Top 10 Johnny English Moments

If there’s one thing Johnny English is actually good at, it’s coming out with some great one-liners. There are plenty from across both films but this one is a particular highlight. On the trail of a gunman in a multi-storey car park, English sends Bough to the next floor to corner him. In typical Johnny English fashion, nothing is ever as it seems, and things go wrong quickly. He does deliver his one-liner flawlessly though and you could almost believe he was about to do something right for once.

In search of a mole within MI7, English thinks it’s one person while everyone else thinks it’s English. To escape all the agents that are after him, English steals a wheelchair and goes on one of the greatest chase scenes from across the series. Of course, it’s not your average wheelchair and, conveniently, has all the gadgets he needs to escape every scenario he comes across. Even when it looks like they’ve got him, think again, because this wheelchair could win a limbo competition with the press of a button.

Johnny English sometimes doesn’t think before he speaks, or before he gets into some bizarre scenario that’s hard to talk your way out of. In a meeting with the head of MI7, he accidentally knocks her cat out of the window. Pretending the cat is there when it’s not probably wasn’t the smartest decision he could have made, especially when someone walks in with the cat, rendering English’s overuse of the word ‘pussy’ even weirder. His recovery, though, is brilliant and makes the awkward moment even better.

In an effort to infiltrate Sauvage’s office, a plan is put together, but English’s cockiness gets the better of him. Sauvage’s office is in one of two identical buildings and if English had listened to Bough, there was a solution for assuring he landed on the right one. Of course, he lands on the opposite building, the city hospital, and causes chaos. As usual though, English’s cock-ups make for the funniest moments as he tries to fix the mess that he’s caused and get back to the plan.

Any serious moment that involves Johnny English is instantly shattered by him and his tendency for mistakes. In a very formal and important meeting, English plays it cool while battling with his office chair. A simple adjustment leads to him being either on the ground, or way above everyone’s heads. You’d be forgiven for not hearing a word everyone else in the scene is saying because you’re too busy watching English adjust his seat. How the cast kept a straight film during filming is beyond us.

After a chase across the rooftops of Hong Kong, where English takes a much simpler and parkour-free route, he catches up with the culprit on a barge. English is instantly outnumbered but a bit of dumb luck and some broken Chinese later, English faces off with the one man he’d been chasing. With an audience watching on the yacht he commandeered, he’s quick to take out the culprit with a board between the legs and a tyre to tie his arms down. He does his best with what he’s got.

Believe it or not, there are two instances of English losing control of his muscles. One because of a mind control drug and the one that made our list, an accidental injection of muscle relaxant. Rowan Atkinson is known for his amazing physical comedy and, in these moments, he really gets to show it off. Wearing two rings, one that contains muscle relaxant and one truth serum, he uses the wrong one on a culprit and accidentally on himself. What follows is a hilarious mix-up and Atkinson at his best.

During a reveal of the newly restored Crown Jewels, English jumps at the chance to save the day when the power goes out and he spots a suspicious figure walking by. He quickly subdues the assailant but the lights quickly reveal English’s mistake. As usual, some quick thinking gets him out of the awkward situation and a bogus description of the assailant he fought keeps MI7 busy. So, while English sets out to find the missing Crown Jewels, MI7 are on the trail of a one-eyed, scar-faced clown.

When English and Bough discover how the Crown Jewels were stolen, the thieves take off in a hearse. A car chase ensues and eventually, English ends up following a different hearse. Believing he’s discovered a huge cover-up for the theft and the coffin the jewels are hidden in, he crashes the funeral. Luckily, Bough is always there to save the day and he is soon passing English off as an escaped mental patient to get him away from the funeral without causing any more distress. Thank goodness for Bough.

As it comes towards the film’s climax, it’s time for English to finally prove that Sauvage is up to something. But not before one last hilarious and monumental cock-up. After finding a disc that shows Sauvage’s sinister plan, English plans to play it to everyone watching the coronation. Trouble is, he picked up the wrong disc and everyone is now watching a video of English dancing to Abba in his bathroom. The timing and Rowan Atkinson’s brilliant brand of comedy make this our favourite Johnny English moment.