The Bean Rider

As with so many others, an abortive television career followed an abortive movie career (some do it the other way round, so have a try at an abortive music career. It doesn't really matter so long as the key part - "abortive" - is adhered to).

Here's some of the early promotional material for his mooted role as Michael Knights robotic bean assistant in Knightrider.



It didn't really work and it was decided that the car alone was enough. Similarly unsuccesful was Superbean's role as the fifth A-Team member. He was to be the squad's "Bean Man", the go to guy for all those situations of a Beanial nature, situations that Superbean would deal with using the skills he learnt in deepest, darkest 'Nam.



The producers soon realised this was a stupid idea, not least because Superbean fitted into Hannibal's pocket, as illustrated.

By now desperate, Superbean teamed up with his good friend Simon MacCorkindale (star of very little indeed, although he was a doctor on Casualty. Or it might have been Holby City. Like it makes a difference) to pitch their idea for a series called "Beanimal", where a crime-fighting Bean (played by Superbean) had the power to turn into various animals (one of them being a Simon MacCorkindale).



Sadly, this proved as unsuccessful as all the others. The producers liked the idea of the show, just not the bean element. The title was changed to "Manimal" and the rest is history. Superbean was initially downgraded to the role initial planned for MacCorkindale, but even these episodes were eventually canned (mainly due to the difficulty the writers had in dreaming up situations where Simon turning into a small, inanimate bean with eyes would be in any way helpful). The episode where he turned into a large stoat was also, sadly, binned.