Bonnie Langford has criticised parents for letting their children watch iPads during her West End show, saying youngsters should be better prepared for the theatre experience instead of being given a screen to look at.
The actress currently plays housekeeper Mrs Bird in the hit musical adaptation of Paddington, a show that has drawn large numbers of families since it opened, with Langford saying much of its appeal comes from nostalgia for the character.
But she said she was disappointed after spotting a child watching a tablet during a recent performance. "At Paddington the other day there were parents and the kid was watching the iPad. What's the point!?" she said.
"When you bring kids to theatre… the world is very different now to what it used to be and kids don't sit still or quietly anymore so it's exciting when they do," she added.
"There's no screen between us and them. Something is happening that moment that is never gonna happen again, even though you're repeating the show," Langford said.
Speaking on Hannah Lowther's podcast How Very Hannah, she went on to say it was important for children to be prepared before coming to a show. "I just think it's so important that kids are prepared for that. Whoever is bringing that child has to talk them through it. The first instance isn't just talking them outside," she said.
Rave reviews for the Paddington musical
Paddington: The Musical officially opened in London's West End in December and has received strong reviews from critics. The Daily Mail's Patrick Marmion praised its "off-the-scale cuteness" and awarded it five stars, writing that "the new Paddington musical is 'bear lit, bro'" and that the show, based on Michael Bond's children's books and drawing on the film starring Hugh Bonneville and Nicole Kidman, "looks like a fixture, set to stay at the top of the West End tree for the foreseeable".
The Telegraph gave the production four stars, calling it a "funny, feel-good sensation that looks set to run and run". Its chief theatre critic, Dominic Cavendish, wrote that "children will love him and adults will warm to his restorative sweetness", adding that the show was "a very welcome addition to the British musical family".
The Guardian gave it five stars, with reviewer Arifa Akbar writing that "state-of-the-art animatronics, imaginative staging, fabulous performances and some marvellous songs about marmalade make for an evening that will fill you with joy and melt your heart". She added that the show would "likely bring in tourists in their hordes".
The Independent also gave the musical five stars, calling it a "gloriously eccentric adaptation which transports this furry legend to the stage". Its reviewer, Alice Saville, wrote that "a super-realistic bear may be the draw, but this production abounds in warmth, eccentricity and ambition that goes beyond its huggable protagonist".
The Stage awarded four stars, branding the show "sweeter than a marmalade sandwich", with its reviewer writing that "irresistible ursine antics make a hit of this new musical based on Michael Bond's beloved creation". Variety also praised the production for its "beguiling charm", singling out the music and lyrics from McFly's Fletcher, saying "his comedy numbers are witty and, seized by the skilled cast, all the laughs land".
Time Out gave it four stars and even suggested the show could spawn a sequel, writing: "When the maximalism works, it really works. And Paddington (the film) was always somewhat imperfect source material: let it run for a few years then have the same team make Paddington 2 the Musical, I say."
A bear with a long history on screen and stage
Paddington was first published in 1958 and has since been adapted many times, including a BBC television version in 1976 voiced by the late Sir Michael Hordern. The more recent Paddington films, released in 2014, 2017 and 2024, have all performed strongly at the box office.
The new stage musical features music from McFly's Fletcher and tells the story of the small bear from Peru as he arrives in London, where a chance encounter with the Brown family leads him to find a new home.
