Rowan Atkinson: British royal family is a great "source of comedy"

The `Johnny English Reborn` actor - who is a friend of Prince Charles - insists his love of making fun of the monarchy is "born out of love and respect" for them, but he wouldn`t ever want his work to be seen as "discrediting" them.

He said: "In `Mr Bean` there was a `thing` at the time about nutting the Queen Mother. We`ve inflicted violence on members of the royal family on a regular basis so it seems silly to stop now.

"But it`s undoubtedly born out of love and respect and wanting them to carry on.

"The last thing I would wish is for it to discredit the British establishment or the monarchy because I need it there - a) as a source of inspiration and b) as a source of comedy."

But the 56-year-old star admitted to being "slightly concerned" about a scene in his forthcoming comedy movie `Johnny English Reborn` - in which he plays a flawed secret agent - that sees his alter-ego knock the queen to the ground after mistaking her for an assassin.

He admitted: "Yes, I`m slightly concerned about that scene. It was a last-minute addition because we didn`t have an ending and we thought that this was as good an idea as any but, you know, I`ve been making jokes about the queen for 30 years."

Rowan was among the stars who attended the royal wedding between Prince William and Duchess Catherine at Westminster Abbey in April - and he has likened the "wonderful" spectacle to watching a Shakespeare play, though he admitted he couldn`t help but find humour in the ceremony.

He explained: "I loved it. It was a fantastic event. There was a wonderful theatricality to sitting inside Westminster Abbey and hearing the cheering of crowds outside.

"It was just like watching a Shakespeare play when the crowd is going, `Hurrah, long live the King!` But whether it`s the nuns in the black trainers in the back of the shots, one can see sketches galore whichever way you look. I wouldn`t presume and I wouldn`t want the event to be in any way disrupted but all great state occasions have that [comic] potential."

sections: Celebrities