Man vs Bee review – Rowan Atkinson channels Bean and Baldrick in his new slapstick sitcom. The actor is at his comic best as an accident-prone housesitter who goes on a rage spree and destroys a high-tech home in an epic battle

One man, one bee, one winner.

Netflix says: "Renowned actor and comedian Rowan Atkinson plays a new character in this riotous comedy. A man finds himself at war with a bee while housesitting a luxurious mansion. Who will win, and what irreparable damage will be done in the process?"

Man Vs Bee is likely to be a major show for Netflix. Thanks to the Mr Bean franchise, which has hundreds of millions of fans around the world, Atkinson is one of the most recognisable comedians in every part of the globe.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Man vs. Bee is one of seven new series commissioned by the streamer from British creators, to be written and produced in the United Kingdom next year.

Spanning multiple genres, the series will be filmed throughout the nations and regions of the UK, including the north, south west and Wales. The original commissions are part of Netflix’s continued investment in the UK creative ecosystem, with the streaming giant set to invest $1bn (£744.1m) on UK content this year.

Created by Blackadder’s Rowan Atkinson and Will Davies and produced by House Sitter Productions, comedy short-form series Man vs Bee (10 x 10-minutes) sees a man get involved in a war with a bee while housesitting a luxurious mansion.

Some films are best watched more or less by accident: stumbled upon with little foreknowledge, so we’re led through the story without a compass. Mubi’s curation model often allows for such moments of discovery: their latest exclusive release, Two/One, is a strange, slippery puzzler well suited to a blind encounter.