At the TV BAFTAs last Sunday, the late Queen Elizabeth's heartwarming sketch with Paddington Bear from last year's Jubilee won big.
After Platinum Jubilee: Party At The Palace (which included the Paddington bit) won the memorable moment TV BAFTA, actor Simon Farnaby, who played a footman in the video, opened up about the surreal experience of filming with the monarch — including her unimpressed response to being asked to do another take.
"I was amazed. Our director worked really hard to get her performance," Simon said (via Express).
"They'd go: 'Can you just do it again?' And she’d go: 'I thought I was pretty good.' Credit to him for getting that performance out of her."
We can't say we're surprised by the Queen's reaction, since the late monarch was famous for her cheeky sense of humour (remember that time she hilariously tricked American tourists who didn't recognise her??).
Despite this slight mishap, Simon remembered the filming day as being a wonderful time. "We were there all day. It was a long day for an old lady. But she loved it," he said.
"She really wanted to do it. She said, 'Have as much time as you need.'"
As for Simon's own interactions with the Queen, he had only positive things to say. "We had a few chats. She was great," he recalled. "She kept going: 'You must be very tired walking up and down.' She was very nice, like your grandma really."
The footman-playing actor toyed with the audience's heartstrings when he concluded: "I can tell you that Paddington and the Queen had a very joyful Jubilee tea that day, but it was also perhaps a farewell, because of course the person who most deserves this award is no longer with us to receive it. We can only accept it on her behalf and say: 'Thank you, ma'am, for everything.'"
This, in case you didn't catch it, was the sentence a CGI Paddington uttered to the Queen at the end of the short film, making it extra meaningful.
Ben Whishaw, Simon Farnaby and team take to the stage to collect the P&O Cruises Memorable Moment Award for Paddington meets The Queen from the Platinum Jubilee: Party At The Palace! 👑#BAFTATVAwards with @pandocruises pic.twitter.com/jaXcGe05XSMay 14, 2023
