When discussing the greatest James Bond parodies, Johnny English often gets overlooked — until it suddenly gains recognition. Nearly two decades after Rowan Atkinson first donned the iconic suit and tie, the franchise is experiencing a quiet resurgence in streaming in the U.S., with Johnny English Strikes Again rising in popularity and the original film landing in Apple TV’s Top 10 for PVOD. This highlights that, while Bond continues to evolve, Atkinson’s hilariously inept counterpart remains timeless.
In Johnny English Strikes Again, the United Kingdom faces chaos after a cyberattack reveals every undercover agent in MI7. With modern espionage in disarray, the government turns — against all better judgment — to its last resort: Johnny English. Called away from his job as a schoolteacher, English takes on the mission with an overconfidence that far exceeds his actual skills, quickly realizing that being an analog spy in a fully digital world is not exactly his forte.
Why Is ‘Johnny English’ So Popular?
The premise succinctly encapsulates why the franchise remains effective. Johnny English believes he is James Bond, yet he is far from it — and that disparity between self-perception and reality is where the humor resides. Speaking to Collider during the film’s release, Atkinson summarized it well. What’s impressive is how organically the character developed into a full-fledged movie franchise. Johnny English didn’t debut on the big screen; as Atkinson explained, the character originated from a series of 1992 TV commercials for a credit card before transitioning into a feature film character a decade later:
“He saves the world with such apparent ease, despite never really making a good decision. You can’t quite believe that he does succeed, but he does. He’s strangely brave and determined, and he just keeps going. He had an unusual career path. I don’t think many successful movie franchises have grown out of a TV commercial, but this one did. You just do what seems like a fine idea at the time. I don’t look to the future very much. I just think, what’s the next enjoyable thing to try?”
A significant part of the enduring charm lies in Atkinson himself. Few actors have the opportunity to revisit a character over decades, yet Atkinson has managed to do it twice — with Johnny English and Mr. Bean. He perceives both characters as tapping into a common fantasy:
“Mr. Bean is a child trapped in a man’s body… Johnny English is not a child, but he’s also not much more than a teenager. He loves this world which, by some strange series of circumstances, he’s been allowed to be in. I’m sure he admires James Bond because he believes he’s James Bond — but he isn’t.”
Johnny English is currently available on PVOD and streaming platforms across the U.S.
