“I’m hoping that they just saw Paddington as Paddington.” As Paddington: The Musical opens in London, Tarah Zafar - who designed the stage puppet - says the team wanted to keep the ‘lightness’ of the original illustrations. Today programme | Listen on BBC Sounds Photo credit: PA | BBC Radio 4

Last night, Paddington Bear took his first paw steps onto a West End stage for the premiere of the musical inspired by his beloved adventures. Fans got their first glimpse of how the famous bear will appear live on stage, with newspapers today sharing the first official images of Paddington in full theatrical glory. The musical promises to bring all the charm, mischief, and heartwarming moments of the classic stories to life, and it looks like Paddington is ready to win over a whole new generati