The Chinese Government Is Using A Mr Bean Impersonator To Spread Coronavirus Propaganda

Not a single health official on the planet is predicting that coronavirus will pose any large-scale threat to the future of the human race. But there’s still a distinctly apocalyptic feeling in the air.

After all, we’re probably days away from the disease going into pandemic status; the entirety of Italy has been shut down; and people are beating each other up over toilet paper.

Oh, and a Mr. Bean impersonator named Mr. Pea trapped in Wuhan is being used by the Chinese government to shift blame away from the country for the spread of the illness.

The 53-year-old impersonator, Nigel Dixon, has been quarantined in Wuhan since early January after he travelled to the country to visit friends. Now, a video of Dixon praising the Chinese government for their response to the outbreak has been aired by Xinhua News Agency, a government-run news network.

In the clip, Dixon shifts the blame away from China for the outbreak. “It sickens me to hear of other countries blaming China, but for what?” the Mr. Bean impersonator jauntily says to camera. “We are now hearing of cases where people around the world have contracted their virus with no obvious connections to China.”

Moreover, Dixon also claims that his quarantine was at least partially self-imposed. Earlier this year, he had the opportunity to fly throughout the rest of China, but decided to stay in Wuhan to decrease the risk of infecting others.

You can watch the video where Dixon explains that decision in very serious tones to a Chinese news network, but be warned — it’s such a bizarre clip it’ll have your brain slopping out of your ears like overcooked oats.

Dixon’s support is a genuine boon for the Chinese government: he’s something of a star on Chinese social media, boasting six million followers, so he has real sway when it comes to the coronavirus.

And for the rest of us? He’s just another deliriously strange 2020 news story.