Paddington Bear statue vandalised in Southampton after Laurence Olivier Awards sweep

Paddington Bear has had quite a week in Britain. On Sunday the beloved marmalade-eating bear dominated the Olivier Awards at London's Royal Albert Hall winning seven prizes including best new musical.

By Monday his statue in Southampton city centre had its bench smashed by vandals overnight leaving locals both proud and frustrated in equal measure.The West End production Paddington The Musical collected the biggest haul of the night at the Oliviers which marked their 50th anniversary this year. The show picked up best new musical along with awards for best director, costume design and set design. The two performers who bring Paddington to life on stage at the Savoy Theatre shared the best actor in a musical prize between them.

James Hameed operates the voice and remote puppetry while Arti Shah physically embodies the bear in each performance.

The pair described their work as a kind of guardianship saying they often read each other's minds on stage.McFly singer Tom Fletcher who wrote the music and lyrics for the show said watching children and grandparents sit together in the audience was what made the whole experience feel special. Jessica Swale who wrote the book said bringing Paddington into the theatre allowed her team to use everything the stage has to offer including choreography, lighting and the energy of a live crowd which no film can replicate.

The production has drawn rave reviews since it opened in late 2025 and the Olivier clean sweep confirmed what audiences in London had already been saying for months. But while the stage version of Paddington was collecting silverware in London his three-and-a-half foot statue in Southampton was taking a battering of a different kind. Vandals attacked the bench on which the statue sits in Guildhall Square on Sunday night.

The bear himself was unharmed and was quickly moved to a nearby coffee shop for safekeeping. GO! Southampton, which manages the statue confirmed that Paddington's hat needs minor repairs and his paw has a small scratch but said he would be returned to his spot as soon as the bench is fixed.Stephen Manion, executive director of GO! Southampton, said it was a real shame given how much affection the city has for the figure.

Locals who spoke to reporters were equally dismayed. One resident asked why anyone would attack an inanimate object. Another said the city simply could not wait to have him back.Hampshire Constabulary confirmed it is reviewing CCTV footage and speaking to witnesses. The Southampton statue was originally part of the Paddington Visits trail launched across the UK in October 2024 to mark the release of the film Paddington in Peru. It is not the first time one of these statues has been targeted. A Paddington statue in Newbury was pulled off its bench by two RAF engineers in 2024 before being reinstated at a public ceremony the following April.