British Musicals: ‘Paddington: The Musical’ (2025)

British Musicals: ‘Paddington: The Musical’ (2025)

 Music & Lyrics by Tom Fletcher

Book by Jessica Swale (Based on the film ‘Paddington’ by Paul King and ‘A Bear Called Paddington’ by Michael Bond)

 

History

Following the success of the first two films of ‘Paddington’, this musical was developed over five years by Sonia Friedman Productions, StudioCanal and Eliza Lumley Productions on behalf of Universal Music UK. The story was to based on the first film, itself based on the book ‘A Bear Called Paddington’ by Michael Bond. Chosen to write the songs was Tom Fletcher, one of the lead vocalists and rhythm guitarist of British pop rock band McFly, who was also the group's founder. He came with a proven track record, as in his 20-year career as a professional songwriter, Fletcher has written 10 UK number one singles and 21 top-ten singles, as well as the songs for ‘The Christmasaurus Live’, a live production of his debut children's novel of the same name (featuring his sister, Carrie Hope-Fletcher, who is Musical Theatre royalty). The main challenge was how to realise the beloved titular bear, and was not until the first preview performance (and after all the rest of the cast had been announced) that it was announced that Arti Shah and James Hameed were both playing the role of Paddington with Shah as the on-stage performer and with Hameed performing as the voice and controlling Paddington's facial expressions, whilst also playing the role of Young Man. Amongst those joining them in the production which opened at the Savoy Theatre on 1^st November 2025 were Brenda Edwards, Bonnie Langford, Victoria Hamilton-Barritt, Teddy Kempner and Amy Booth-Steel

 

Story

Having travelled from darkest Peru to London to find ‘the Explorer’ who visited him and his Aunt Lucy many years before (and gave him his signature red hat), an initially nameless bear finds himself alone on the platform at Paddington Station, and in need of help. He is taken in by the Brown family (against Mr. Brown’s better judgement) as he attempts to find the Explorer and a home. However, at the nearby Natural History Museum, Millicent Clyde adds a chinchilla to her taxidermy collection, while lamenting over the almost-complete collection. She is only missing a Peruvian Bear. Can Paddington escape her clutches and learn what being part of a family means?

In A Nutshell

Family is more than blood (or even species).  (Oh, and you should always keep a Marmalade sandwich under your hat)

 

Production

Having walked past the ‘Paddington – The Musical’ gift shop on my way into the theatre, past a bar selling Marmalade sandwiches, and purchasing a large souvenir brochure, I entered the theatre itself. My seat was right at the back of the Dress Circle, but my view was excellent. Teddy Kempner as Mr Gruber was our narrator telling the story to the Young Man who would become the voice of Paddington. The first musical number which moved from Gruber’s shop to Paddington Station, ended with the ensemble parting and giving us our first glimpse of the bear himself, a wave of love sweeping from the audience towards him. Initially, the Young Man was standing behind him doing his dialogue in-vision. However, once the Brown family found him, the Young Man left the stage, and it was at this point that Paddington began moving, and his mouth opened and closed to the dialogue. Within a few lines, disbelief had been entirely suspended by the entire auditorium, as we all found ourselves transfixed by what seemed to be a real bear on stage, particularly when he began accidentally destroying the Brown’s home (and when a few scenes later, he was given his trademark blue duffle-coat, I had a lump in my throat).

The songs were wonderful, the staging amazing, and the cast seemed to be having the time of their lives. Victoria Hamilton-Barritt’s Millicent Clyde was the ultimate pantomime villain, Bonnie Langford stole all her scenes as Scottish housekeeper Mrs Bird, as did Amy Booth-Steel as the terribly posh Lady Sloane (who experienced Paddington’s ‘hard stare’), and all the Brown family (Adrian Der Gregorian, Amy Ellen Richardson, Delilah Bennett-Cardy & Joseph Bramley [at my performance]) were outstanding. Brenda Edwards and Teddy Kempner made the most of limited material, but my favourite was Tom Edden as Mr Curry, the only character to repeatedly break the fourth wall (including leading a singalong in the first number of Act 2) who had a few near-the-knuckle jokes that went over the children’s heads. I was also strangely touched by the length of the applause that Langford got after her main number in which she completed moves that someone half her age would have trouble doing.

All too soon we were at the end, with the whole cast on stage, allowing Paddington to give his bow, before everyone left, re-entering in turn, until finally Arti Shah (out of her bear skin) and James Hameed returned hand in hand to take their final bows. Several mothers seemed to be telling their children that Paddington had had to go home to bed, and that this was his friend.

