Be More Paddington

Paddington is a British icon. So why are we all not a bit more like Paddington? The marmalade-loving bear from “Darkest Peru” embodies the mantra he learned from his beloved Aunt Lucy: “If you’re kind and polite the world will be right.” He is warm, loyal, accepting, helpful – but he is also not averse to giving a hard stare to those who have forgotten their manners. This is despite – or because of – Paddington’s roots. He arrives lost and alone, a stranger in a strange land who has to rely on the generosity of others before repaying them tenfold by being such a positive presence in their lives. Ahead of the release of Paddington in Peru, Ben Whishaw, who voices the bear, tells us what the story’s quiet politics means to him.

Also inside

• The lingering legacy of empire prevents us from giving Caribbean nations their due, writes Eleanor Shearer
• Bobby Gillespie tells us in a Letter To My Younger Self that he started on the path to rock’n’roll stardom with Primal Scream by banging dustbins in his local scout hall
• The Gladiator sequel is with us after nearly 25 years – and the timing looks to be spot on
• A first look at this year’s Big Issue Christmas Wrapping Paper collection with acclaimed artists including Opake and… Harry Hill!
• From SNL to kids’ author via Weird Barbie was a natural evolution for Kate McKinnon
• Nirvana ended in 1994, but their afterlife is still very much in bloom
• Ex-serviceman James Brewer, who sells the magazine in Bristol, will be donating his Remembrance Day sales to armed forces charities.

Plus much more!

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