Paddington Bear set for big screen

Paddington Bear is swapping darkest Peru for the bright lights of Hollywood after plans were announced to bring the character to the big screen.

Harry Potter producer David Heyman is behind the film, described as "a modern take" on Michael Bond's best-selling books which have sold more than 35 million copies.

He said: "Paddington Bear is a universally loved character, treasured for his optimism, his sense of fair play and his perfect manners, and of course for his unintentional talent for comic chaos.

"Michael Bond's books offer such wit and wonder, and I am so delighted at this chance to bring Paddington to the big screen."

The loveable, duffle coat-clad bear, famous for his love of marmalade sandwiches, is named after the London station at which he was found.

He was created by Bond and made his literary debut in 1958.

The first book, A Bear Called Paddington, told how he was packed off by his Aunt Lucy who went into a retirement home in Lima, Peru's capital, and made his way to Britain where he was adopted by the Brown family.

He went on to become a popular children's toy in wellies, to help it stand, created by the parents of Jeremy Clarkson. The Top Gear host and his sister Joanna were the first owners of the cuddly toys.

The BBC series, voiced by Michael Hordern, featured a stop-motion puppet while other characters were paper cut-outs.