For many of us, Line Of Duty is essential viewing, but apparently not for Rowan Atkinson.
The Mr. Bean star, who starred in his own police-based sitcom The Thin Blue Line in the mid-90s, has admitted he “cant stand watching” the BBC’s acclaimed cop drama.
Despite admitting that the drama was “brilliant” after watching the first series, the actor revealed he hasn’t watched it since.
Explaining why during the GQ Heroes event, Rowan said that he simply finds it way too stressful.
“I don’t like stressful television… I can’t stand watching Line of Duty, which is a brilliant show,” he said.
“I watched the first series and thought it was absolutely brilliant, and then I started watching the second series and I found that I just couldn’t watch it because I was finding it too stressful because you know that things are going to go wrong.
“It’s brilliantly written and made but I don’t like that kind of TV.”
The sixth series of police drama Line of Duty aired last year and was a ratings success, with its dramatic finale revealing the identity of the mysterious corrupt officer “H”.
Screenwriter and producer Jed Mercurio would not reveal if there are going to be further series, saying in February: “If that happens, I guess we’ll tell people.”
Rowan, who is best known around the world for playing Mr Bean since 1990, admitted last year that he really doesn’t enjoy playing the “child in a grown man’s body”, describing it as “stressful and exhausting”.
At the GQ event, Rowan also revealed why he doesn’t read reviews during a session hosted by Miranda Sawyer.
“One of the reasons why I don’t listen to pundits or read reviews… is because I don’t feel the need, because they’re not the people I’m trying to entertain,” he said.
“The two parties I’m trying to entertain is me and the intended audience, the audience out there, the general public – not the people who are making a noise between me and them.”