob
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anybody else would really go out there called bob you decided that bob could be a funny word right now
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how do you do well it just seemed yeah it was always at the end of the sentence it was
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you know
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so how can i help you it just it just seemed
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like it just seemed like a funny way of saying what
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did you know did you ever fear i mean feel
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that you would be like this cool to
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so many generations like you're huge um i'm huge um i
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no not really i suppose you don't you know as quick
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as rowan atkinson is with his own comedic delivery he definitely takes his sweet time analyzing other people's jokes.
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When John Oliver took over the role of Zazu in The Lion King, previously voiced by Rowan Atkinson, Rowan had some very specific advice for him.
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Rowan Atkinson accepted an award on behalf of john daniels
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and had the entire room laughing within seconds cannot unfortunately accept it himself
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because he is in hollywood starring in his first major film role with meryl streep
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i am however not in hollywood not having been offered even
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a minor role in an eight millimeter to meet a pornographic movie.
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That's a proper showbiz reunion.
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Yes.
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We haven't talked about it yet, but we did a movie in 1980, 30 years ago.
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I'm afraid so.
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Yes, it was.
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Sometimes, it's not even the joke itself.
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It's the way Rowan Atkinson says it that breaks people, and Jay Leno is proof of that.
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So, Workman's Club wouldn't quite be my bag.
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No. Bag.
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Is that an American term?
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Rowan Atkinson's appearance on Top Gear was so good, it even outperformed Tom Cruise.
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Things got hilariously awkward
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when Rowan Atkinson started questioning Elton John's name right to his face I'm sure the first question
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that everybody would like to ask you is this funny name
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Elton how did you come by it did you ever consider John Elton with those early albums then one of
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which I believe was called simply Elton John yes that's correct
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when you didn't feel awkward with the name at all the
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origin story of how mr bean came into existence is way more hilarious than you'd expect be honest
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and i just started pulling faces i mean for want of a better term
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and i just sort of you know was doing this
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and then there was this idea of having a card of having got anything that I...
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Arse bandit bottom Clitoris. Where are you, clitoris?
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We all love Rowan Atkinson and his iconic characters, but Rowan himself can't seem to stop roasting them.
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most of the characters that I play who tend to be very selfish or self -centered or self -obsessed in some way, you know, particularly Mr. Bean.
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So actually, as much as Rowan Atkinson enjoys his ridiculous dance moves, he wishes there was a choreographer he could blame.
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I always seem to end up doing some silly dancing in almost any movie I do, either Mr. Bean or Johnny English, and then there's really quite a lot of it in Johnny
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English Strikes Again good dancing um well thanks very much uh
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i wish i i wish i could blame some choreographer for what i do
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but sadly it's just me mucking about who needs no introduction mr rowan atkinson
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and we talk about mr bean's holiday remember though right that's right if you miss it you miss out
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why do i do that again yeah okay morning neil sean here on sunrise this morning we meet mr
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Rowan Atkinson has created so many iconic characters that it's hard to keep track of them all.
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Sorry, it's the Arch Bishop again, that bloke with the glasses, I know.
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Sorry to butt in, butt out, Arch, I hear you cry.
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No, but seriously, there was one little thing I forgot to say, you'll forget your head next you ass my wife says you
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know we all know rowan atkinson loved doing stand -up comedy in his early days
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and thankfully age didn't stop him from going back to what he loved
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yes no i'm afraid we don't have any toilets i don't know
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if you read your bible but i'm afraid it's damnation without relief
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Nothing tops the encounter Rowan Atkinson had with a fan who only half recognized him.
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I mean, after a while, then he said, excuse me, has anyone ever told you that you're the absolute spitting image of that Mr. Bean?
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And I said, well, actually, I am the actor who plays Mr. Bean.
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And he said, hi, hi, hi.
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When it comes to talk shows and interviews, Rowan Atkinson has some surprisingly blunt opinions that I read from you.
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It says, the problem with talk shows is that you're supposed to amuse.
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I generally rely on being interesting rather than funny.
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They, that is us here, are not actually very interested in people who are very interesting.
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They just want people with wacky stories about airports, and I haven't really got any.
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How true.
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It's true.
