Amazon.com: The Paddington Bear Season 1: Michael Hordern, Ivor Wood, FilmFair, Michael Bond from $1.99 1. Please Look After This Bear Mr. and Mrs. Brown find a bear on Paddington Station. They name him "Paddington". Mr. Brown takes him to a buffet for some refreshments and things rapidly get out of hand. TV-Y7 CC Language: English Runtime: 19 minutes Release date: January 5, 1976 Buy SD $1.99 from $1.99 2. Paddington and the "Old Master" Paddington meets Mr. Gruber, who keeps an antique shop in Portobello Road. Mr. Gruber tells him about old masters and that they are sometimes discovered under modern paintings. TV-Y7 CC Language: English Runtime: 19 minutes Release date: January 5, 1976 Buy SD $1.99 from $1.99 3. Do-it-Yourself Using a carpentry set which Paddington bought at the Auction, he attempts to make a magazine rack for Mr. Curry, and saws his kitchen table in two in the process.

TV-Y7 CC Language: English Runtime: 19 minutes Release date: January 5, 1976 Buy SD $1.99 from $1.99 4. Too Much Off the Top Paddington leaves Mr. Gruber's shop and sees a notice in a barber's shop for a willing junior. Paddington tests the clippers on the broom. TV-Y7 CC Language: English Runtime: 19 minutes Release date: January 5, 1976 Buy SD $1.99 from $1.99 5. Paddington and the Christmas Shopping Paddington is outside Crumbold and Ferns store and goes into the shop to buy an expanding clothesline for Mrs. Bird. He tests the line in the shop with disastrous effects - tying everyone in knots and knocking over a display table. TV-Y7 CC Language: English Runtime: 20 minutes Release date: January 5, 1976 Buy SD $1.99 from $1.99 6. Paddington and the Cold Snap Mr. Curry asks Paddington to get a plumber as his bathroom pipes are frozen.

Paddington decides to have a go himself and starts knocking pipes with the result that water is flowing everywhere but in the basin. TV-Y7 CC Language: English Runtime: 20 minutes Release date: January 5, 1976 Buy SD $1.99 from $1.99 7. Paddington Hits the Jackpot The Browns are watching a Quiz program on television when Paddington appears on the screen. The Quizmaster asks Paddington several questions, which he answers in a manner that confuses and exasperates the Quizmaster, but finally he wins the Jackpot, a hundred pounds. TV-Y7 CC Language: English Runtime: 19 minutes Release date: January 5, 1976 Buy SD $1.99 from $1.99 8. Fortune Telling Paddington, on his way for morning cocoa with Mr. Gruber, sees a poster advertising a Fair. Mr. Gruber tells him all about Fairs and suggests he visits the fortuneteller first. TV-Y7 CC Language: English Runtime: 19 minutes Release date: January 5, 1976 Buy SD $1.99 from $1.99 9.

A Picnic on the River The Browns have a picnic on the river allowing Paddington to do the rowing until he falls in... TV-Y7 CC Language: English Runtime: 20 minutes Release date: January 5, 1976 Buy SD $1.99 from $1.99 10. A Visit to the Bank Paddington decides to withdraw all his savings from the bank, but having none to start with can be confusing. TV-Y7 CC Language: English Runtime: 19 minutes Release date: January 5, 1976 Buy SD $1.99 from $1.99 11. Keeping Fit Paddington decides to take up bodybuilding but he doesn't really achieve building any muscles just breaking Mr. Curry's fence. TV-Y7 CC Language: English Runtime: 20 minutes Release date: January 5, 1976 Buy SD $1.99 from $1.99 12. Paddington Weighs in On weighing himself Paddington decides he needs to lose some weight, but losing weight isn't that easy.

TV-Y7 CC Language: English Runtime: 20 minutes Release date: January 5, 1976 Buy SD $1.99 from $1.99 13. Paddington in a Hole Mr. Curry assigns Paddington to make him a serving hatch, all is fine until the end... TV-Y7 CC Language: English Runtime: 19 minutes Release date: January 5, 1976 Buy SD $1.99 from $1.99 14. Paddington Dines Out Paddington is taken out to dinner by the Browns but marmalade sandwiches are not what one should order in restaurants. TV-Y7 CC Language: English Runtime: 19 minutes Release date: January 5, 1976 Buy SD $1.99 Not available 101. Paddington Goes To The Movies The incorrigible Paddington, inspired by the magic of the Silver Screen and a sudden rainstorm, follows the famous footsteps of Gene Kelly and in his own way "dances in the rain" with hilarious consequences.