Very highly recommended.

 

Paddington – The Musical runs at the Savoy Theatre, London, and is currently booking until February 2027  (best availability Autumn 2026).

  

Favourite Song

It has to be ‘The Explorer and the Bear’, which has been released as a single by Tom Fletcher and whose melody I was humming as I left the theatre, with the Act 2 opener ‘Marmalade’ and Clyde’s ‘Pretty Little Dead Things’ running it a close second.

  

Did I Buy The Cast Recording ?

Yes, I pre-ordered the CD via the QR code in the programme as soon as I got home.

 

 Links

Production website

Official YouTube Channel 

Sherlockian Sojourns #82: As Seen On Screen – ‘Enola’s Ho(l)me’

West Horsley Place is a Grade I listed building in West Horsley, Surrey, a little to the east of Guildford. The timber-framed house dates back to the 15th century, and has 50 rooms. It came into the possession of Henry VIII in 1538, before Edward VI granted the house to Anthony Browne, Master of the Horse. In 1931, it was acquired by Robert Crewe-Milnes, 1st Marquess of Crewe, and his wife, the Marchioness of Crewe. The Marquess died in 1945 and, on her death in 1967, his widow left it to their daughter, Mary Innes-Ker, Duchess of Roxburghe (1915–2014), who closed much of the house, living in a five-room section.

When the 99-year-old Duchess died in 2014, it was "accidentally" inherited by her (then) 80-year-old grand-nephew, broadcaster and author Bamber Gascoigne, best known for presenting 'University Challenge' from 1967 to 1987. The Duchess was childless, but had numerous grand-nieces and grand-nephews. Gascoigne had no idea she had picked him to solely inherit the property, and learned of it when a solicitor contacted him after his great-aunt's death.

To raise money to restore the somewhat dilapidated 50-room house, Gascoigne arranged for the Duchess's possessions—some found under cobwebs in the closed-up sections of the house—to be auctioned by Sotheby's in London and Geneva, raising £8.8 million. He then subsequently transferred ownership of the house and estate to the West Horsley Place Trust, which holds regular guided tours and open days of the house and gardens. There are also eight further Grade II buildings on the estate, including two mid-19th-century dog kennels either side of the main entrance.

In more recent years, the house has become famous across the world as ‘Button House’ in five series of the BBC comedy series ‘Ghosts’ (2019-2023), with almost all scenes filmed onsite. It has also appeared in other productions including ‘My Cousin Rachel’ (2017) (featuring Sam Clafin), ‘Howard’s End’(2017), ‘Vanity Fair’ (2019) (which featured Matthew Baynton), and ‘Mothering Sunday’ (2021). However, it also appeared as the interior of Ferndell Hall, where Enola lives with her mother in 'Enola Holmes’ (2020)  (the exterior was Benthall Hall in Shropshire).

On most Fridays (and selected Saturdays) the Trust runs a ‘Filming Favourites’ tour twice daily with ‘Ghosts’ locations being the main focus, but ‘Enola Holmes’ being included in the itinerary. I therefore took a day off work, and caught a train from my local station to Horsley. From here it was a twenty-five-minute walk along very muddy footpaths to the Estate. Arriving early, I signed in at the shop, then wandered around a nearby courtyard, until 10.50am when I was told to be back. There was then some confusion with the volunteer who was taking us over to the house who erroneously believed that I was running the tour rather than taking it due to sharing a first name with the guide.

On the gravel in front of the house, standing where the fountain is in ‘Ghosts’, the guide introduced himself to the group of twelve and asked if everyone was here for ‘Ghosts’. A group who lived locally indicated that they had never seen it and just wanted to go round the house, and I took the opportunity to indicate my interest in ‘Enola Holmes’ locations, with the guide promising to point out all EH points of interest.

  

Entering the house, immediately to the left was the Stone Hall, a medieval Great Hall rebuilt in the early 1500s. This was used as the front room of Ferndell Hall, with a large amount of set dressing. To one side was a large board showing how the Stone Hall had been dressed for various productions including ‘Enola Holmes’.

    

Next, we moved into the Stone Parlour which featured as the art studio of Eudoria Holmes (Helena Bonham Carter), Enola’s mother.

