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Paddington Bear ‘stole the spotlight’ at the 2026 EE BAFTA Awards on Sunday as he charmed the star-studded crowd during ‘epic’ appearance.
The loveable character, who has made his West End debut in his own musical, after 29 book and three film appearances, took time away from the stage to appear at the awards at the Royal Festival Hall in London.
As he made his way on stage, Paddington tipped his iconic red hat to the A-list crowd, which included the likes of Emma Stone, Kate Hudson, Leonardo Dicaprio and Timothee Chalamet.
Dressed in his blue duffle coat with toggles, the bear ditched his battered brown suitcase and marmalade sandwich for the winning envelope and gong as he presented the Children’s & Family Film award.
Standing behind his very own minature podium, Paddington, who stands at 4 feet tall, said: ‘You all look surprised to see me, I’m as surprised as you are.’
The bear went on to mention his beloved elderly aunt, who raised him in Peru, and his family the Browns, who adopted him when he came to London.
Paddington continued: ‘My Aunt Lucy says you have to face your fears, unless its a snake then you have to walk away very slowly.
‘Mrs Brown said this is a first for BAFTA, I am the first bear to present an award and the first presenter to get marmalade all over a BAFTA, sorry about that, I was going to lick it off but apparently that’s not very good manners.’
Paddington went on to announce Boong, a 2024 Indian Manipuri-language coming-of-age drama film, as the winner.
Viewers rushed to X to comment on the ‘wholesome’ and ‘charming’ moment as fans insisted Paddington Bear ‘stole the spotlight’ from the Hollywood A-listers.
They wrote: ‘I always become 10 years old with excitement at moments like this. Adorable; Paddington Has My Heart; Epic;
‘They should invite Paddington Bear to every single red carpet from now on; Paddington Bear steals the spotlight at the #EEBAFTAs;
‘Paddington Bear making a cameo at the BAFTA Film Awards is peak British charm—marmalade and movie magic in one moment;
‘Paddington stealing the BAFTAs with pure charm and that iconic “first bear ever” line is peak wholesome chaos. Give that bear his own category already!;
‘Love it! Paddington making history—and hearts—at the BAFTAs. Even a bear can inspire courage and charm! Paddington Bear steals the spotlight at the #EEBAFTAs’.
Paddington Bear is played by performer Arti Shah in the costume, while James Hameed provides the voice and remote-controls the bear’s facial expressions.
Paddington: The Musical has received a series of glowing reviews from critics after its official opening in theatres in December.
The lost bear has made it all the way from Peru to London’s West End in search of a new home and has been delighting families.
Directed by Luke Sheppard, with original music and lyrics by McFly’s Tom Fletcher the show is now on at the Savoy Theatre and follows Paddington’s comic mishaps with the adoptive Brown family.
And first impressions were excellent with The Daily Mail’s Patrick Marmion praising its ‘off-the-scale cuteness’ and giving it five stars.
During the BAFTAs, One Battle After Another was the big winner at the 2026 Awards, as it scooped six gongs during the ceremony.
The Paul Thomas Anderson hit had already received a record 14 nominations, and came out on top as it won Best Film, Best Director, Adapted Screenplay, Supporting Actor, Cinematography and Editing.
While Jessie Buckley won Best Actress honour for her role in Hamnet, having been favourite to do so, the night wasn’t without surprises, as Timothee Chalamet missed out on Best Actor to a home-grown favourite.
Despite being tipped as a favourite for the honour for his role in Marty Supreme, Timothee lost out on the prize to I Swear star Robert Aramayo.
As One Battle For Another was awarded Best Film, producer Sarah Murphy said: ‘We wish more than anything that our producing partner Adam Somner could be here to accept this on behalf of us on his home turf.’
The biggest loser of the evening was the highly acclaimed ping pong drama Marty Supreme, which went into the evening as one of the favourites, with 11 nominations. It came away completely empty-handed.
Jessie, who is already tipped as a favourite to win the Oscar for Best Actress, used her acceptance speech to thank her fellow nominees.
For Hamnet it was two awards on night, as it was also awarded the coveted honour of Outstanding British Film, beating out I Swear and The Ballad of Wallis Island.
Despite praise for his performance as a young William Shakespeare, star Paul failed to win the award for Supporting Actor, losing out to Sean Penn for his role in One Battle After Another.
After the win was announced, the film’s young stars Jacobi Jupe and Olivia Lynes shared a sweet hug on stage, while producer Sam Mendes accepted the honour.
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