TV-Y7 CC Runtime: 26 minutes Release date: September 1, 1982 Not available Paddington film locations (2014) Paddington film locations Visit: the Natural History Museum , Cromwell Road, South Kensington, SW7 Free admission (tel: 020.7942.5000) (tube: South Kensington; Piccadilly, District and Circle Lines) Hertfordshire: Hatfield House (tel: 01707.262823, admission charge, rail: Hatfield, from London King's Cross) Trivia Hugh Bonneville is no stranger to Notting Hill and Portobello Road on screen. Remember him, pre-Downton Abbey, quizzing Julia Roberts about her salary in Notting Hill ? Paddington location: the little bear arrives in London and gets a new name: Paddington Station, Praed Street, Paddington, London Against all expectations, the live action adventures of Michael Bond’s much-loved bear is surprisingly witty and imaginative. The opening scenes of the bear’s discovery in darkest ‘Peru’ were filmed in Costa Rica .

Leaving South America to find a better life in the fabled city of London , the little bear stows away on a ship to arrive at the docks at Tilbury in Essex . A convenient truck unwittingly ferries him into the capital, inevitably crossing Tower Bridge en route, before dropping him off at one of the capital’s major rail termini. Paddington location: the entrance to ï¿½Paddingtonï¿½ station: Marylebone Station It is, of course, Paddington Station, where the bear is given his new name and somewhat reluctantly taken in by the Brown family. Or so you’d think. Although the station platforms are the real deal, Paddington Station doesn’t have much of a frontage, so the establishing shot is of the entrance to nearby Marylebone Station, Melcombe Place. The small and comparatively quiet Marylebone has appeared frequently on screen – most famously over 50 years ago in the Beatles’ first feature A Hard Day’s Night .

Paddington location: the Paddington Bear statue stands beneath the clock: Paddington Station, Praed Street, Paddington, London Once inside the station, that really is Paddington, although the charmingly old-fashioned tea room, with its chalk board menus, is nothing more than a fantasy created for the film (there is a disguised McDonalds just alongside). Beneath the clock there's no tea room nor lost property office, but an exit to the taxi rank – plus a bronze statue of the little bear. Paddington location: the home of the Brown family: Chalcot Crescent, Primrose Hill, London It’s implied that the Browns live in Notting Hill, but their pleasant home, on ‘Windsor Gardens’ is in an even posher area. It’s 30 Chalcot Crescent, Primrose Hill, NW1, just north of Regent’s Park. The Browns decide to take the new arrival along to Mr Gruber ( Jim Broadbent ) who owns an antique shop on Portobello Road in – where else? – Notting Hill, to see if Paddington’s red hat can give a clue to his origins.

Paddington location: the local (and fictitious) ‘Westbourne Oak Station’: Maida Vale tube station, London W9 The local (and fictitious) ‘Westbourne Oak Station’ is the handsome, brown-tiled Maida Vale Station, on the corner of Elgin Avenue and Randolph Avenue, Maida Vale, W9. The photogenic station also features in Richard Curtis ’s About Time and Neil Jordan ï¿½s adaptation of Graham Greene’s The End Of The Affair . Paddington location: ï¿½Gruberï¿½sï¿½ antique store in Notting Hill: Alice's Antiques, Portobello Road, London W11 ‘Gruber’s’ antique shop is Alice’s Antiques, 86 Portobello Road, at Denbigh Close, W11. It’s a longstanding institution of the famous street market. Alongside it, on Denbigh Close itself, you can see the flat belonging to Charlie Croker ( Michael Caine ) from The Italian Job . Paddington location: the ‘Geographers Guild’: Reform Club, Pall Mall, London The hat leads them on to the ‘Geographers’ Guild’, which is one of the West End’s famed gentlemen’s clubs.

It’s the Reform Club, 104 Pall Mall, a movie staple seen in Guy Ritchie ’s revamp of Sherlock Holmes , the 2001 remake of The Four Feathers with Heath Ledger , the 1998 big screen version of TV series The Avengers , as well as two Bond films – Die Another Day and Quantum Of Solace . The hallway, with it’s striking tiled floor, is the club, but the inner corridors, where Mr Brown ( Hugh Bonneville ) is obliged to pass himself off as a cleaning lady, are those of Hatfield House , Hatfield, north of London in Hertfordshire . Paddington location: the home of sinister taxidermist, Millicent: Downshire Hill, Hampstead, London On the trail of Paddington, with more sinister motives, is evil taxidermist Millicent Clyde ( Nicole Kidman ), whose home is 52 Downshire Hill, Hampstead, NW3. It’s just around the corner from the police station where Kevin Sheperd ( Ioan Gruffudd ) is held in another children’s classic, 102 Dalmatians .

