“Your Writ, My S**t”: Spitting Image Roasts StudioCanal with Scathing Sketch After Paddington Lawsuit

The satirical puppet show Spitting Image has delivered a ferocious response to legal action taken against it by StudioCanal, the rights holder for Paddington Bear. Following the filing of a High Court complaint over the show’s controversial depiction of the beloved bear as a foul-mouthed drug user, the puppet show immediately released a new sketch titled “Bear-ly Legal” that ruthlessly mocked the legal proceedings.

StudioCanal, which produces the Paddington films, and the estate of author Michael Bond, filed a High Court complaint against Spitting Image production company, Avalon. The lawsuit cites copyright and design right concerns over a caricature of Paddington Bear that appears in the show’s YouTube spin-off, The Rest is Bulls***t.

The controversial sketch features a disheveled Paddington puppet co-hosting a mock podcast with Prince Harry. Far from the gentle, marmalade-loving character, this Paddington introduces himself with crude language, switches to a generic South American accent (“I am from Peru, motherf*****s!”), and jokes that his “personal glow” comes from “100 per cent Peruvian, biodynamic, organic, catastrophic cocaine.”

In the “Bear-ly Legal” sketch, the puppet version of Paddington and Prince Harry directly address the lawsuit:

When Prince Harry asks Paddington what he makes of the legal papers served by “Studio C Anal” (mocking StudioCanal), Paddington replies: “I make a tube to snort some Colombian flake. ¡Ay, ay ay! Paddington goes to party town!”

The sketch climaxes with Paddington agreeing the long legal document is “soft, strong and very long” before using the writ to wipe his rear, declaring: “Your writ, my s**t.” Prince Harry concludes the segment by telling viewers to “like and subscribe before Paddington gets cancelled.”

The creators of the YouTube series, comedians Al Murray and Matt Forde, spoke out against the action, expressing “bafflement” over the lawsuit. Murray, known for his Pub Landlord character, stated they were surprised, joking, “If we were going to expect anything, it would be a hard stare from Paddington.”

Forde noted the irony that the legal action has only given the sketch wider publicity, saying, “We’re getting tons more views as a result of the lawsuit’s publicity, so more people are watching this depiction of Paddington that they don’t want anyone to see.”

Both men decried the move as a worrying trend toward what they perceive as an “attack on comedy” and a chilling effect on freedom of expression. Despite the legal threat, the show has reportedly made minor changes to the puppet’s appearance, but its tone remains defiantly satirical.