ROWAN ATKINSON - ROWAN ATKINSON STRIPS ON AMERICAN TV

British comedian ROWAN ATKINSON gave American audiences a real eyeful on Monday night (21JUL03) - when he stripped down to a pair of swimming trunks on LIVE TV.

The JOHNNY ENGLISH star was a guest on comedian JAY LENO's popular TONIGHT SHOW when the host asked him to perform the bizarre stunt - which he'd done on the programme some years before.

Before stripping off his suit, he explained to the audience, "It came from a MR BEAN sketch - one of the very first.

"The idea originally was that Mr Bean was on a beach and he wanted to change into a swimsuit but people were watching. There was nowhere to hide, so he had to find a method of doing it in a discreet and moral way."

Atkinson called his antics a "refresher course for those who missed it several years ago" before proceeding to place the trunks over his trousers and taking the trousers off while staying in the swimsuit.

After taking down one leg of his trouser, Atkinson then fed them through the crotch of his trunks before pulling down the other side - much to the amusement of a whooping audience.

Once fully stripped and seated, Atkinson was interviewed as normal about his movie Johnny English, which prompted him to note, "I'm not sure I can talk to you like this, but I will persevere."