Simon Farnaby played role of disapproving footman in Queen’s Paddington Bear Jubilee sketch
Revealed: Horrible Histories actor and TV comedy veteran, 49, who played role of disapproving footman in Queen’s hilarious and heart-warming Paddington Bear Jubilee sketch
Queen appeared in sketch with Paddington Bear to kick-start Jubilee concertComedy veteran Simon Farnaby, 49, played the disapproving footman in sketchStar appeared in Paddington and Paddington 2, playing a security guard in filmsThe secret, pre-recorded skit from last night captured the hearts of the nation
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The uncredited actor who played the disapproving footman in the Queen‘s hilarious Paddington sketch last night was TV comedy veteran Simon Farnaby.
The 49-year-old comedian and writer is a long-standing member of the Horrible Histories troupe, but is already well acquainted with the bear having appeared as a security guard in both Paddington and Paddington 2, which Farnaby also co-wrote.
The special, secretly pre-recorded two-and-a-half-minute skit at the beginning of last night’s televised BBC‘s Platinum Party at the Palace, captured the hearts of the nation.
In the surprise sketch, the 96-year-old monarch and famous bear – both much loved British institutions – met for a chaotic cream tea at Buckingham Palace.
The unlikely duo set the rhythm for opening act Queen + Adam Lambert – who joined in on the main stage, tapping their silver spoons on china teacups, as a unique way of getting the celebrations under way.
The uncredited actor who played the disapproving footman in the Queen’s hilarious Paddington sketch last night was TV comedy veteran Simon Farnaby (pictured)
The 49-year-old comedian and writer is a long-standing member of the Horrible Histories troupe, but is already well acquainted with the bear from darkest Peru, having appeared in Paddington 2 in 2017
In the surprise sketch, the 96-year-old monarch and famous bear – both much loved British institutions – met for a chaotic cream tea at Buckingham Palace
Elizabeth II and the digitally animated character met at the royal residence in the short clip, with the Queen revealing she shares Paddington’s love of marmalade sandwiches and keeps an emergency stash in her trademark handbag.
The duffle-coated bear showed the Queen he always had his favourite treat on him just in case, lifting up his red hat to reveal his snack.
The Queen 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.
Accident-prone Paddington was shown causing mayhem by accidentally depriving the understanding sovereign of another cup of tea and spraying cream from a chocolate eclair over the hapless Palace footman, played by Barnaby.
Incredible start: People gather along The Mall for the Platinum Party At The Palace concert outside Buckingham Palace yesterday evening
In the footage, the bear congratulated the Queen on her reign of 70 years, saying: ‘Happy Jubilee Ma’am. And thank you. For everything.’
Farnaby, originally from Darlington, is also well known to TV fans of Detectorists and more recently Ghosts, where he played a disgraced MP, whose untimely death caught him, literally, with his trousers down.
He is married to actress Claire Keelan and wrote the screenplay to this year’s Phantom of the Open, starring Mark Rylance as Maurice Flitcroft, the amateur golfer who blagged his way into the 1976 Open Golf Championship.
Last year, Farnaby told the Big Issue how he was coping with the pandemic and the lockdown.
Simon Farnaby (far right) is a long-standing member of the Horrible Histories troupe
In Ghosts, he played a disgraced MP, whose untimely death caught him, literally, with his trousers down
‘A very wise person once said, tragedy plus time equals comedy,’ he said.
‘If you’re in a tragedy, it’s very hard to laugh about it. This situation’s hard because you can’t go: ‘Let’s wait three years until we start laughing again.’
‘You’re in it every day. Humour is part of life. It’s quite hard to keep it at bay.
‘Humour is such a great refuge. It’s a tough time and people have lost loved ones. But even then, you can’t keep humour at bay.
‘I’ve had more laughs at funerals than you can imagine. Someone will always crack a joke. And you can’t help but laugh because there’s nothing else to do sometimes.’
He also told the paper how he and his young daughter had streamed films instead of going to the cinema.
‘We’ve gone through all the films she can possibly watch as a seven-year-old,’ he said ‘We just did The Sound of Music. She loved that: ‘Who were the Nazis?’
