The Reliant Regal Supervan, also known as the Reliant Regal, Blue Car, or simply Reliant, is a three-wheeled car often seen in the Mr. Bean episodes. Mr. Bean may have a problem with the car as most of his encounters with it end up with the car being toppled over. He may also simply not notice his constant encounters with it. The driver once offered to help Bean in Tee Off, Mr. Bean, but Mr. Bean was ignoring them. The driver, however, is unseen throughout.
In the first episode, almost every sketch began with Mr. Bean and the Reliant Regal. Later episodes showed it much less and it was only seen occasionally.
Appearances
Live action
Mr. Bean - In between sketches, Bean is seen driving to his next destination. During these intervals, he is seen running the Reliant off the road from behind, from in front and bumping it out of its parking space at the church. At the end of the episode, the Reliant is seen about to make a left turn at a T-intersection, but quickly hurries off in the other direction after seeing Mr. Bean crash his Mini.
The Curse of Mr. Bean - Mr. Bean, eager to get out of the carpark without paying, reverses all the way back to the end of the floor facing the entrance. He prepares to race in the direction of the next vehicle to enter, forcing it out of his way and allowing him to leave. This vehicle happens to be the Reliant, which topples over after clearing Bean's exit. This is the only Reliant gag in the original series to be of plot significance.
The Trouble with Mr. Bean - Bean pushes the Reliant out of its parking space outside the dental clinic and onto a yellow line, where it is given a parking ticket.
Tee Off, Mr. Bean - Bean attempts to hitchhike back to the golf course and the first car that pulls up is the Reliant. Bean ignores it and it drives off.
Animated
In the episode Young Bean, a younger version of the driver is seen in Bean's flashback. This is the only time the driver is shown albeit only his younger self is shown.
In Artful Bean, gloves are seen on the steering wheel.
The driver of the Reliant is the primary antagonist of the 2015 animated episode, Car Wars. In this episode, the mystery driver becomes obsessed with getting his first revenge on Mr. Bean after being run off the road yet again. Bean ends up being given a taste of his own medicine in this episode.
Gallery
Trivia
- Its license number is GRA 26K in the live-action series and DUW 742 in the animated series. Though in one scene in the animated episode No Parking, the license plate changes to A631 LDE (similar to a red MG seen in some episodes of the show, A639 LDE) and bears that plate for the rest of the episode.
- In the live action show, there is a hydraulic cannon inside of one of the two Reliants used in the show. It can be seen being used in The Curse of Mr. Bean when the car topples to its side. This resulted in the car being destroyed from the inside, then being thrown into a shredder and cut into three large pieces. That is why in "Tee Off, Mr. Bean", the car is different.
- One of the reasons that a Reliant was chosen to be the car often antagonised by Mr. Bean was Rowan Atkinson’s lack of respect for the car.
- In Mr. Bean's Wacky World/Mr. Bean (Videogame), it is shown that Irma Gobb drives the Reliant, and it bears the license plate IRM 395A.
- The driver's identity is unknown in both the live action and in the animated series, but in "Tee Off, Mr. Bean", when the driver opens their door and closes it, the drive is white ethnicity. And in Young Bean, when the young self of the driver appears he is also white.
- In all official media and merchandise, the car is referred to as "Reliant Robin", a car by the same company also on three wheels.
Ways how the Reliant Regal Supervan got bullied
- No Parking - The car gets pushed and lands in the water.
- No Parking - Mr. Bean tells the car to move, and then lands in the hole that Mr. Bean took the cones away from.
- Mime Games - Mr. Bean drives his car, then the Supervan crashes into the gate fence.
- The Sofa - Mr. Bean drives his car fast, then the Supervan falls into the subway.
- The Sofa - The Supervan tries to park, but Mr. Bean pushes the cars to not make space for the Supervan.
- Super Trolley - Mr. Bean finds a parking spot and bumps the Supervan.
- Super Trolley - The Supervan has been picked up by the supermarket manager's forklift while the worker is chasing Mr Bean.
- Cat-Sitting - The Supervan turns around when a woman with a baby is about to cross.
- The Bottle - Mr. Bean crashes his car to part of the Supervan.
- Royal Bean - Mr. Bean pushes the Supervan, leading to go to the other way, and crashed into the water.
- Young Bean - The driver in the Supervan was distracted, leading the driver to get stuck in the bushes.
- Toothache - Watched for the motorcycle, but crashes into a nut tree.
- Car Trouble - When Mr. Bean didn't notice his frying pan falls, it hits the Cabin Air and hit by an unknown reason.
- Restaurant - When the Celebrities' car accidentally hit Mr. Bean's Mini and The Supervan.
- Hot Date - When the Supervan was going to backing or backwards, it forwards instantly, then the garage door closes.
- Hot Date - When Irma and the musician are about to kiss, their romantic moment is cut short when The Supervan slams into the musician's car at the back while trying to avoid a taxicab.
- Hot Date - The Musician Beats the Supervan's Driver while they were dating.
- Scout Bean - When Mr. Bean stops the car and watches at the Store, The Supervan uncontrol itself and hit the Camping Van, after that, it turns and moves away.
- Artful Bean - When Mr. Bean was looking at the painting, The Supervan was waiting for him until He let The Supervan moves.
- Artful Bean - When Mr. Bean drives from the bridge, The Supervan Moves to left and splashed by a waterway.
- Chocks Away - When Mr. Bean uses his magnifying glass to look the missing part, The Supervan didn't notice that it goes to the Waste container.
- Spa Day - When Mr. Bean fixes the rearview mirror, He sped past The Supervan, causes the traffic light hit against The Supervan.
- Wedding Day - Mr. Bean shoo the Bee after plucking the Rose, The Supervan almost crash Mr. Bean and ditto on Blue Car that got hit by a Mailbox later on.
Ways how the Reliant Regal Supervan got revenge
- The Sofa - The Supervan got away with Mr. Bean's old couch.
- Car Wars - The Supervan's driver and Mr. Bean were at a junkyard and when Mr. Bean was out of his MINI the Supervan's driver grabbed Mr. Bean's MINI using a crane and dropped it into the crusher destroying the MINI and turning it into a block.