     

Exiting the parlour, we moved to what until 1931 was the Dining Room, but the Duchess’ father added beautiful bookshelves turning it into a Library. It was as a Library that it appeared in ‘Enola Holmes’, being also the scene for a billiard game between Enola’s two brothers, Sherlock (Henry Cavill) and Mycroft (Sam Clafin). As we entered the guide picked up what seemed to be two books from a nearby shelf and asked me to hold onto them for him. Looking at them, they proved to be two empty boxes disguised as books. Having outlined all the main ‘Ghosts’ scenes recorded here, he moved onto ‘Enola Holmes’ and the scene where Eudoria is wildly throwing books over her shoulder, before gesturing to myself and saying “Two of those books are being held by my friend over there”. Having calmed down from the excitement, and taken another look at them (and a photo), I handed them round for everyone else to hold and look at. 

  

Exiting the Library, we made our way up the main staircase, past the stuffed bear from ‘Ghosts’, and into one of the upstairs bedrooms, which had featured as Enola’s bedroom. The room had been entirely repainted for the film, and wonderfully the Trust had decided to keep the new decoration. I therefore took multiple photos. The guide also highlighted that I was standing on the exact spot where Miss Harrison (Fiona Shaw) attempts to persuade Enola (Millie Bobby Brown) to attend her boarding school.

        

Next was the large Drawing Room, formed by inserting a floor halfway up the original Great Hall, probably in the brief period that the house was owned by Anthony Browne in 1547-1548. It was here that the Captain (Ben Willbond) suffered his heart attack in ‘Ghosts’ and where the Holmes siblings discuss the disappearance of their mother.

   

Passing the doll’s house from the ‘Ghosts’ opening credits (acquired when a member of the Trust saw it for sale online), we made our way down to the area outside the Stone Kitchen which was used for filming the ‘plague pit’ scenes in ‘Ghosts’.

Exiting the house, we made our way into the Gardens, to see some more ‘Ghosts’ locations, namely the bedroom window that the ghost of Lady Button (Martha Howe-Douglas) repeatedly falls from at 3am each morning, and the tree which Thomas Thorne (Matthew Baynton) dies under. The latter had seen better days (possibly due to too many ‘Ghosts’ fans taking away part of the bark as a souvenir).

  

Moving into the orchard, which as well as containing the wellhead where the ghosts all remember Mary, also represents the only outside ‘Enola Holmes’ filming onsite, being where Eudoria teaches Enola martial arts.

   

Exiting the gardens, the next filming tour was just entering the house, and once the area was clear, I got a photo in front of the ‘Button House’ door. 

Making my way back to the shop, I purchased some postcards and ‘West Horsley Place – Our Story’, before making my way back to Horsley Station. There proved to be problems with the trains, and so I wasted an hour in the few shops near the station, before finally catching a train home.   

A Novel Adaptation - 2025 Update

Previously in this blog, I have pitted the various dramatisations of the four Sherlock Holmes novels – ‘A Study in Scarlet’, ‘The Sign of Four’, ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’ and ‘The Valley of Fear’ – against each other by medium. I then posted an update for 2021-2024 at the start of 2025, when I had experienced ten more such dramatisations, and this is my update for 2025 – with just two to add to the total.

 

‘A STUDY IN SCARLET’

Two further ‘STUDY’s. The first being the first episode of ‘The Fantastic Adventures of Sherlock Holmes’, a Canadian audio drama series starring Anthony D.P. Mann as Sherlock Holmes and Terry Wade as Dr. Watson, reprising their roles from the 2011 film 'Sherlock Holmes and the Shadow Watchers’. This abridges the story into an 18 minute episode, leading to the case being solved almost as soon as it started.

The second was the first part of ‘Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson – Apt. 2B’, a comedic play which describes itself as ‘reimagining Holmes and Watson as a fiercely funny, gloriously dysfunctional female duo navigating post-pandemic London with sharp wits and banter’. This initially took a reasonably faithful retread of the story (albeit updated) with Enoch Drebber’s body being found in a hotel room rather than an empty house, but when it came to revealing the culprit, went off in an unexpected direction with the crime being committed by a different person, for a different reason, and in a different way.

   

Click here for up-to-date dramatisations list.

 

‘THE SIGN OF FOUR’

No further dramatisations.

Click here for up-to-date dramatisations list.

 

‘THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES’

Surprisingly, no further ‘HOUND’s this year.

Click here for up-to-date dramatisations list.

 

‘THE VALLEY OF FEAR’

No further dramatisations.

Click here for up-to-date dramatisations list.

 

My favourites across each media remain the same as in my previous posts.