Paddington location: the museum in which Millicent keeps her office: Natural History Museum, South Kensington, London Millicent works in the Natural History Museum , Cromwell Road, South Kensington, SW7, previously seen in excellent 1950 thriller Seven Days To Noon, Greystoke, The Legend Of Tarzan, Lord Of The Apes and barkingly daft kitsch classic Basic Instinct II. Don’t worry – the chances of this respected British institution giving house room to a rogue taxidermist bent on stuffing endangered species is about as likely as a Peruvian spectacled bear being able to speak perfect English. Classic of the month: A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond | Books | The Guardian Classic of the month: A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond Close A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond (Collins, £4.99) One forgets, with the near-total ubiquity of Paddington pencil-cases, bean-bags, lampshades and, naturally, stuffed toys, that Paddington actually started life as a book. But let us not blame Paddington himself for this.

Conceived by a 36-year-old Michael Bond in 1958, Paddington's phenomenal success is down largely to the serene unobjectionableness of this Candidean bear. Seek in vain here for subtexts, dark undercurrents, and significant symbolism - unless it is to note, in passing, that Paddington is both an exile and an orphan. Raised by his Aunt Lucy, his parents are, in all senses, off the map. Like children, he hardly knows anything about where he came from; we are all, so to speak, from Darkest Peru. Paddington was, in the original draft, from Africa; but Bond's editor told him that there were no bears there. "Children either know this or should know this and I suggest you make suitable amend," he advised Bond. But, of course, Paddington is English - or learning to be. He's halfway there, with his instinctive politeness and his fondness for marmalade. And while he may have arrived in 1958, the mood in the books, by Bond's own account, is very much pre-war. Yet, weirdly, Paddington's London has not dated that much.

There are still antique shops in the Portobello Road; and there are still officious shop assistants or tube workers, pompous actors who need to be taken down a peg or two by a frank, disingenuous stare. ("Paddington had a very persistent stare when he cared to use it. It was a very powerful stare. One which his Aunt Lucy had taught him and which he kept for special occasions.") Being English - or being like the English were in those days - Paddington spends a lot of time being scandalised by the prices of things. Understandably, the currency in the newer editions of the Paddington books is no longer in pounds, shillings and pennies, and one misses the original force of Paddington's eruptions - for some reason, they always sound better in pre-decimal currency - but we can still sympathise when he resents the gouging he has to suffer for a theatre programme and a coffee in the interval. ("'Seven pounds and fifty pence?' he repeated. ' Seven pounds fifty?' ") Or the fact that he has to spend 20p on opera glasses he can't even take home. ("' Twenty pence! ' he said bitterly.

'That's two buns' worth.'") I make no claims for Paddington as literature. I doubt that anyone would. It is basically a utopian fantasy; and it is nice that Bond took the trouble to introduce Mr Gruber, the kindly, courteous Hungarian antique-shop owner, representative of the displaced wartime immigrants whom Bond came to know when working for the BBC Monitoring Service. Come to think of it, Paddington is himself an evacuee; only this time, London is being repopulated, rather than emptied. Book 5: ‘A Bear Called Paddington’ by Michael Bond. Recipe 6: Paddington Bear’s Favourite Marmalade Buns | The Cherry Cake Challenge The Cherry Cake Challenge combining children's literature and baking into one delicious challenge Feeds: May 13, 2010 by tea for two I have always had a great appreciation for Paddington Bear. I found his combination of luggage tags, marmalade and Darkest Peru very appealing. But primarily, when I was a child, I had a Paddington Bear ‘Bear’ who, at the time, was almost the same size as me.

He stood in the corner of my bedroom wearing a real duffel coat (with beautiful toggles) and red wellington boots, which I always thought were rather impressive. He had a very old and brown luggage tag, that said ‘Please Look After This Bear’. My mum always told me he was very precious, as he was a gift to her due to the fact that her favourite book as a child was indeed Paddington. His value is perhaps the reason for another Paddington in our home at the time – a knitted version handmade by my mum, which was the antitheses of the antique wellie-wearing Paddington and was wonderfully floppy in the way that many knitted soft toys are. Alas, he had no wellingtons. But he had a lovely knitted navy blue duffel coat. Therefore it is quite surprising that I don’t think I ever actually read the Paddington stories properly as a child. And now that I have the luxury of another go, I realise that Paddington is a wonderfully witty children’s literature character.

