Paddington at St Paul’s: final book gets 2018 release date

Paddington Bear is about to embark on one last adventure, in a final book written by Michael Bond shortly before his death in June last year.

Paddington at St Paul’s, which will be published in June 2018, sees the marmalade-loving bear getting into his usual scrapes after being mistaken for a choirboy on a visit to the cathedral.

The lovable bear from “darkest Peru” was first introduced in 1958’s A Bear Called Paddington, and has delighted generations of children in the decades since. Paddington at St Paul’s will be the 28th book to feature the beloved character.

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Bond was inspired by his involvement in a commemoration service held at St Paul’s cathedral on 10 June last year to mark the Queen’s 90th birthday, The Daily Telegraph reports.

The author, who was born in the same year as the Queen, wrote a special passage for the ceremony entitled Reflection On The Passing Of The Years, which was read aloud during the service by Sir David Attenborough.

Bond was taken ill later that month, and died on 27 June, leaving behind a completed draft of this final chapter in Paddington’s six-decade odyssey.

Fittingly, St Paul’s will also be the setting for a memorial service celebrating the author’s life next week.

“Our family feel immensely proud that we will be honouring his life at St Paul's Cathedral,” the author’s daughter, Karen Jankel, said. “The fact that this is the setting for his final story makes it very special indeed.”

Bond wrote more than 150 books in his 59-year career, although his Paddington series has proven by far the most popular and enduring.

More than 35 million copies of the Paddington book have been sold, in 40 languages, says RadioTimes.

A 2016 live-action film with Colin Firth as the voice of a CGI Paddington met with critical acclaim and grossed $268m (£204m) worldwide. Paddington 2, in which Ben Wishaw takes over Firth’s voicing duties, comes out in cinemas on 10 November