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How true.
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If it doesn't sound funny on paper, don't worry, Rowan Atkinson can somehow make anything hilarious.
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Rowan Atkinson's comedic timing is on full display during this moment with John Cleese.
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Rowan Atkinson has always struggled with pickup lines, and apparently playing a smooth secret agent like Johnny English didn't help him with the ladies either.
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new pick -up lines?
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New pick -up lines in this movie?
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No. I never knew any before and I don't know any now.
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No. While there are plenty of differences between Rowan Atkinson and Mr. Bean, they do have a few things in common.
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For example, both of them are huge car enthusiasts.
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Into all of this Formula One malarkey.
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Well, he would enjoy it very much
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because he's a car enthusiast as you know oh that's right
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yeah he had some magnificent cars didn't he cars then you know then he'd enjoy it he's a genuinely
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a sweet man i think trevor bingley and i and that's relatively rare actually in my
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in the characters that i played because i think you know mr bean is a selfish self -centered
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anarchic child you know really a very you know he looks after number one and is quite charmless character
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “Rowan Atkinson Breaking Celebrities Without Saying a WORD”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: rowan, atkinson, bean, funny, character. This video has 89 sentences and 1151 words to shadow. The speech runs for 10:25. The speaker talks at a steady 110 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. Only 80% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| bean noun | /ˈbi(ː)n/ | Any plant of several genera of the taxonomic family Fabaceae that produces large edible seeds or edible seedpods. |
| awkward adjective | /ˈɔk.wɚd/ | Lacking dexterity in the use of the hands, or of instruments. |
| butt noun | /bʌt/ | Body; self. |
| hilarious adjective | /hɪˈlɛə.ɹi.əs/ | Very funny; causing great merriment and laughter. |
| iconic adjective | /aɪˈkɑnɪk/ | Relating to, or having the characteristics of, an icon. |
| selfish adjective | /ˈsɛlf.ɪʃ/ | Holding one's own self-interest as the standard for decision making. |
| performer noun | /pɚˈfɔɹmɚ/ | One who performs for, or entertains, an audience. |
| ridiculous adjective | /ɹɪˈdɪk.jə.ləs/ | Deserving of ridicule; foolish, absurd. |
| behalf noun | /bɪˈhæf/ | The interest, benefit, or wellbeing of someone or something. |
| smooth adjective | /smuːð/ | Having a texture that lacks friction. Not rough. |
| silly adjective | /ˈsɪl.i/ | Laughable or amusing through foolishness or a foolish appearance. |
| punch noun | /pʌnt͡ʃ/ | A hit or strike with one's fist. |
| toilet verb | /ˈtɔɪ.lət/ | To assist another (a child, etc.) in using a toilet. |
| celebrity noun | /səˈlɛb.ɹɪ.ɾi/ | Fame, renown; the state of being famous or talked-about. |
| rely verb | /ɹɪˈlaɪ/ | To trust; to have confidence in; to depend. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| pick up verb | To lift; to grasp and raise. |
| end up verb | To bring to a conclusion. |
| go back to verb | To stem from; to originate in. |
| go out verb | To leave, especially a building. |
| miss out verb | To miss an experience or lose an opportunity, etc. that should not be missed. |
| pull off verb | To remove by pulling. |
| stand up verb | To rise from a lying or sitting position. |
| take over verb | To assume control of something, such as a business or enterprise, and sometimes by force. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | haven't talked · has created · has always struggled |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | been offered · was called |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 26 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, I'm, didn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: smooth /smuːð/, enthusiast /ɪnˈθuːziˌæst/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: selfish /ˈsɛlf.ɪʃ/, facial /ˈfeɪ.ʃəl/, damnation /dæmˈneɪʃən/, showbusiness /ˈʃoʊˌbɪznɪs/
- Long words — get the stress right: hilarious /hɪˈlɛə.ɹi.əs/, ridiculous /ɹɪˈdɪk.jə.ləs/, celebrity /səˈlɛb.ɹɪ.ɾi/, genuinely /ˈd͡ʒɛn.ju.ɪn.li/, surprisingly /səˈpɹaɪzɪŋli/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like bean, awkward, butt.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.