First-look images have been released of the bear portraying Paddington for the new West End musical inspired by the beloved children’s books and films.
Paddington The Musical, which begins previews at London’s Savoy Theatre on Saturday, follows the small bear from Peru as he is taken in by the Brown family after a chance meeting at a London railway station.
Photos show the bear, known for his love of marmalade sandwiches, arriving to London with his red hat, brown trunk and tag that says “please look after this bear”.
In another image he is seen sitting on a bed wearing his blue duffle coat while holding what appears to be a letter.
A trailer shows the character sitting on a box at Paddington, the station he is named after, while a voiceover says: “This is a passenger announcement, the station is now closing, please go home.”
Voicing Paddington is off-stage performer and remote puppeteer James Hameed, with on-stage actress Arti Shah also helping in the portrayal of the bear.
The production has been adapted from the books by Michael Bond and hit films, which feature Ben Whishaw as the voice of the bear.
Among the other cast members are Amy Ellen Richardson as Mrs Brown, Adrian Der Gregorian as Mr Brown, and Doctor Who star Bonnie Langford as Mrs Bird.
Producers Sonia Friedman and Eliza Lumley said: “After many years of exploration and development, we are thrilled, alongside StudioCanal, to finally bring Paddington to life on stage.
“What we as producers always hoped to achieve was, quite simply, Paddington on stage — and thanks to the immensely talented artists, both on and off stage, we believe we’ve realised that.”
The musical has been written by Jessica Swale with music and lyrics by McFly singer Tom Fletcher.
Paddington, first published on October 13 1958, has seen a number of adaptations over the years, including a BBC TV version in 1976, voiced by the late Sir Michael Hordern.
More recently there were movies released in 2014, 2017 and 2024, which all performed well at the box office.
The story of Paddington, and the bear’s image, also inspired the latest series of puppet-based satirical series Spitting Image.
StudioCanal, which makes the Paddington films, and Paddington and Company are bringing legal action against Avalon, producer of the series, alleging copyright infringement.
Paddington The Musical is now booking until October 25 2026.