At times I actually found myself laughing out loud, which may have looked fairly amusing to anyone watching, as the copy of the book I had was the most indiscreet hardback picture book, and there’s me chortling away to what is unmistakably a child’s book. (However if I really worried about such things I wouldn’t be embarking on this challenge!) It is difficult to decide which part of the book is my favourite. I loved the opening scene, where Mr and Mrs Brown discover Paddington at Paddington station, in the most politely British and proper manner. “A bear? On Paddington station? Don’t be silly Henry, there can’t be!” But indeed there was. And Mr and Mrs Brown promise the stowaway from Darkest Peru marmalade every morning, which is simply wonderful, as marmalade is very expensive in Darkest Peru. Of course, after a long journey the only thing to do is head straight to a cafe for tea and cake, which results in a very sticky, although rather amusing, predicament for Paddington as he ends up covered in tea and sticky bun.

Although for me, the best part of this stickiness is the taxi driver’s reaction, as the Brown family attempt to take Paddington home: “Bears is extra.” “Sticky bears is twice as much again.” Comic genius. This bit is highly contended by the shopping trip story, where Mrs Brown decides that Paddington would look lovely in a green woollen beret with a pom pom on top to match his new coat, and therefore whisks him off to the shops. However, I have concluded that my favourite element is Paddington’s interaction with Mr Gruber, who owns an antique shop on Portobello Road and enjoys inviting Paddington in for an elevenses of a cup of cocoa and a bun. Which is of course where this elevenses recipe comes from, and also Jane Brocket’s favourite Paddington moment. Mr Gruber’s quote says it all: ”There’s nothing like a chat over a bun and cocoa,’ he used to say, and Paddington, who liked all three, agreed with him – even though the cocoa did make his whiskers go a funny colour.’ They spend hours discussing South America, which to me sounds wonderful, particularly being surrounded by antiques and clutching a mug of coca.

I think the Paddington stories are so appealing, due to the relaxed attitude that all adults appear to have towards him. Initially they do seem to acknowledge that he is a bear, and therefore unexpected, however they then treat him as they would any other person,and this level of acceptance is what I love about children’s literature. A bear from Darkest Peru can visit the theatre with marmalade sandwiches in his suitcase, and travel by tube to buy a new hat. The graffiti in Bristol that I walk past each day on my way to work reminds me of this acceptance, and makes me wonder about the magic of children’s literature. What is a crime however, it would seem, is using the wrong ingredients when baking marmalade buns. Now I am a firm believer in following a recipe exactly when it comes to cake baking, however my boyfriend Jon, is much more blaze. On this occasion though, I think his ‘mistake’ in the sugar purchasing was actually due to the fact that soft brown sugar was unavailable, and therefore instead he bought dark muscavado sugar.

I should have known there would be problems, but at this juncture it was rather late in the evening (as is often the case when I am baking) and the cakes were for a belated birthday celebration for my mum, and therefore could not be delayed in order to re-visit the sugar shop. I pressed on and hoped for the best, but was met with an unusual result. The cakes began to bubble quite violently in a mysterious orangey zest liquid, as the already dark mixture darkened further and resulted in an interesting colour that was only just about maramaldedy. However the real problem here was that I had decided to splash out and use my new silicone muffin tray , which is a gem of genius from Lakeland that allows you to pour the mixture straight into the tray and then place in the oven, without the need for paper cases. Apparently, ‘the results simply pop out’. Hm. Maybe not.

My results remained very firmly stuck to the bottom, which led to me attempting to prise out as much cake as possible and salvage what became ‘very-dark- marmalade -and-only-half -a -marmalade bun.’ Unfortunately, I had quite grand plans, and hoped to give half of the cakes to my mum and half to one of my best friends Liz, who shared the birthday weekend. Alas, I had to turn up to her Scrabble party with the few cakes that I had decided to put into cases, that looked very brown and not very Paddingtony. This exercise did prove however that I am right; you DO need to follow the recipe. Highlighted further by the fact that I have actually already baked the marmalade buns, in March, with resounding success, and they were actually a specific choice due to their deliciousness. Mum and Liz insisted they were yummy which of course is the main thing. So hurrah for Paddington, hurrah for marmalade, but not so hurrah for muscavado sugar and ‘magic’ silicone trays. Like this: Like Loading...

