Cliff Notes – TV show sued for portraying Paddington Bear as a cocaine sniffing podcast host

StudioCanal is suing Avalon over a Spitting Image episode that depicted Paddington Bear as a foul-mouthed podcaster, raising copyright and design right concerns.
The controversial portrayal includes Paddington discussing drug use and making crude jokes, which starkly contrasts with his traditional family-friendly image.
Spitting Image has a history of satirising public figures, but this episode’s content has sparked significant backlash due to its treatment of a beloved children’s character.

TV show sued for portraying Paddington Bear as a cocaine sniffing podcast host

Studio Canal is suing Avalon after a Spitting Image episode (Picture: AP)

StudioCanal is suing Avalon after Spitting Image portrayed the marmalade-loving bear as a coked-up podcaster.

Paddington Bear has become a quintessential part of British culture and is known for being an adorable, accident-prone character from ‘darkest Peru’.

However, a recent video showed the sweet bear as something far less wholesome.

Avalon, the producers of Spitting Image, showed Paddington as a foul-mouthed podcast host in an episode titled Spitting Image Presents: The Rest is Bulls*!t, which was released in the summer.

StudioCanal, the producer of the Paddington movies, and the holders of the rights to the beloved bear, are now suing Avalon.

Deadline revealed that the claimants have filed a High Court complaint citing copyright and design right concerns, but details about the claim are not yet fully established.

Spitting Image took aim at the bear (Picture: Spitting Image)

The episode showed Paddington and Prince Harry co-hosting a Goalhanger-esque show, riffing off the likes of The Rest Is Entertainment or The Rest Is Politics.

In the episode, the bear revealed that his healthcare routine includes, ‘100% Peruvian, Biodynamic, organic, catastrophic cocaine.’

In another part, he comments that he doesn’t really talk like Ben Whishaw, the actor who voices the character in the show.

He then put on a generic South American accent and shouted: ‘I am from Peru, motherfuckers – I am Paddington Bear from Peru!

‘You most likely remember me from the films Paddington, Paddington 2 and Paddington in Peru. I also had a starring role in the Netflix series Narcos, as Pablo Esco-bear. It is a joke. Laugh, muchachos.’

The show contained sketches about Elon Musk, Donald Trump and Keir Starmer.

While interviewing a caricature of Musk, Paddington encourages the billionaire to go to Mars: ‘You are too much genius for one planet. As I say about my cocaine, it is only right to share.’

The episode ended with the bear snorting a white powder before seeming to lose consciousness.

Paddington is a beloved children’s character (Picture: Studio Canal/ Paddington)

Spitting Image has been imitating politicians and celebrities since it first launched in 1984, famously mocking the Royal Family and various other A-listers over the years.

The series was hugely popular in the 1980s but was cancelled in 1996 when the viewing figures began to drop. In 2020, it was rebooted on BritBox, only to be cancelled after two seasons.