Paddington Bear has been given a real British passport

By Jack Guy, CNN

London (CNN) — Paddington Bear, probably fiction’s best-known Peruvian, has been granted a passport by authorities in his adoptive country of Britain.

Rob Silva, co-producer of the upcoming film “Paddington in Peru,” revealed the existence of the British passport in an interview with Radio Times magazine published Monday.

In the film, the third in the hit series, the little bear (voiced by Ben Whishaw) travels home to Peru to visit his Aunt Lucy.

“We wrote to the Home Office, asking if we could get a replica, and they actually issued Paddington with an official passport – there’s only one of these,” Silva said, showing the passport, which has Paddington’s photo inside, to journalist Laura Rutkowski.

“You wouldn’t think the Home Office would have a sense of humour, but under official observations, they’ve just listed him as Bear,” added Silva.

The movie is inspired by the work of late children’s author Michael Bond, who created the character of Paddington Bear in 1958 book “A Bear Called Paddington,” which follows the adventures of a small orphaned bear as he travels from Peru to the British capital.

He is found at Paddington Station wearing a tag saying “Please look after this bear. Thank you,” and is taken in by the Brown family.

“Paddington in Peru” follows his return to his homeland to visit his Aunt Lucy (voiced by Imelda Staunton) after he is issued with a passport.

But when he and his friends the Brown family get there, they find that his aunt has gone missing from the Home for Retired Bears, sparking a search that takes them deep into the Amazon rainforest.

The third installment of the franchise, which follows 2014’s “Paddington” and 2017’s “Paddington 2,” is directed by Dougal Wilson, who revealed that he was “incredibly apprehensive” about taking on the project.

“Paddington 2 is one of the greatest films of all time. I was very scared and very anxious,” he told the Radio Times.

“I’m under no illusion of how difficult it is to follow up those first two films, and obviously a third film is always very challenging. I really hope we don’t let down the fans.”

“Paddington in Peru” is scheduled for release in the United Kingdom on November 8, and on January 17, 2025 in the United States.

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