Paddington cast: meet Paddington's new actor friends - Telegraph Paddington Movie Paddington and friends: meet the cast of the new film With an all-star cast including Ben Whishaw, Hugh Bonneville, Jim Broadbent, Julie Walters and Nicole Kidman, Paddington is being brought to life in sensible style Release date: Paddington will hit UK cinemas on November 28 By Hannah Ebelthite 5:16PM GMT 06 Nov 2014 When Paddington arrives alone in London from “darkest Peru”, he has to quickly adjust to a strange, foreign environment. He meets many people along the way – including the kindly Brown family, who take him in. But not everyone who crosses his path is as polite and honest as the small bear. Here’s a guide to the Paddington cast and characters. Paddington bear Voiced by Ben Whishaw Brought up by his Aunt Lucy after he was orphaned following an earthquake, she decides to send him to England when she goes into the Home for Retired Bears in Lima. After travelling as a stowaway, he arrives in London and is named by Mr and Mrs Brown after the train station where they find him.

Often clumsy and frequently confused, Paddington gets away with the chaos he causes, thanks to noble values and his optimism. Despite causing a flood and upsetting the neighbours, he captures the Browns’ hearts and is grateful and loyal to his adoptive family. Britain’s best-loved bear is voiced by 34-year-old stage and film actor Ben Whishaw. “As soon as his voice and Paddington came together, we really felt that the bear was finally coming to life,” says producer David Heyman. Henry Brown Played by Hugh Bonneville Mr Brown is a family man with a huge heart – played by acclaimed actor Hugh Bonneville, who audiences may know best as Downton Abbey’s Robert Crawley, the Earl of Grantham. A risk analyst by profession, Henry is cautious and can appear uptight, even though he’s just concerned for the wellbeing and safety of his children – especially Jonathan, his energetic, adventurous son. He isn’t keen on the disruption Paddington brings to the household, but soon falls under his charm. Mary Brown Played by Sally Hawkins It’s thanks to Mrs Brown’s warm-hearted, spontaneous nature that we meet Paddington at all. When she spots the young bear all alone in the station, she rushes to his aid.

And when she reads the label Aunt Lucy has tied around his neck: “Please look after this bear. Thank you”, she insists on taking him home. Mary is a free-spirited, eccentrically dressed, imaginative woman – reflecting her career as an author of adventure stories. Her quirky ways have been known to try her husband’s patience and embarrass her teenage daughter Judy. She’s played by Sally Hawkins, the award-winning actress noted for her roles in Blue Jasmine and Happy-Go-Lucky. Judy Brown Played by Madeleine Harris Life is hard for the Browns’ teenage daughter Judy. Her mother calls her embarrassing names like “sweetie pops”, her little brother drives her crazy and, to top it all, they now have a bear living at home. Her biggest concern is her friends finding out about her “weird” family. She has a crush on a boy called Tony, but wouldn’t dream of inviting him home and she’s often found hiding out in her bedroom, learning Chinese on her headphones and planning a future far away from her family. Judy is brought to life by Madeleine Harris, a young actress best known for TV roles including Man Down.

Jonathan Brown Played by Samuel Joslin Newcomer Samuel Joslin, who starred alongside Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts in 2012’s The Impossible, plays Jonathan – Judy’s lively, curious and adorable younger brother. Jonathan dreams big and wants to become an astronaut. But ever since he made a pair of explosive rocket boots and ended up in A&E, his risk-averse father has restricted him to old-fashioned toys. Paddington’s arrival is just the adventure Jonathan needs and he adores his new accident-prone partner in crime. Mrs Bird Played by Julie Walters Fans of the Paddington books will know Mrs Bird as the housekeeper to the Browns. In the film, she’s given a back story of an elderly relative who has lived with them since her naval officer husband died. She likes everything to be ship-shape and when she blows her whistle, the children fall in line. The family’s unofficial housekeeper, she is allergic to mess and has a different vacuum cleaner for every occasion. Yet Mrs Bird has a heart of gold and gives Paddington the warmest of welcomes to 32 Windsor Gardens. “It’s a privilege to be working with Paddington,” said Julie Walters of her role as Mrs Bird.

