PADDINGTON Bear was provided with an official UK passport for filming of a new movie.
Bosses had appealed to the Home Office for permission to create a replica, but were shocked when the government department instead responded with a legal document.
Co-producer of Paddington in Peru, Rob Silva, told Radio Times: “We wrote to the Home Office, asking if we could get a replica, and they actually issued Paddington with an official passport – there’s only one of these.
“You wouldn’t think the Home Office would have a sense of humour, but under official observations, they’ve just listed him as Bear.”
The film follows the Marmalade-loving bear, brought to life through animation and voiced by Ben Whishaw, as he travels abroad to visit Aunt Lucy in his homeland.
It follows the box office success of Paddington and Paddington 2.
But campaigners are not convinced the Home Office’s gesture is the best use of hard-pressed resources.
William Yarwood, media campaign manager at the TaxPayers’ Alliance said: “Taxpayers will be bewildered that a fictional bear received a passport.
“While Home Office mandarins might find this amusing, ordinary Brits who are suffering under the department’s inability to control immigration or bring down crime won’t.
“Civil servants need to be snapped back into reality.”
