08 October 2025 , 08:18
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StudioCanal, the company holding the rights to Paddington Bear, is reportedly suing the producers of Spitting Image for portraying the bear as a foul-mouthed, drug-taking podcast host in their new online series.
Deadline reports that StudioCanal, which produces the Paddington movies, has filed a High Court complaint against Spitting Image Presents: The Rest Is Bulls*!t producers Avalon, citing copyright and design right concerns.
The trade publication notes: "The filing does not reveal the specifics of the claim, but it comes months after The Rest Is Bulls*!t, a sketch [show] from Spitting Image, the BAFTA and Emmy-winning British puppet show, [launched]. The Rest Is Bulls*!t featured a deliberately shabby imitation of Paddington."
The Rest Is Bulls*!t, which is written by Al Murray and Matt Forde and produced and directed by Matt Stronge, premiered with a pilot episode in July, which was viewed by over half a million people. It became a weekly show in September and is now released every Friday.
Mocking current podcast formats like The Rest Is Entertainment, each episode features a depiction of Prince Harry and a version of Paddington discussing their lives and current events.
Episode 4, where Harry and Paddington respond to the Labour Party conference and Meghan Markle is shown fighting with Taylor Swift, was uploaded to YouTube last Friday. It can be watched below. In this episode, Paddington suggests he has been involved in money laundering and mentions having "an ounce" on him during a taxi ride. In previous episodes, Paddington has made comments such as "I like to score" and explained that he is named after the railway station "where I was found... in possession of a suitcase full of chang".
Deputy Editor