Jeremy Clarkson’s surprising link to Paddington Bear leaves fans stunned – as new film hits cinemas
JEREMY Clarkson has a surprising link to Paddington Bear which is sure to leave fans stunned.
The third film of the beloved film franchise, Paddington In Peru hit cinemas across the UK last week.
Hugh Bonneville and Ben Whishaw returned to their long-running roles, while Olivia Colman and Antonio Banderas joined the cast.
Meanwhile, Jeremy, 64, rose to fame as the lead presenter of Top Gear on BBC One.
This was before he starred in his own Amazon Prime documentary reality series, Clarkson's Farm.
While Paddington is known for his love of marmalade, Jeremy is known to produce preserves at his 1,000-acre Diddly Squat Farm.
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However, that is not the only thing that might connect the pair, as Jeremy might not be the star that he is if it was not for the kind-hearted bear.
It turns out that Jeremy's mother Shirley designed the very first Paddington Bear soft toys.
She made the teddy bears for Jeremy and his sister Joanna when they were both kids.
Word of mouth soon spread about her commodity and she started to sell them as a product.
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However, her enterprise almost fell into hot water when Michael Bond – creator of the infamous character – considered legal proceedings.
At the time, she had not asked him for permission to use Paddington's likeness, however the issue was soon resolved.
Shirley's company was officially awarded the licence when she became firm friends with Michael after bumping into him in a lift.
In 2014, Michael told The Sunday Times: "I got in the lift with Shirley and Eddie.
"They were terribly nice and pretended it had all been a mistake — and we were friends by the time we got out of the lift. I gave them a licence."
The idea was a success for the Clarkson family, and Shirley explained that she used the income from the business to fund Jeremy's private education.
Meet the cast of Clarkson's Farm
Clarkson's Farm began streaming in 2021 and follows Jeremy Clarkson and his team managing Diddly Squat Farm in the Cotswolds. Here's a 'who's who' of faces in the Clarkson's Farm cast.
- Jeremy Clarkson: Presenter and journalist; also known for Top Gear, The Grand Tour and Who Wants to be a Millionaire?
- Lisa Hogan: A former actress and Jeremy's partner, who assists in the running of the farm shop.
- Kaleb Cooper: A young farm worker from Chipping Norton, who forms a double act with Jeremy on-screen. He's later promoted to farm manager in series three.
- Gerald Cooper: Specialist in the construction and maintenance of dry stone walls and the farm's "head of security". Of no relation to Kaleb.
- Charlie Ireland: Nicknamed "Cheerful Charlie", a professional land agent who advises Jeremy on land management.
She also believes that the opportunities this provided directly led to his long and established career in showbusiness.
She told AutoTrader: "I’ve got a Paddington Bear on the dashboard of my car.
"I looked at it recently and thought if it hadn’t been for the success of the toys, Jeremy wouldn’t have had all the chances he’s had in life."
In 2022, one of her bears popped up in an edition of Antiques Roadshow.
Expert Mark Hill explained where the toy came from, remarking: "Well, we’ve actually got what is one of the first licensed Paddington products; this version was designed by a lady called Shirley Clarkson for her company, Gabrielle Designs.
"The very first model she made was actually made for her children in about 1971 as a Christmas present.
"And their children, interestingly, are Joanna and Jeremy Clarkson."
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In the end, the product was only worth between £50 and £70.
