Trevor Bingley’s life is a portrait of solitude. Played by Rowan Atkinson—who brings a talking, more expressive twist to his iconic Mr. Bean persona—Trevor finds himself swept into the holiday spirit as Man vs. Baby begins. With Christmas fast approaching, we meet a cheerful and enthusiastic Trevor, ready to fully embrace the festivities. But his plans take an unexpected turn when he’s left to care for a baby on his final day as a caretaker.
Trevor tries very hard to let the authorities have the rights over the baby, but ends up all knackered, with all the ways going extinct. Now to take charge of the baby becomes his Hobson’s choice—but Trevor is a lonely man (it’s not that he feels lonely, but his circumstances constantly confront him with the harsh reality of his solitude). Trevor is a broke man. His ex-wife now has a new boyfriend, has made new plans with him, and shall take her daughter along, leaving Trevor alone behind. Trevor has debts. Trevor needs to pay his daughter’s $10,000 college fees, so he bags work at a penthouse, where he has to housesit.
In all of that, he is left with the baby, who becomes his companion. It’s a feel-good watch to see how Trevor makes it through with the baby. By the end of the show, he hosts a Christmas feast in the penthouse, where he unites with his ex-wife and daughter, and not just them, but all the other acquaintances he had during the weekend. Ultimately, this is Rowan Atkinson’s show—a portrait of a man navigating solitude until an unexpected companion, a mysterious baby, becomes his unlikely anchor. The series concludes with a sense of warmth and gentle laughter.
This is a four-episode series on Netflix.
