British Mr Bean Impersonator Refused To Leave Wuhan Due To Risk Of Spreading Coronavirus

A British actor who is famous in China for impersonating Mr Bean has said he is staying in Wuhan to make sure he doesn't spread the novel coronavirus.

Nigel Dixon, 53, went to the country on holiday before the outbreak of the virus, but he says he is safe and happy there. Known as Mr Pea on Chinese video sharing platforms, he is known for his impressions of Mr Bean and even appeared in a Chinese comedy in 2017 as the character, having been told he looks like him since the age of 30.

Wuhan, widely accepted as the ground zero of the pandemic, is on lockdown, with all travel banned to try to slow down the spread of the disease.

He travelled from his home in Felixstowe, Sussex, to Wuhan on a sightseeing trip on 2 January and was planning to see some friends for Chinese New Year. But when the disease started to spread in the city, he decided to stay.

He told MailOnline he was planning on travelling to Shenzhen to see his friends but decided against it, saying it would be 'selfish' of him to go not knowing if he was infected.

His videos have been a hit on Chinese video platform Kuaishou - similar to TikTok - and has since gained around 5.5 million followers.

He can be seen singing to his stuffed toy 'Teddy' while he shows how he passes the time in the quarantined city.

ITV

Another episode shows him washing his hands and disinfecting his clothing in Mr Bean style.

MailOnline reported he didn't realise Brits had been told to return to the UK as soon as they can, saying he is planning on returning at the end of March if he is able to. He also said he wants to continue with his acting career in the country.

He did say he was concerned about the lack of medical supplies in the city, saying: "We are one global family. We should support one another and support China."

At the time of writing, 43,104 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed, resulting in a reported 1,018 deaths.

So far, there have been eight cases confirmed in the UK, with a quarantine centre on the Wirral holding the patients.

Topics: World News, coronavirus

Amelia Ward

Amelia is a journalist at LADbible. After studying journalism at Liverpool John Moores and Salford Uni (don't ask), she went into PR and then the world of music. After a few years working on festivals and events, she went back to her roots. In her spare time, Amelia likes music, Liverpool FC, and spending good, quality time with her cat, Paul. You can contact Amelia at [email protected].

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