Paddington creators sue Spitting Image over sweary bear depiction

Satirical ‘The Rest Is Bulls***’ series features Paddington and Prince Harry as podcast hosts

Paddington Bear producers have sued Spitting Image over its foul-mouthed caricature of the marmalade-loving bear, originally created by British author Michael Bond in 1958.

The satirical puppet show depicted the adored children’s character as rude and drug-addled in a sketch from its new YouTube series, titled Spitting Image: The Rest Is Bulls***.

In the skit, which also features a parody of Prince Harry as podcast co-host, Paddington greets the audience by saying: “I am from Peru, motherf******. I am Paddington Bear from Peru.”

When asked the secret behind his “personal glow”, Paddington says his self-care regime includes taking “100 per cent Peruvian, biodynamic, organic, catastrophic cocaine”.

Paddington Bear’s rights holder and producer of the hit films Paddington, Paddington 2, and Paddington in Peru, have filed a High Court complaint citing design rights concerns and copyright, per Deadline.

The filing does not reveal the details of the claim against Spitting Image’s production company, Avalon, but comes just months after The Rest is Bulls*** series was launched on YouTube.

The Rest Is Bulls*** parodies Goalhanger shows like Marina Hyde and Richard Osman’s The Rest Is Entertainment and Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook’s The Rest Is History.

Prince Harry and Paddington parody on 'Splitting Image' sketch 'The Rest Is Bulls***' (YouTube / Spitting Image)

So far, the sketch show has seen Paddington and Prince Harry interview Elon Musk, as well as read ads for robot sex dolls and guns.

Paddington’s puppet also jokes that he starred in a Netflix series about the Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar as “Pablo Esco-bear”.

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Meanwhile, Prince Harry’s puppet says: “I’m here to tell my truth and make a s*** tonne of money out of podcasting as I don’t have any discernible talent.”

The Independent has contacted Avalon’s representatives for comment. StudioCanal declined to comment.

Since its premiere this summer, the Spitting Image YouTube series has clocked more than 10million viewers targeting celebrities including Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex and Taylor Swift.

The fallout comes after Spitting Image returned to TV through the now-defunct BritBox series in 2020. As the series hit 40 last year, The Independent’s James Moore said it had reached mid-life crisis.

Fans of Paddington have also pushed back against the sketch series’ depiction of the bear, claiming their childhood has been “ruined” by the parody and they could not stand the “disrespect”.