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Dame Maureen Lipman thinks the Queen should be nominated for an acting gong, after her star turn opposite Paddington Bear, complete with marmalade sandwich, in a short film shot for the Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
‘I’m going to put forward to BAFTA that the Queen should get the best newcomer prize, for best appearance in a short film,’ Lipman joked.
Though she conceded that giving her a best newcomer award was like ‘giving Dolly Parton a trainer bra’.
Fun: Dame Maureen Lipman (pictured) thinks the Queen should be nominated for an acting gong, after her star turn opposite Paddington Bear for the Platinum Jubilee celebrations
The sketch was hailed by social media users as better than her Olympic opening show cameo with James Bond.
She spent half a day filming it and even kept it under wraps from some of her family members.
Her Majesty, 96, delighted audiences at the televised BBC’s Platinum Party at the Palace after kicking off the festivities with an appearance alongside the fictional character – in which they both enjoyed a chaotic cream tea at ‘Buckingham Palace’.
The monarch and the famous bear tapped out the beat of the We Will Rock You anthem together on china teacups using silver spoons to get the celebrations under way, while the Queen also revealed she shares Paddington’s love of marmalade sandwiches and keeps an emergency stash in her trademark Launer handbag.
Candid: ‘I’m going to put forward to BAFTA that the Queen should get the best newcomer prize, for best appearance in a short film,’ Lipman joked
Filmed at Windsor Castle, the Queen spent around half a day filming the secretly-pre-recorded humorous two-and-a-half-minute sequence, according to The Telegraph, and the comic sketch was a surprise even to some of her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren watching the scenes.
The publication said palace aides refused to ‘ruin the magic’ by explaining how the monarch was able to talk with the fictional bear.
However the character, voiced by Ben Whishaw, who played Q in the recent James Bond films, has previously been filmed as just a mechanical head before visual effects are added digitally.
Anna Marsh, who was involved in the film as chief executive of StudioCanal, said: ‘Filming with Her Majesty and Paddington Bear at The Palace is a memory we will all cherish. Her Majesty’s warmth and generosity was a joy to behold.
Loved: The sketch (pictured) was hailed by social media users as better than her Olympic opening show cameo with James Bond
‘And who better to thank Her Majesty than Paddington, over a pot of tea, a marmalade sandwich, and with a touch of chaos. Aunt Lucy would be proud.’
The Queen’s secret sketch was the result of months of planning, and saw the duffle-coat wearing bear show the monarch how he ensured he always had his favourite treat on him just in case, lifting up his red hat to reveal his snack.
Her Majesty responded by revealing ‘So do I’ before opening her bag and declaring ‘I keep mine in here’ to show her very own ready-made supply of the bread and orange preserve staple.
Accident-prone Paddington was shown causing mayhem by accidentally depriving the understanding sovereign of another cup of tea and spraying cream from a chocolate éclair over a Palace Footman.
Reaction: Social media went wild for the Queen’s short clip, with one writing on Twitter: ‘The Queen acts her socks off with Paddington Bear: perfect comic timing’
The bear from deepest darkest Peru congratulated the Queen on her reign of 70 years, saying: ‘Happy Jubilee Ma’am. And thank you. For everything.’ The modest Queen replied: ‘That’s very kind.’
It brought back memories of the Queen’s James Bond skit for the London 2012 Olympic opening ceremony, when the monarch met 007, played by Daniel Craig, and then appeared to parachute into the stadium, with the help of a body double.
Paddington and the Queen were pictured sat opposite each other in ornate chair at a table, laid for afternoon tea, covered with a white linen cloth in an opulent room.
Buckingham Palace said the Queen felt the opportunity to invite Paddington to tea was ‘too fun to miss’.
Adorable: The comic sketch was a surprise even to some of her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren watching the scenes (pictured)