Dead on Time (1983 film)

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Dead on Time
Directed by Lyndall Hobbs
Written by Rowan Atkinson
Richard Curtis
Produced byLyndall Hobbs
StarringRowan Atkinson
Peter Bull
Jo Kendall
CinematographyJohn Metcalfe
Edited byRichard Bedford
Music by Howard Goodall
Production
company
Michael White Productions
Release date
  • February 1983 (1983-02)
Running time
33 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Dead on Time is a 1983 British short film directed by Lyndall Hobbs and written by Richard Curtis and Rowan Atkinson; it is the first film co-written by the latter and his first lead role in a film production.

Contents

The film is also known as Whatever happened to Bernard Fripp. [1]

Plot

Bernard Fripp is a man who, on attending a routine check-up, is diagnosed by his doctor as having a rare disease leaving him only 30 minutes to live.

By the time he leaves the surgery, he only has 24 minutes left, in which he attempts to live life to the full; taking out his life savings, trying to make peace with God (via a vicar), attempting to learn about the significance of the Mona Lisa , reading the back cover of War and Peace to find out what happens in it, listening to Albinoni's Adagio in G minor and looking for true love.

Production

The featurette was shot in early 1982, at the same time Atkinson wrapped up taping Not The Nine O'Clock News and began working on The Black Adder , premièring later that year and getting a wide theatrical release in February 1983. The meek, socially awkward Bernard is a reworking of an earlier Atkinson character, Robert Box, who appeared on the 1979 special Canned Laughter , which shares a gag regarding the main character tripping over a "Please Help the Blind" sign. Both Fripp and Box have been cited to be prototypes for Mr. Bean .

Cast

The film features a large number of cameo parts for actors and actresses, often from the alternative comedy circuit, who would later star in their own comedy series, including Leslie Ash, Adrian Edmondson, Tim McInnerny and Nigel Planer. Richard Curtis makes a brief appearance as an angry café customer. [2]

Reception

The film was called ’a severely underrated short comedy film with a bizarre plot’. [3]

”Fripp, much like the character from Canned Laughter, clearly had some influence in the creation of the Mr. Bean character, and the ITV film would be shown just as Atkinson's career was about to evolve from working as part of a talented ensemble to carrying his own prime time comedy series, with Blackadder debuting the following year.” wrote WhatbCulture. [4]

References

  1. ↑ Roberts, Jem (2013). The true history of the Blackadder. Internet Archive. London Arrow Books. ISBN   978-0-09-956416-4.
  2. ↑ Guide, British Comedy. "Dead On Time cast and crew credits". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 13 December 2025.
  3. ↑ Armsden, Amy (26 July 2022). "Man Vs. Bee: 10 Other Wacky Movies And Shows Rowan Atkinson Starred In". ScreenRant. Retrieved 13 December 2025.
  4. ↑ Yarwood, Luke (15 October 2021). "Every Rowan Atkinson Film & TV Project Ranked From Worst To Best". WhatCulture.com. Retrieved 13 December 2025.
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