Beary Christmas
A new festive animation brings Pudsey to life with Tom Fletcher
BBC
- Laura Rutkowski
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Tom Fletcher has been having a bear-y busy year. “I must have been manifesting bears!” says the McFly singer and bestselling children’s author, who has not only written the music for Paddington the Musical, but has also brought another very special bear to life, Children in Need’s mascot, Pudsey. “Both of them stand for wonderful things: Pudsey for hope and Paddington for kindness. My version of Pudsey is a bit clumsy and is driven by a desire to help children.”
The animation and book Pudsey and the Thread of Hope is based on Fletcher’s story about a boy called Jai who has lost his dad. He meets other kids who have been supported by Pudsey, with the thread of hope tying them together.
Fletcher has three sons, aged 11, nine and seven, with his wife Giovanna. “They are my main source of inspiration. My middle child, Buddy, is home-schooled and he practically lives at the skatepark. It’s been this amazing journey with him, and so much of that I was able to put into Jai.”
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Fletcher’s eldest son Buzz sings Thread of Hope on the animation’s soundtrack with his father. “It felt like a lovely way to heighten the emotion of that moment and a special thing for me to be able to share with my son.”
Authors
Laura Rutkowski
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