Paddington Bear crowned big winner at the Olivier Awards - alongside Hollywood stars including Rachel Zegler

Paddington Bear has triumphed at this year's Olivier Awards - alongside Hollywood stars including Rachel Zegler and Rosamund Pike.

Beloved West End show Paddington The Musical picked up seven prizes at the ceremony at London's Royal Albert Hall, including best new musical, best director, and best actor in a musical as a joint prize for James Hameed, who provides the voice and remote puppetry, and Arti Shah, who brings the bear to life on stage.

Hosted by comedian, actor and Celebrity Traitors star Nick Mohammed, this year's Olivier Awards marked the 50th anniversary of the ceremony, which celebrates the best in British theatre.

US star Zegler - who made headlines for a stunning Evita performance that took the song Don't Cry For Me Argentina out to crowds on the street outside the London Palladium - was named best actress in a musical, while British star Pike was named best actress for her role in Inter Alia at the National Theatre, which marked her return to the stage after almost 14 years.

Other prizes included supporting awards for Paapa Essiedu for All My Sons, and Julie Hesmondhalgh for Punch.

Punch, by James Graham, based on the true story of an impulsive punch that leads to fatal consequences, was also named best new play, while All My Sons, starring Bryan Cranston and Marianne Jean-Baptiste, won the award for best revival.

And other prizes for Paddington included awards for costume and set design, as well as supporting acting prizes in the musicals category.

The production has received rave reviews since opening towards the end of 2025.

Paddington's guardians

Speaking to Sky News before the awards, Shah and Hameed said it was "humbling" to be part of a show that has been well received by audiences and critics alike.

"Between us we bring Paddington to life and act as his guardians," Hameed said. "Often we can read each other's minds. From the beginning we got on really well and bounced ideas off each other, and we just get to play!"

McFly star Tom Fletcher, who wrote the music and lyrics, said: "What's really magical, you see a whole new generation experiencing Paddington now - seeing everyone from seven-year-olds to 97-year-olds and beyond coming to the theatre and sharing our show is just magic. I feel very lucky I get to be a part of this very special show."

Jessica Swale, who wrote the musical's book, said: "Even though we were given a huge mountain of expectation, because Paddington's so beloved already...having the chance to put him on stage, we could suddenly use all the things we have available in the theatre which are so magic - choreography and music and dance and lights and having a live audience."

While the West End welcomed a record-breaking 17.64 million people last year, beating Broadway, over a third of organisations say they still expect to operate at a deficit this year.

Oliviers host Nick Mohammed told Sky News: "I think it is important we recognise the power of the arts, and it's important we don't price certain communities out."

All My Sons star Cranston said the re-telling of Arthur Miller's 1947 tragedy, often seen as an anti-war play, had attracted audiences from all over the world.

"Art should always reflect society's issues in the moment, it has to make a connection to what's happening now in some way, otherwise it just feels nostalgic and something people don't feel they have any relationship to," he said.

Here is the full list of winners:

• Best actor - Jack Holden for Kenrex at The Other Palace
• Best actress - Rosamund Pike for Inter Alia at the National Theatre
• Best actor in a musical - James Hameed and Arti Shah for Paddington The Musical at Savoy Theatre
• Best actress in a musical - Rachel Zegler for Evita at The London Palladium
• Best actor in a supporting role - Paapa Essiedu for All My Sons at Wyndham's Theatre

• Best actress in a supporting role - Julie Hesmondhalgh for Punch at the Young Vic and the Apollo Theatre
• Best actress in a supporting role in a musical - Victoria Hamilton-Barritt for Paddington The Musical
• Best actor in a supporting role in a musical - Tom Edden for Paddington The Musical
• Best new play - Punch by James Graham
• Best new musical - Paddington The Musical
• Best revival - All My Sons by Arthur Miller
• Best musical revival - Into The Woods at Bridge Theatre

• Best costume design - Gabriella Slade and Tahra Zafar for Paddington The Musical
• Best sound design - Giles Thomas for Kenrex
• Noel Coward award for best new entertainment or comedy play - Oh, Mary! by Cole Escola at Trafalgar Theatre
• Best family show - The Boy At The Back Of The Class adapted by Nick Ahad at Rose Theatre
• Gillian Lynne Award for best theatre choreographer - Fabian Aloise for Evita
• Best set design - Tom Pye and Ash J Woodward for Paddington The Musical
• Best new musical revival - Into The Woods

• Sir Peter Hall Award for best director - Luke Sheppard for Paddington The Musical
• Best lighting design - Aideen Malone and Roland Horvath for Into The Woods
• Outstanding musical contribution - Chris Fenwick and Sean Hayes for Good Night, Oscar at Barbican Theatre
• Best new production in affiliate theatre - The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams at The Yard Theatre
• Best new dance production - Into The Hairy by Sharon Eyal for S-E-D at Sadler's Wells
• Best new opera production - Dead Man Walking by English National Opera at London Coliseum

(c) Sky News 2026: Paddington Bear crowned big winner at the Olivier Awards - alongside Hollywood star