Captain Beany (born Barry Kirk on 23 September 1954)[1] is a Welsh eccentric and charity fundraiser in Sandfields, Port Talbot, South Wales.
[2] In 1986 Beany set a world record for the longest time sitting in a bath full of baked beans, which lasted over 100 hours.
When Selfridges sold a similarly named product, Captain Beany earned a percentage of the sales under a licensing agreement.
[9] He also planned to walk nearly 460 miles around the borders of Wales and England for the Cieran Jones Appeal whilst conveying a plate of baked beans on toast.
In May 2024, Beany auditioned for the seventeenth series of Britain’s Got Talent where he sang an original song about baked beans and how he loved to eat them for every single meal of the day.
[2][5] He also officially transformed his council flat into the Baked Bean Museum of Excellence, with British writer Danny Wallace presiding over the opening ceremony.
[23] In 2021, Beany contested the Senedd election in Cardiff West, and gained 95 votes (0%), placing ninth out of nine candidates, losing to the then first minister of Wales, Mark Drakeford.
[24] In the 2024 general election, Beany stood as an independent in the newly created constituency of Aberafan Maesteg, gaining 618 votes (1.7%) coming seventh out of eight candidates, ahead of Rhiannon Morrissey of the Heritage Party.