The nearby town of Newbury was home to Michael Bond, the creator of Paddington Bear. I loves the books and the films were, I thought, terrific. Following the unveiling of a statue of Paddington in Newbury and elsewhere to promote an upcoming film, someone has written to the local paper suggesting that a blue plaque should be installed to celebrate Paddington’s birthplace. It is taking a great deal of self-restraint to prevent me from replying, “But surely that was darkest Peru?”
The illustration is from the dust-wrapper of the first edition of the first Paddington book, A Bear Called Paddington, copies of which, inscribed by the author, might set you back between £10,000 and £12,500. That seems an eye-watering amount to me.
Our late queen tried but, for me at least, failed to show a bit of human warmth with her little Paddington skit, but the bear is in the news for another reason. The Home Office, presumably also to try to show a bit of human warmth, has issued Paddington with an actual, official passport. Critics have said that this is completely inappropriate given the plight of so many real migrants, left in limbo in often dreadful living conditions, waiting for the Home Office to do its job. I have a feeling Michael Bond might have agreed. Paddington’s refugee status was inspired by the sight of Jewish refugee children from Europe and London evacuees during the Second World War, said Bond, “They all had a label round their neck with their name and address on and a little case or package containing all their treasured possessions. So Paddington, in a sense, was a refugee, and I do think that there’s no sadder sight than refugees.”
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