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Televised in June 2022, at the start of the Queen's Jubilee weekend, the sketch delighted members of the public who loved the way she entered into the spirit of things by chatting to the fictional bear over tea and marmalade sandwiches.
Screenwriter Frank Cottrell-Boyce, who co-wrote the comedy sketch, admitted it had become significantly more poignant following the Queen's death, at the age of 96, on 8th September. He revealed the idea of the Queen chatting with Paddington had come from Buckingham Palace. He was invited to co-write the script with the writers of the Paddington 3 film, Jon Foster and James Lamont.
He described it as an "astute idea" because Paddington "embodied many of the values" that the Queen stood for, such as tolerance, politeness and kindness.
Story of Paddington Bear
Paddington Bear made his debut in a book by English author Michael Bond in 1958. Wearing his familiar blue duffel coat, red hat and Wellington boots, the bear is recognised all over the world. He now lives in London, but was born in Peru, where he was orphaned in an earthquake when he was young.
He was brought up by his Aunt Lucy, but when she went to live in a bears' retirement home in Lima, she sent him to England, stowed away on a ship. He arrived at Paddington Station and was found by a kind couple, the Browns, sitting on his suitcase with a label around his neck, saying, "Please look after this bear."
They took Paddington to their home at 32 Windsor Gardens, London, as a companion for their children, Judy and Jonathan. He didn't know the date when he was born, so they decided he should have two birthdays "like the Queen", choosing 25th June and 25th December.
Renowned for his love of marmalade, he always takes a jar of marmalade in his suitcase wherever he goes, plus he also carries a marmalade sandwich on his person "for emergencies". Rather than keeping it safe in a lunchbox, he keeps it tucked under his hat!
He ate marmalade sandwiches because his Aunt Lucy taught him how to make them as a child. His Peruvian uncle always kept an emergency marmalade sandwich under his hat, so Paddington followed his example.
Bond, who died in June 2017, aged 91, based the Paddington character on a toy bear he saw in a shop on Christmas Eve 1956. It was the last bear on the shelf and he "felt sorry for it", so he bought it as a gift for his wife.
He named the bear Paddington because their home was near the station. He started forming an idea for a children's book because it was something he would have enjoyed reading as a child. He gave his manuscript to the literary agent Harvey Unna and it was snapped up and published right away by William Collins and Sons on 13th October 1958.
Although Bond had been writing since 1945, when he was stationed in Cairo with the British Army, his career as an author never really took off until he invented the Paddington Bear character. He wrote nine Paddington books in total, the last one of which was published in April 2017, just weeks before the author's death.
He wished to create a good role model for children, hence Paddington's traits of being polite and kind to others. Always humorous, Paddington managed to get into trouble, yet always "tried so hard" to behave well.
Today, the Paddington books have been translated into around 30 languages and have sold more than 35 million copies all over the world.
Jubilee marmalade sandwich sketch
The famous marmalade sandwich Jubilee sketch with the Queen and Paddington Bear begins with the royal butler carrying a tray of afternoon tea through Buckingham Palace. He places it on a table in front of a guest - and to the viewers' surprise, this is Paddington Bear.
He says, "Thank you for having me," to his companion, who is off-camera at this point. When he wishes her an enjoyable jubilee, the camera pans onto Her Majesty, who says in a friendly manner, "Tea?"
Of course, this is when Paddington's traditional mishaps start to happen, as he completely forgets his manners and tries to drink the tea out of the spout of the kettle! The Queen watches him with a bemused expression, until the butler clears his throat to attract the bear's attention and alert him to his faux pas.
However, he has already drunk all the tea and there is none left for the Queen. The flustered bear almost drops the teapot and accidentally puts his hand in a cream cake, showering the butler with cream. The Queen doesn't bat an eyelid and kindly says, "Never mind," while smiling warmly at him.
Having drunk all the tea and ruined the cakes, Paddington suggests to the Queen, "Perhaps you would like a marmalade sandwich?" and pulls one out from under his hat, explaining, "I always keep one for emergencies."
The Queen replies, "So do I," as she opens her handbag and pulls out her own marmalade sandwich "for later"! Paddington is wide-eyed with surprise, but they smile at each other, having found some common ground and an affinity.
As the butler hears cheering outside, he looks out of the palace window, allowing the sketch to slip seamlessly into the Queen's Jubilee Concert. Paddington thanks the Queen "for everything" - a heartfelt sentiment that thousands of people have been echoing across the nation since her passing.
Wonderful performance
Cottrell-Boyce was full of praise for the Queen's performance, explaining how acting opposite an animated character was more challenging than it looked. Now describing it as a "most lovely goodbye", he said how wonderful it had been to work with Her Majesty.
The sketch revealed her light-hearted side, something the writer had already been lucky enough to experience in 2012. He was also involved in the creation of her famous James Bond comedy skit for the London Summer Olympics. On this occasion, Her Majesty was asked for her permission for an actress to portray her, but she did far more than this, as she offered to be in the sketch herself!
In an interview with the BBC following the Queen's death, Cottrell-Boyce revealed the idea for the Paddington tea party had come directly from the Palace! The fact Paddington embodied many of the Queen's own values made it "significant" rather than "cute".
He praised the Queen for her "amazing" performance and explained Paddington wasn't actually in the room. The Queen was given an eyeline of where to look, with someone pretending to be Paddington giving her the verbal cues. The animated bear was superimposed onto the film later. The Queen's acting abilities and great sense of fun made the sketch a global success.
Jam Pennies
According to former royal chef Darren McGrady, speaking in August 2022, the Queen genuinely enjoyed sandwiches known fondly as "Jam Pennies" with her afternoon tea. She had enjoyed them since she was a little girl when she was served the simple sandwiches in the nursery and had eaten them for her entire life.
Queen Elizabeth II was an amazing inspiration to everyone during her seven decades of dedicated service to the nation and her subjects. We are going to miss her terribly.