Mr Gruber Played by Jim Broadbent This wise and kindly Hungarian antique shop owner is played by another much-loved British actor, Jim Broadbent. With his twinkly eyes and encyclopaedic mind, it’s easy to see why Paddington enjoys his company and visits him every morning for elevenses of cocoa and buns. They bond over a shared history – like Paddington, Mr Gruber came to England as a refugee when he was a boy. He’s lived and worked on London’s Portobello Road for many years and is happy to help Paddington get to grips with his new life. Millicent Played by Nicole Kidman Nicole Kidman plays new character Millicent, a cold-hearted, yet elegant and seductive taxidermist who works at the Natural History Museum. The villain of the tale, she has a grudge against talking bears and when a certain Marmalade-pawed variety catches her eye, she is determined to hatch her evil plan... Mr Curry Played by Peter Capaldi Mr Curry is the character Paddington fans love to hate.

Peter Capaldi (aka Dr Who), plays the Browns’ bad-tempered, nosy neighbour, who’s always peering out of his window to check what’s going on in Windsor Gardens. Naturally suspicious of newcomers, he’s horrified when he learns that a “furry menace’” from Peru has moved in next door. His vanity makes him a soft target for Millicent. Paddington's very own Telegraph channel Click on Paddington to visit the page dedicated entirely to the small bear from Peru. Watch the trailer for his upcoming movie debut, hear from the Telegraph writers who have never let their furry friend slip from their lives, enter exclusive competitions, get ideas for a Paddington-themed party and much, much more. “Paddington” Perfectly Captures a Particular English Sensibility - The New Yorker “Paddington” Perfectly Captures a Particular English Sensibility By January 23, 2015 CreditPHOTOGRAPH BY EVERETT It’s a risky business, going to see a movie adapted from a beloved children’s book. Young readers are able to conjure an entire fictional world so vividly inside their heads that a film director’s efforts at translation can seem redundant, or even worse.

Sometimes, a director’s vision can overwhelm the original: watching Spike Jonze’s “Where The Wild Things Are”—even if one admires the movie—requires an acquiescence to Jonze’s own idiosyncratic reading of Maurice Sendak’s classic picture book, a substitution of Jonze’s imagination for one’s own. Sometimes an adaptation is transparently meretricious: the 2012 movie “The Lorax” had none of the delightfulness of the 1971 book, and instead partook of the thoughtless consumption and commercialism that Dr. Seuss sought to critique. “Paddington,” which is based upon the beloved series of books by Michael Bond about a bear found by a family at a London train station, might so easily have been a disappointment. The trailer was not altogether promising. It showcased a gross-out scene—Paddington sticking toothbrushes in his ears and loading them with earwax; Paddington sticking his head down the toilet for a drink—and featured Paddington riding a claw-foot bathtub down a spiral staircase, on a wave of excess bath water.

Humor based on scatology or bodily secretions, and the use of roller-coaster special effects, seems obligatory in children’s movies, at least those made in the United States or Britain. (Hayao Miyazaki manages without them.) But they don’t figure prominently in the original books, where the extent of Bond’s bathroom humor was to have Paddington’s bathtub overflow. In fact, “Paddington,” directed by Paul King, offers a wonderfully winning interpretation of Bond’s original. As the critics have pointed out, it successfully interpolates a plot that’s absent in any of the Paddington books, with Nicole Kidman gleefully enacting the role of a museum director with a taxidermy fetish. And Ben Whishaw’s vocal performance as the bear himself—polite, curious, hopeful—is endearing, even if the presence of teeth in Paddington’s animated mouth takes some getting used to, especially for viewers raised not just on the books but also on the stop-motion television adaptation that aired on British TV in the late seventies and early eighties. (For those not raised thus, here is the first episode .) But “Paddington” isn’t just about a bear; it’s about an entire cultural milieu.

The movie has pitch-perfect tone for a very English register of resignation. Consider the police officer who, upon hearing Mrs. Brown’s description of the missing Paddington—three feet six, with a battered hat and duffel coat, and he’s a bear—replies dolefully, “That’s not much to go on.” Then there is the pair of security guards quizzing each other on the nutritional value of a packet of biscuits—measuring out their lives with carbohydrate counts. It is a perfect vignette of a failure so profound it passes for pleasure. In the way that it captures this cramped Englishness, “Paddington” is reminiscent, at times, of Mike Leigh, at least when Leigh is at his most forgiving. (Leigh, who typically snarls at the affluent, would likely be far less patient than King is with the Browns, who appear to have risen with the tide of gentrification, and inhabit a handsome house in one of London’s most desirable corners.) This impression is reinforced by King’s use of actors beloved by Leigh: Mrs. Brown, now mildly bohemian, is played by Sally Hawkins, who starred in Leigh’s “Happy Go Lucky”; Mr.

