Paddington creators sue after Spitting Image depicts him as crude podcast host
- Published
The producers behind the hit Paddington films and the estate of his creator, Michael Bond, are suing the company behind Spitting Image after it depicted the beloved bear as a foul-mouthed podcast host.
As first reported in Deadline, external, the claimants, represented by law firm Edwin Coe, have filed a High Court complaint against Avalon, citing copyright and design right concerns.
While the filing does not reveal the details of the claim, it comes months after the Spitting Image YouTube show, called The Rest is Bullsh*t!, featuring the fictional bear, was released.
Avalon, StudioCanal and Michael Bond's estate declined to comment when contacted by the BBC. Edwin Coe have also been asked for comment.
For those familiar with the bear from Peru, who first appeared on the scene in Bond's 1958 book, A Bear Called Paddington, the sketch, external is a somewhat different portrayal of the children's character.
In Spitting Image's parody, Paddington is hosting a podcast with Prince Harry, where the bear is seen swearing, reading adverts for guns and robot sex dolls and admitting to taking cocaine.
His accent has changed to a stereotypically strong South American one, as he reveals he doesn't really sound like Ben Whishaw, the British actor who voiced his character in the popular Paddington films.
The pair are seen interviewing X owner Elon Musk and the footage also features sketches including US President Donald Trump and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
The Rest Is Bullsh*!t is intended to poke fun at podcast series The Rest Is..., produced by Gary Lineker's Goalhanger productions.
A more recent episode shows Paddington make further references to his drug habit.
The Spitting Image TV show, which lampooned celebrities, politicians and royals, was a huge hit for ITV when it first ran in the 1980s and 1990s.
The Bafta and Emmy award-winning television series originally ran for 18 series between 1984 and 1996, returning between 2020 and 2022 on Britbox.
It also spawned a musical.
In July this year, the YouTube series, featuring shorter episodes of between 10 and 15 minutes, was announced.