On the 59th birthday of Hugh Bonneville, who plays Mr Brown, Amelia Milne salutes Paddington
It didn’t seem long ago that the Queen was happily celebrating her Platinum Jubilee and it was at that point that we saw a very different side of her. I’m sure we all knew deep down that she had a good sense of humour before this of course, with pictures of her having a giggle with Prince Charles watching the Highland Games. She always wore a smile.
Whilst having tea with Paddington, we remember her saying, with a twinkle in her eye, that she always carries a marmalade sandwich with her, and was saving one “for later” as she dipped the sticky sandwich into her Launer handbag. Her eyes sparkled.
Respectfully, I would ‘try this at home’ and carry my own sandwich around in this fashion, except my own handbag seems to consist of “everything but the kitchen sink” as my parents once remarked, and that would be no topping for a sandwich! An orangey Oyster card- no thanks!
It led me to wonder that there must be good reason why the Queen had chosen Paddington over any other bear as a role model for children and adults alike. Why hadn’t the Queen chosen another much-loved bear, Winnie-the-Pooh, for example? After all, both bears enjoy sticky, viscous foods – honey and marmalade!
So why Paddington? The story goes that Michael Bond CBE (13 January 1926 – 27 June 2017) was doing some late-night Christmas shopping and spotted a lonely bear on a shelf in a shop display. He felt sorry for it. One can imagine a light dusting of snow falling on a London street, with hazy old-fashioned street lamps, almost like a Mary Poppins set. Bond bought the bear and took it home to his wife Brenda. They named the bear Paddington, which is where they lived.
The story began on 13th October 1958. Paddington came onto the silver screen in 1976 as the only 3D character, against a line drawing and a lightly water-coloured version of London, narrated by Michael Hordern (best known for his role in “Where Eagles Dare”). Studio Canal then reintroduced Paddington in 2015 in CGI.
Paddington was made in the form of a real-life bear – the Andean Spectacled Bear, who gets its name from the white circles around its eyes which resemble glasses. Tour groups specially take trips to deepest darkest Peru to spot these optically challenged creatures (I jest - they don’t need to go to Specsavers, they were born with them on!). Paddington was brought up by his Aunt Lucy, after being orphaned by an earthquake. When Aunt Lucy moved to the “Home of Retired Bears” in Lima (which I must say sounds rather fun!), Paddington came to London.
Paddington symbolises helping others. Michael Bond’s inspiration for Paddington came from seeing the evacuee children passing through train stations in the Second World War. Each child had a label around their necks with their name and address on, carrying their most treasured possessions in a little suitcase, just like Paddington’s. This echoes the huge Ukrainian refugee crisis from this year.
“The longing to belong is in all of us,” said Michael Bond. “It’s about (how) we embrace strangers and people with cultural differences- and that’s an important message right now, particularly for young people.” In a way, people also have an invisible tag saying, “Please look after this bear, thank you.”
Paddington also symbolises kindness. He says, “If we are kind and polite, the world will be right.”. Paddington’s behaviour neutralises violence, making the hard men in prison change their ways. Chef Knuckles, emolliated in marmalade, makes strawberry panna cotta instead of slop!
David Heyman, Film Producer of Paddington 2, writes “Paddington Bear is treasured for his optimism”. With all this in mind, the Queen knew that Paddington was a very special bear indeed, a national treasure like herself, and a role model for us all, leaving behind a very special legacy.
