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Press Releases
Please Look After This Bear: Radio 4 celebrates 50th anniversary of Paddington Bear
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It was a whole half-century ago that Paddington Bear, in his trademark duffle coat, arrived from darkest Peru and was found at Paddington station in London. Fifty years of marmalade sandwiches later, he still remains one of Britain's favourite bears!
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To celebrate this very special 50th birthday, 91Èȱ¬ Radio 4 is placing 50 Paddington Bears in prominent places in train stations around the UK wearing the label "Please Look After this Bear". The bears will be in place and ready to be found by a prospective owner from 9.30am on Tuesday 22 January.
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In exchange for taking the Paddington Bears home, the finders will be asked to call Radio 4 and leave a special birthday message about the well-loved bear.
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On Saturday 1 March in a special one-off programme on Radio 4, children's author Michael Morpurgo will talk to the finders, hearing how and where they found the bears, their favourite Paddington memories and what Paddington means to them.
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Interwoven with these stories, we will hear from Paddington's creator Michael Bond about how he came to write A Bear Called Paddington in 1958 and why he thinks the character has stood the test of time.
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We will also hear archive from the unlikely recipient of the first Paddington Bear soft toy – Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson – whose mother, Shirley, made one for him at Christmas and then went on to run the only factory in the world licensed to produce them.
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Notes to Editors
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Please Look After This Bear is on Radio 4 on Saturday 1 March at 10.30am and is produced by Susie Matthews for Unique Productions.
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Listeners are invited to contact Radio 4 with their memories of Paddington Bear via:
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Freephone: 0800 043 9993
Email:paddington.bear@unique.com
Website: bbc.co.uk/radio4/arts/paddingtonbear.shtml
Postal address: c/o Unique, 50 Lisson Street, London, NW1 5DF.
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91Èȱ¬ Radio 4 Publicity
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