Paddington Bear to star in TV cook show in new Michael Bond book

Michael Bond has written a new Paddington book, the latest to feature the marmalade sandwich-munching, duffle-coated ursine icon from “darkest Peru” in a series stretching back nearly 60 years.

Paddington’s Finest Hour, which will be published in the UK and the US in April 2017, and in Australia in March, finds our hero in trouble once more, suffering a run-in with the police, starring in a TV cookery programme and even bestowing one of his celebrated hard stares upon a hypnotist on stage.

Bond, who is 90, published his first Paddington book in 1958. HarperCollins said: “It was a delightful surprise when Michael delivered this wonderful new book and it is always a joy to bring new Paddington adventures to fans young and old.” Paddington’s Finest Hour will feature illustrations by RW Alley, who has illustrated the Paddington books since 1997, the same year Michael Bond was awarded an OBE.

This is the first original Paddington story since Love from Paddington – a book of letters from Paddington to his Aunt Lucy – was published in 2014. Paddington’s Finest Hour will be published ahead of the much anticipated second Paddington film, which is scheduled for autumn 2017 and stars newcomer Hugh Grant alongside the original cast, including Ben Whishaw and Hugh Bonneville.