Poor old Paddington is being linked to sex. Again.
The cuddly bear from Peru is not usually associated with X-rated shenanigans, but already caused major uproar when the original movie was released in 2016 and given a higher rating than expected due to “mild sex references.”
This time the references are not so mild after an unsuspecting classroom of children was accidentally shown “a deeply inappropriate pornographic pop up image” during a school treat.
The Walsall school swiftly issued a public statement.
WHY THE FIRST PADDINGTON FILM WAS PENALISED FOR ‘MILD SEXUAL CONTENT’
The statement said: ” Croft Academy is a one form entry school in Walsall and part of the Elliot Foundation Academies Trust. On Friday 26th January a member of staff was attempting to show an extract from the movie Paddington to children in year 5 when a deeply inappropriate pornographic pop up image appeared on the screen.
“The member of staff concerned immediately closed the pop up window and reported the incident to the school Principal, Mark Davis. The Principal, following the academy’s procedures, informed the Local Authority Designated Officer, parents of the children affected, the academy trust and the school’s IT service provider.
The school has web content filtering software designed to stop incidents such as this and at present it is unclear why it failed to work on this occasion.”
Radio host Toby Tarrant wittily tweeted: “A school in Walsall has apologised after accidentally showing its kids porn instead of Paddington Bear. Easy mistake to make, they both feature a hairy guy from Peru who’s not wearing any pants.”
Ironically, the first Paddington movie receieved a PG rating partly due to a famous scene where star Hugh Bonneville isn’t waering pants, bu rather a woman’s dress.
He said at the time: “I think the rating is perfectly appropriate. I think it’s slightly odd to talk about sexual references which actually refers to me dressed as a cleaning lady, which is frightening maybe, but not entirely sexual.”
The BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) issued the following warning for parents: “Parents should consider whether the content may upset younger or more sensitive children.”
The film was been given a PG rating, rather than the expected Universal rating, due to scenes of “dangerous behaviour, mild threat, mild sex references and mild bad language,” which, “may be unsuitable for young children.”
PADDINGTON 2 IS OUT NOW