Atkinson often played characters that were pompous, unhinged, or eerily quiet. Some of his most iconic moments include:

• Gerald the Gorilla: Perhaps his most famous sketch from the series, where he plays a remarkably articulate gorilla (Wilderbeast) who has been “educated” by a researcher (played by Mel Smith). The comedy comes from the gorilla being more sophisticated and well-spoken than his captor.

• The Constable (The “Nice” Policeman): Atkinson excelled at playing over-the-top, slightly menacing authority figures. In one famous sketch, he plays a police officer giving evidence in court who lists increasingly ridiculous “crimes” committed by a defendant, including “walking on the cracks in the pavement.”

• The “Final” Politician: He often played politicians or newsreaders who would deliver absurdly blunt or catastrophic news with a perfectly straight, professional face.

• The Music Teacher: A masterclass in his physical comedy, where he attempts to conduct or play instruments with disastrous, high-energy results.

The show launched the careers of the “Big Four”: Rowan Atkinson, Mel Smith, Griff Rhys Jones, and Pamela Stephenson. It was during this show that Atkinson began collaborating with writer Richard Curtis. This partnership directly led to the creation of Blackadder shortly after the sketch show ended in 1982.

While the show was highly verbal and satirical, Atkinson’s performance proved that he didn’t need words to be the funniest person on screen—a trait he would later maximize for Mr. Bean. His performances earned him the 1981 British Academy Television Award for Best Entertainment Performance.

She began as an extra and chorus girl, appearing in films like Gold Diggers of 1933 and Anything Goes (1936). During this time, she also briefly worked as a radio singer under the name Jane Durrell. In 1936, she signed with Warner Bros. Pictures, which required her to change her name to Jane Wyman. By the late 1930s, she moved from bit parts to leading roles in “B” movies, such as Public Wedding (1937) and Torchy Blane… Playing with Dynamite (1939).

I approached her and asked her if it would be possible to go out on a photo session to some picturesque backgrounds. She accepted and we went out the following day in my small two-seater Mathys car model 1930. After having made a few pictures in Monte Carlo we drove to the medieval Eze-Village, high up on the Corniche Road. The old car nearly did not make it up the hill and as I had practically no brakes, we were in danger of slipping backwards. Finally we got to Eze safely but when we wanted to go back to Monte Carlo, the car would not start, so Audrey had to push it until we got on to a steep hill down to the corniche. Audrey couldn’t have been nicer about the whole thing. She obligingly changed costumes several times, drove from location to location. Her slender, gamine beauty was in great contrast to the bosomy glamour of the times and set a new style for young actresses.

When I showed her the contact prints of the photographs the next day, she was very excited and said she had never been photographed in such a variety of poses. She asked if she could send them straight away to her agent in Hollywood, of course I agreed. He showed them to the Paramount heads and she was asked to make a screen test and consequently got the leading part in the film Roman Holiday.” – Edward Quinn

In 1968, Keaton landed her first major professional role in the original Broadway production of the rock musical Hair. Notably, she was one of the few cast members who declined to undress for the show’s famous nude scene.

In 1969, she auditioned for Woody Allen’s Broadway play Play It Again, Sam. Her performance as Linda Christie earned her a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Play. This role sparked a long-term creative partnership and a romantic relationship with Allen.

Even in the late 1960s, Keaton was known for an idiosyncratic and personal style that favored vintage and thrifted pieces. She frequently visited Goodwill stores, which she called her “sanctuary,” to find unique items. Her look was characterized by a “fresh-faced” naturalism and a preference for unconventional fashion choices, such as requesting to wear a bowler hat to her high school prom just a few years earlier.

Photographers of the era, such as Peter Basch, captured her in 1968 as a young actress with a “relaxed yet sophisticated” demeanor, marking her as a unique presence compared to the typical Hollywood starlets of the time.