Nigel Dixon Photo: screenshot of video posted by CCTV

Mr. Pea, an impersonator of Mr. Bean from UK, has chosen to stay in Wuhan, Hubei Province and stand together with the city despite the fact it is the epicenter of the current novel coronavirus pneumonia (NCP) outbreak. In a recent video, he sent his best wishes to the Chinese people.

"On the outside we all look and sound very different, but underneath we are the same. We all have heart and feelings. We are all together," he said in the video. The actor said he considers staying in Wuhan as a method to support the Chinese people, "which is more important to me right now," he added.

Nigel Dixon, known as Mr. Pea on Chinese short video platforms, is the official acting double for comedian Rowan Atkinson's character Mr. Bean. He has more than 5.4 million followers on Chinese short video platform Douyin, known as TikTok overseas.

Dixon told the Global Times that he was invited to come to Wuhan for work in early January and produced interesting short videos in the city, but after he completed his work and was preparing to go back home, NCP broke out.

Dixon's family was worried about his safety and told him to go back to the UK as soon as possible, but he said he would feel "uncomfortable" if he left the city at such a time.

He said he considers leaving as running away from the situation, which would be "selfish" because it might cause the deadly virus to spread further. He added that he also wants to support the Chinese people by staying together with them.

Dixon lives alone in an apartment he has rented, but he says he isn't bored. He joked that since he must cook for himself, he has been eating noodles every day and feels like he is about to turn into a noodle himself. 

After meals, Dixon follows a training program he designed himself. He bought a jump rope which he uses for daily exercise to boost his immunity.

He also paints, reads books and plays online game in the apartment. 

"When you read, you can forget everything else," Dixon said. 

He noted that he feels this is a great opportunity to enjoy being alone for a while instead of spending money taking vacations as many people do. 

One night Dixon heard many of the residents in his community shouting out of the window to cheer each other up and send their blessings for the city. 

Dixon also expressed his own best wishes: "Come on Wuhan! We are together!"

Chinese netizens thanked "Mr. Pea" for his trust and gave him many compliments.

"Thanks for your blessings and being together with us at this difficult time. Please take good care of yourself in Wuhan," one Sina Weibo user commented.