With the company currently in rehearsals, producers Sonia Friedman Productions, STUDIOCANAL and Eliza Lumley Productions on behalf of Universal Music UK today announce the release of The Explorer & the Bear, written and performed by the show’s composer Tom Fletcher. This is the very first song to be released to the public from the score of more than 18 brand-new original songs written for PADDINGTON The Musical. The single will be available from Decca Records this Friday, 26 September.
Tom Fletcher said today, “This is such an exciting day for us all on PADDINGTON The Musical – to finally share our first song with you all! It’s been an amazing process making this musical with a team of incredible creatives, and it’s both nerve wracking and thrilling in equal measure to begin to put it out into the world. We hope you love it as much as we do.”
Producers Sonia Friedman and Eliza Lumley commented, “It’s a privilege to be able to share The Explorer & the Bear – the very first song we are releasing from PADDINGTON The Musical. It’s truly wonderful to have Tom perform the vocals for this track, which in the show is sung by Paddington himself. This release marks the beginning of a series of songs we’ll be sharing in the months ahead, as we build towards the official opening at the Savoy Theatre at the end of November.”
In the show, The Explorer & the Bear is sung by Paddington as he searches for the Explorer, who had once promised Aunt Lucy and Uncle Pastuzo that they would always find a home in London if ever they needed one.
The accompanying video to the single was shot in multiple recording studio locations including Abbey Road, where Tom recorded both this song and others upcoming from the musical, as well as in the rehearsal room with the cast and company of the musical.
Play the music video here.
Adapted from the much-loved books written by Michael Bond, and the award-winning films by STUDIOCANAL, with music and lyrics by Tom Fletcher, book by Jessica Swale and direction by Luke Sheppard, PADDINGTON The Musical opens at the Savoy Theatre on Sunday, 30 November, with previews from Saturday, 1 November, and is currently booking until 25 May 2026.