Gruber, the Hungarian immigrant who owns an antique shop on Portobello Road, is played by Jim Broadbent, another Leigh favorite; Paddington’s Aunt Lucy has the voice of Imelda Staunton, who was remarkable in Leigh’s “Vera Drake.” King’s casting choices are often inspired, and, like the Harry Potter films, with which “Paddington” shares a producer, David Heyman, the movie is studded with appearances by celebrated British character actors and comic performers. These include Julie Walters—whose Mrs. Bird, in an acknowledgment of changing social mores, is now a relative of the Browns, rather than their housekeeper—and Geoffrey Palmer, a familiar face to anyone who grew up watching English television sitcoms of the seventies and eighties. Among other roles, Palmer was the phlegmatic guest at Fawlty Towers who insisted upon sausages for breakfast, even as the staff struggled to dispose of an inconvenient corpse. Ostensibly, “Paddington” is about the unexpected openness of contemporary British society: the fact that even a bear from Darkest Peru can find a way to be at home in Notting Hill. But underneath that message, there is also a fond, amused depiction of enduring aspects of national character.

The movie offers a gently satirical portrait of a particular English upper-middle-class sensibility: liberal, but sometimes effortfully so; emotionally restrained, but not lacking in feeling, for all that restraint. Hugh Bonneville’s Mr. Brown, who mutters “stranger danger” at his first sight of Paddington—while hustling his family along the train platform after a wholesomely educational visit to a Victorian wool museum—is a poignant representative of the middle-aged English man who so embraces limitation that he has persuaded himself that limitation is his preference. Hawkins’s Mrs. Brown, with her earnest, rebuffed attempts to sustain the connection of childhood with Judy, her sullen teen-age daughter—she brightly, desperately “darling”s Judy, almost to distraction—is the quivering embodiment of well-meaning, middle-class metropolitan motherhood. In this sense, “Paddington” is imbued with an awareness about its cultural role that its literary precursor never had. (Bond did not know that he was creating a global phenomenon when he wrote the first of his books.) Mr.

Brown, a viewer senses, is the kind of person who is pained by the omnipresence of gross-out humor in children’s movies, but if “Paddington” has gentle fun with the onset of his cultural conservatism, it doesn’t really judge him for it. Meanwhile, in its fleshing out of the character of Mrs. Brown from Bond’s original, “Paddington” makes a suggestive choice. Mrs. Brown might have had any career; given the comforts of the Bonds’ home, a remunerative one might have been most realistic. Instead, she belongs to the marginal fellowship of authors: she is a writer and illustrator of children’s books. That the movie makes a nod to the vivid and enduring appeal to the young imagination of the literary, in spite of the stimulations and seductions of the screen, is part of its charm and its truth. Rebecca Mead joined The New Yorker as a staff writer in 1997. Who Is Paddington Bear? 7 Things To Know Paddington Bear in Westminster by The Telegraph He’s furry, incredibly polite and comes from deepest darkest Peru… it’s Paddington Bear!

This charming stowaway first appeared in author Michael Bond’s book in 1958 and we still love him over 50 years later. The brand new Paddington Bear movie tells the story of Paddington’s arrival in London and Mr and Mrs Brown of Notting Hill came to adopt him. Want to know a bit more about ‘the world’s most polite bear’? Here are seven things you need to know about Paddington Bear: He loves marmalade sandwiches and even carries a jar of marmalade in his suitcase. Paddington’s Peruvian name is Pastuso. He sailed from Peru to London on a cargo ship. The name ‘Paddington’ was taken from the bustling London train station where he was found. Mr Gruber, a Portobello Road antique shop owner, is one of Paddington’s best friends. Paddington (like the Queen) has two birthdays. One is the 25th June and the other is 25th December. He doesn’t get on well with a neighbour named Mr Gruber (My Gruber tries to trick Paddington into giving him money). Follow that bear!

