While the bear is a character we often see as being quintessentially British, he is actually an asylum seeker from Peru - with one of the stars of the latest movie saying the creation has helped encourage 'respect' towards 'vulnerable' people.
As Paddington Bear returns to cinemas this weekend - with his third film in 10 years - Ben Whishaw, the actor who voices the marmalade-loving bear, says he had 'had no idea' the character would prove to be a golden goose to the UK film industry. Speaking to Sky News, the actor confessed that when he lent his voice to the first film he didn't know what he was 'getting myself into'. He added: 'I had no idea that it would be such a big thing for so many people.
' It's a subject Professor Angela Smith from the University of Sunderland has studied extensively, publishing a research paper called Paddington Bear: A Case Study Of Immigration And Otherness. 'I'm in Sunderland,' she explained, 'this is where one of the riots took place in the summer'. 'There is a lot to be said for tolerance and a desire to be inclusive than perhaps we would gather from certain ideas from the far-right.
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Critics Have A Warning For Paddington Fans Before They Watch Paddington In PeruDaniel Welsh is a London-based entertainment journalist at HuffPost UK. His areas of expertise are film, TV and music. He particularly enjoys reality TV, Madonna and getting compliments about his hair.
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