Puppet satire shows bear as a drug fiend

 The makers of the Paddington movies are suing the revived Spitting Image, which depicts the beloved bear as a foul-mouthed drug lord.

Programme-makers Avalon have recently revived the satirical puppet show as a fictional YouTube show entitled,  The Rest is Bulls*!t, hosted by Paddington and Prince Harry.

Law firm Edwin Coe have filed a High Court complaint on behalf of StudioCanal, citing copyright and design right concerns, entertainment website Deadline has reported.

No further details of the claim have not been revealed. 

When the series began two weeks ago – following a pilot in June – Paddington was depicted snorting a line of cocaine before introducing himself as: ‘The loveable bear from Peru who’s first in line for cocaine. Do I like to party? Do I like to shit in the woods!’

And he shared the life hack ‘make sure your bong is dishwasher-safe’.

He’s also seen offering Harry a syringe of heroin to help Meghan relax, saying: ‘There’s never a frown with Mrs Brown.’

The episode, written and performed by Al Murray and Matt Forde, has been viewed almost 500,000 times.

British law permits people to use limited amounts of copyright material without the owner’s permission for the purpose of parody, caricature or pastiche.

However, the government website states: ‘It is important to understand, however, that this exception only permits use for the purposes of caricature, parody, or pastiche to the extent that it is fair dealing.’

Fair dealing is defined on a case-by-case basis, considering factors such as whether the parody affects the market for the original work.

Neither Avalon nor  StudioCanal have commented on the case – which comes as a stage musical based on the films is due to open in London on November 1.

Here is last Friday's edition of Spitting Image: 

Published: 6 Oct 2025