Atkinson 'stable' after car crash

Actor Rowan Atkinson is expected to be discharged from hospital later today after a car crash.

Actor Rowan Atkinson is expected to be discharged from hospital later today after a car crash.

A spokesman for Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals this morning said Atkinson was in a stable condition after being admitted last night.

It has not been confirmed when he will be ready to leave the hospital's care.

Atkinson is believed to have suffered a shoulder injury after his high-performance car crashed on the A605 in Haddon, Cambridgeshire.

The 56-year-old Blackadder and Mr Bean star was reportedly driving a McLaren F1 supercar when it 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.

A spokesman for the star has not yet commented on the incident.

Atkinson, known to be a car enthusiast, recently topped the leader's board on Top Gear's Star in a Reasonably Priced Car contest.

He told presenter Jeremy Clarkson he was keen on racing and was currently driving a 1964 Ford Falcon.

But his racing background did nothing to quell his nerves before taking on the challenge, he admitted.

In a clip of the show uploaded on to YouTube by the BBC on July 22nd, Atkinson said people would "assume that in the reasonably priced car I will be very good when there's absolutely no guarantee of that whatsoever".

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

Atkinson is best known for his work on Not The Nine O'Clock News, Blackadder and Mr Bean, in which his hapless character drives an old Mini.

PA