Paddington (1975 TV series)

Paddington
Opening title image
Starring	Michael Hordern
Country of origin	United Kingdom
No. of episodes	56 + 3 specials
Production
Running time	5 min.
Distributor	Studiocanal (2016-present)
Release
Original network	BBC1 CBBC
Original release	5 January 1976 – 18 April 1980 (specials in 1980, 1984 and 1986)
External links
Website

Paddington Bear is a series of British animated shorts based on the Paddington Bear book series by Michael Bond produced by FilmFair. This was the first television series based on the popular children's book Paddington Bear. In the United States it was usually shown on pay television as filler in between programmes. Its narrator was actor Michael Hordern. The series has a very distinctive art style. Paddington himself is a stop-motion animated puppet who moves within a 3-dimensional space and interacts with 2-dimensional animated drawings of the human characters, buildings, etc.

Series One (episodes 1 to 30, entitled Paddington) was aired on the BBC1 in 1976 (having been produced the previous year), and Series Two (episodes 31 to 56, entitled The Adventures of Paddington) between 1978 and 1979, with specials airing in 1980, 1984 and 1986. Internationally, episodes of the series aired in the United States on PBS, on the syndicated series Romper Room, on Nickelodeon as a segment on the programme Pinwheel and on USA Network as a segment on the Calliope (TV series) in the late 1970s and early 1980s, as well as in between preschool programming on The Disney Channel as a segment on the programme Lunch Box from the late 1980s into the 1990s. The series also aired on HBO in between features, usually when they were airing children's programmes. It was also aired on the ABC in Australia in the early 1980s.

A 21-minute special in which Paddington goes to the movies. On leaving, in the street outside complete with umbrella, he performs Gene Kelly's famous dance routine from Singin' in the Rain. Original Air Date: 15 March 1983