Paddington actor Hugh Bonneville with his statue Not only is Paddington the star on the big screen, but you will find him all over London thanks to the Paddington Trail! Follow the bear across London with the Visit London Paddington Bear Trail . There are 50 beautiful Paddington statues to find across London, each one unique. The bears have been designed by celebrities and artists and will be at their London locations until 30 December 2014. You can share your photographs with Paddington on social media using the #PaddingtonTrail hashtag. Watch this video to find out about the Paddington Trail and the inspiration behind it. Fans of Paddington and his new film can now take a dedicated Paddington Bear Tour of London! This bus tour takes you to famous London sights that appear in the film and books, including Portobello Market and Paddington Station. The following two tabs change content below. Paddington Bear Facts | The Fact Site Paddington Bear Facts Home » Film & TV , Literature »Paddington Bear Facts Paddington Bear Facts Paddington Bear was voted the top animated character of television on 16th March 2012, he has become a national treasure, read the facts!

The man behind the loveable bear is Michael Bond, who first created the adventures of the mischievous bear on 13th October, in 1958. Michael Bond, who was working as a cameraman for the BBC, found the inspiration for Paddington Bear in 1956, on Christmas Eve. Spotting a forlorn looking bear on a shelf, he felt a deep sympathy for it, and brought him home as a gift for his wife, Brenda. He was immediately named Paddington, for they lived near Paddington Station. The first book, titled A Bear Called Paddington was published by William Collins & Sons, now known as HarperCollins. The book has sold over thirty-five million copies worldwide and has been translated into over forty languages. There have been twelve Paddington books to date. When Paddington made his debut he was illustrated by Peggy Fortnum. Since then, there have been eight artists working on him at all different times. In 1975, Paddington made his television debut. He starred in five-minute programmes, which used stop-motion style animation. He also had three successful thirty minute films, in which he replicated Gene Kelly’s famous Singing in the Rain routine.

Paddington Bear came from Darkest Peru, where he was brought up by his Aunt Lucy, after an earthquake orphaned him when he was just a few weeks old. When Aunt Lucy went to live in the Home for Retired Bears, she decided to teach her nephew how to speak English. She sent him to live in England, by stowing him away on a cargo ship’s lifeboat. Paddington Bear arrived at Paddington Station, where he got his namesake. It was here he met Mr and Mrs Brown, while he was sat near the lost property office. All Paddington had, was a suitcase, hat and a little note tied around his neck. The note was from Aunt Lucy, who had written: Please look after this bear. Thank you. Mr and Mrs Brown brought home the lost bear, where they lived at 32 Windsor Gardens. The semi-detached house is in the Notting Hill area, near Paddington Station and Portobello Road. Paddington soon became part of a new family. Jonathon and Judy (the Browns children) loved having him around, and Mrs Bird (the house keeper) has a seemingly six-sense when it comes to Paddington’s latest adventures.

He is also close friends with Mr Gruber, a Hungarian immigrant, who owns an antique shop on Portobello Road. They usually have a nice chat over mugs of hot cocoa, and sticky buns (their mid-morning snacks). The Browns neighbour, Mr Curry, however isn’t exactly a friend of the brown bear. A humourless man, Mr Curry often tries to trick Paddington into giving him money. Paddington always comes out on top. It was later revealed as the series continued that Paddington’s name in Peru, was actually Pastuso. Paddington has two birthdays – just like the Queen. Paddington celebrates his birthdays on 25th June and 25th December. Paddington is never seen without his hat, duffel coat (which has become a recognised icon), wellington boots, and his battered suitcase. The infamous bush hat was inherited from an uncle in Peru. He is barely seen without it. Paddington’s favourite food is marmalade. In his suitcase he carries a jar of the sticky stuff, and his very important paperwork. He is never without his emergency marmalade sandwich, which he carries underneath his hat.

He also carries a scrapbook of memories, filled with photographs, ticket stubs and postcards from his dear Aunt Lucy. Paddington and Michael Bond are also huge supporters of the Action Medical Research charity, which supports a wide range of medical conditions, from sick babies, children with disabilities and those suffering from a rare disease. Paddington began his medical support in 1976, and he has soon become the mascot from the charity, up and down the United Kingdom . Paddington Station now has a memorial bronze statue of this famous bear. It still attracts many visitors to this day. Paddington has accumulated a number of celebrity fans, including UK favourite, Stephen Fry. Fry has taken part on many nature documentaries, including Spectacled Bears: Shadow of the Forest in which he travelled to Peru in search of the real Paddington Bear.

Question: In the Paddington Bear books by Michael Bond, Mr. Gruber owns an antique shop in which London road?
Answer: Portobello Road