Rare teddy bears set to be auctioned

Aloysius, who was made in 1910, is currently part of a collection at the Teddy Bears of Witney shop

A teddy bear that became the unexpected star of a 1980s TV drama is being auctioned as part of a world-famous teddy bear collection.

Aloysius was made in 1910 and starred in ITV's Brideshead Revisited which was first shown in 1981.

He is expected to fetch more than £30,000 at an auction by Special Auction Services (SAS) featuring pieces of teddy bear history later this year.

His current home is the Teddy Bears of Witney shop, situated in the Oxfordshire town's high street.

Other items from the collection due to be sold are Happy, a rare large-eyed teddy bear from 1926...

... and a letter by artist Ernest H Shepard who illustrated the characters in the Winnie-the-Pooh books

Owner and vendor Ian Pout said Aloysius's legendary image "seems to be as strong as ever".

Aloysius is the teddy bear of Lord Sebastian Flyte in the TV period drama Brideshead Revisited which was inspired by Evelyn Waugh's novel of the same name.

Mr Pout said he thought that the toy was "much loved and much known all over the English-speaking world".

"You might have thought that his legend might die but it seems to be as strong as ever," he said.

"The images of him are some of the most famous in television history."

Mr Pout said he had been collecting the soft toys memorabilia since before 1985 when he opened the shop.

"I must say I bought things with my heart and it's going to be a big wrench to see them go but I'm 80 next year, so I just have to be realistic," he said.

Mr Pout has been buying pieces for his collection since before opening Teddy Bears of Witney in 1985

Other highlights of his collection that will go under the hammer include Happy, a rare large-eyed brown tipped Steiff teddy bear from 1926, and a handwritten letter from 1971 by Ernest H Shepard, the artist most famous for illustrating the characters in the Winnie-the-Pooh books.

In the note he explains that the model for Pooh bear in the books was actually his son’s Steiff bear Growler.

SAS director and Bargain Hunt Expert Thomas Forrester called Aloysius "a historic bear with provenance".

"It's such an honour to be involved in the selling of all of these items."

Mr Pout said that although he is parting with his best pieces soon, the shop "is very much still here".

"It's our fortieth anniversary next year in April and we plan to celebrate that," he said.

He added that the old bears were still on display until October.