Since then, Paddington’s star has risen, with dozens of books, a beloved BBC program, a Netflix show, three feature films, and countless units of merch. In 2022, an animated Paddington met Queen Elizabeth II for tea. When she died, people placed toy Paddingtons at the palace gates. Last month, he opened in a buzzy new West End show, “Paddington the Musical,” at the Savoy Theatre. As the première approached, speculation mounted: How would the production handle the bear?journey-inline-newsletterinline-newsletter