Credit: PA
One is a famously grumpy car fantatic and farmer, and the other is a kind-hearted bear with a marmlade addiction, but Jeremy Clarkson and Paddington Bear have more in common than meets the eye.
In fact, Jeremy wouldn’t have become the star of shows, including Clarkson’s Farm and Top Gear, if it wasn’t for the beloved character, which returned to cinemas last week in the new film Paddington in Peru.
His mother Shirley Clarkson designed the very first Paddington Bear soft toys after making them as a Christmas present for Jeremy and his sister Joanna when they were children.
Word soon got out about Shirley’s Paddingtons and she began to sell them – although her venture was nearly ended when the character’s creator, Michael Bond, considered launching legal action.
Shirley had not asked for permission to use the bear’s likeness but after Bond bumped into Shirley and her husband Eddie in a lift became firm friends and officially awarded her company the licence.
He told The Sunday Times in 2014: ‘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 venture was lucrative for the Clarksons, with Shirley previously telling AutoTrader the income funded Jeremy and his sister’s private education, which lead to his showbusiness career.
She said: ‘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 Shirley’s creations popped up an episode of BBC show Antiques Roadshow filmed at Ulster Folk Museum near Belfast.
Explaining where the toy came from, expert Mark Hill said: ‘Well, we’ve actually got what is one of the first licenced Paddington products so 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.’
The surprised guest, who was taken aback by the mention of Jeremy’s name replied saying: ‘Ah yes, yes!’
The guest also explained to Mark that one of his friends had bought the item from a charity shop years ago and he’d always admired it.
He said: ‘I’ve always been a fan of bears, I’ve got bears dressed up in rugby costumes and all sorts.
‘It’s part of the family you know, he sits in my office, watches over me, making sure my typing is in order.
‘What would a collector pay for this or a Paddington lover pay for this today?’
‘Probably somewhere between sort of £50 and £70 in this condition,’ Mark replied.
Last week, the highly anticipated third film in the Paddington Bear franchise was released.
This time around, Paddington (voiced by Ben Whishaw) also grapples with slightly deeper and more complicated thoughts about what it means to belong, as he tries to balance the home he has found with his new family, the Browns, and missing his beloved Aunt Lucy.
Metro’s film critic Tori Brazier gave the film four out of five stars and said: ‘It still captures the joy and misadventures of Paddington with a deftly light touch.’
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A version of this article was first published on 1 May 2022.