- Queen Elizabeth once starred in a sketch
- She acted alongside the famous "Paddington Bear"
- THIS is how it all went down
Getting in front of the camera can be nerve wracking for so many, but apparently not for the late Queen Elizabeth II. Brtain's longest-serving monarch aced her starring part in the 'Paddington Bear' skit from the Platinum Jubilee when asked to channel her inner grandmother!
This past Friday, "Paddington" actor and writer Simon Farnaby gave insights into the memorable moment while appearing on the 'RHLSTP with Richard Herring' podcast. Farnaby starred as the butler in a surprise sketch that debuted during the Platinum Party at the Palace during the four-day celebration commemorating the Queen’s record 70-year reign in June 2022, said that she wasn’t quite landing the line, "So do I," very well during filming.
Queen Elizabeth had to dig deep
"The director would come in, Adam, lovely guy: ‘Ma’am, could you just be a bit gentler?' And she’d be so sweet and she’d go, ‘I’m so sorry, yes, of course,’ " Farnaby said. "He’d go, ‘Like you’re talking to your grandchildren.’ She’d say, ‘Oh, of course. I’m so sorry,’" he added. Even royals need a bit of training when delivering a line.
"Eventually, I think she just got tired and just went, ‘So do I,’ and it was really sweet, and it was lovely and everyone was relieved. I needlessly went up to her and said, 'Ma'am, that was fantastic,' and she said, 'Oh, thank you.’ And I went, 'You're a very good actress,' and she went, 'Well, of course, I do it all the time.’ "
"’Oh! You mean like playing the part of the Queen?’ And she went, ‘I beg your pardon?’," Farnaby joked. The two-and-a-half minute video premiered on the BBC in June as part of the Jubilee celebrations. The CGI version of "Paddington" is voiced in the clip by Ben Whishaw, who also voiced the bear in the 2014 movie 'Paddington' and the 2017 sequel 'Paddington 2.'
In the video, the queen and "Paddington" sit together for tea, with the bear showing the queen how he always keeps a marmalade sandwich, his favorite, under his floppy red hat. In a cute twist, the queen reveals that she, too, is a fan of marmalade sandwiches and keeps one at all times in her handbag.
And the moment became a bit of a symbol as two of Britain's most beloved figures came together for everyone's amusement and pleasure.
Elizabeth had a special relationship with "Paddington"
It has been "extraordinary" to see how people have turned to the lovable brown bear for comfort as they have mourned the Queen, Karen Jankel, daughter of "Paddington" creator Michael Bond told the BBC. "If somebody told me [...] that the Queen was sadly going to die, and when she did, that Paddington would be a very large part of it, I would be utterly amazed."
Paddington teddies and marmalade sandwiches were been placed among the tributes in the palace, and so many, in fact, that the Royal Parks have asked mourners not to leave any more. But that wasn't all.
Artistic illustrations of Paddington became tributes too, while the BBC decided to broadcast the 'Paddington' film that Saturday instead of the 'Strictly Come Dancing' show, with its following the coverage of the monarch's funeral.
"Paddington Bear" was not previously closely associated with the Queen, except in books, but that changed after Buckingham Palace came up with an idea to film her acting opposite the bear to launch her televised Jubilee concert. And so, an unlikely connection was born.
"One of the last times most of us saw the Queen close up was when she did that marvelous sketch during the Jubilee celebrations," Ms Jankel told the BBC. "That was the final image of the Queen for many people. Tthat's what they remember, and so they associate her with Paddington."
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It's no doubt that she will continue to be remembered for years to come after the famous sketch, which went on to win at the 2023 BAFTA TV Awards in May. The prize is uniquely the show’s only honor voted by the public.
"Our thanks go to the mostly invisible team of wonderful filmmakers who created this lovingly handcrafted moment. I can tell you that Paddington and the Queen had a very joyful Jubilee tea that day, but it was also perhaps a farewell because the person who most deserves this award is no longer with us to receive it," Farnaby said in the acceptance speech at The Royal Festival Hall in London, referencing Queen Elizabeth’s death at age 96 in September 2022.
