Rowan Atkinson crashes Bean machine

ACTOR Rowan Atkinson has left hospital in a wheelchair after crashing his high-performance sports car.

The 56-year-old Blackadder and Mr Bean star was driving his McLaren F1 supercar when it reportedly spun around several times, ran into a tree and a lamppost, and caught fire.

The actor is said to have walked from the vehicle and was with a passing motorist until emergency services arrived.

He is believed to have suffered a shoulder injury in the accident on the A605 in Cambridgeshire.

A spokesman for Peterborough City Hospital said Atkinson had been admitted on Thursday night. He left via a back door flanked by four security guards at about 3pm yesterday but did not comment.

Security guards escorting the wheelchair-bound actor tussled with a cameraman as he left in a Harley Street private ambulance.

His agent, Peter Bennett-Jones, said Atkinson had suffered a painful fractured shoulder blade.

Mr Bennett-Jones said: "I haven't spoken to him yet, but I understand he has a fractured shoulder blade, which is very painful and why he needed to stay in overnight."

Firefighters also confirmed the actor's McLaren F1 had been on fire after it span off the road.

A spokesman for Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service said: ''There was a small fire in the engine, which is at the back of the vehicle, but it was quickly extinguished with one hose reel.''

Photographs of the 240mph car being loaded on to the back of a tow truck showed serious rear damage to the expensive carbon-fibre bodywork.

McLaren are set to take the vehicle to the company headquarters in Woking, Surrey, to assess the damage.

A spokesman for McLaren said: "We are discussing with his team about bringing it back to assess the damage and look at repairing it.

"It has a carbon-fibre chassis, which is more repairable than normal cars."

He added: "Our first concern was Rowan, and we're pleased that he is stable.

"We have a responsible team at McLaren and we keep in touch with F1 owners around the world. The first thing we do is make sure the car is safe. We will then investigate it and any work that is required we will be happy to undertake."

Atkinson, a well-known car enthusiast, recently topped the leader board in the "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car" contest on the BBC's Top Gear.He told presenter Jeremy Clarkson he was keen on racing and was currently driving a 1964 Ford Falcon.

The star notched up the fastest time on the show, completing the circuit in 1 minute 42.2 seconds.

Atkinson found fame on Not The Nine O'Clock News in 1979, and he went on to star in Blackadder and Mr Bean, in which his hapless character drives an old Mini.

A spokesman for PBJ & JBJ Management, which represents Atkinson, confirmed that the star had been involved in an accident but said he would not be commenting at this stage.

A Cambridgeshire Police spokeswoman confirmed Atkinson was routinely breathalysed at the scene and added that criminal charges were not being considered.