Paddington Bear and his creator Michael Bond

Londoner and lover of marmalade sandwiches Paddington Bear has been named the nation’s favourite animated character of all time.

The furry little immigrant from Darkest Peru was the runaway winner following an online public vote.

He beat figures such as Wallace & Gromit, Mr Benn and Bagpuss to the title.

Paddington, who made his TV debut on BBC1 in 1975, was named the winner at the annual British Animation Awards.

Paddington, named after the London station at which he was found, was created by Michael Bond and made his literary debut in 1958.

His first book, A Bear Called Paddington, told how he was packed off by his Aunt Lucy who went into a retirement home in Lima and made his way to Britain where he was adopted by the Brown family.

It went on to become a popular children’s toy in wellies, to help it stand, created by the parents of Jeremy Clarkson. The Top Gear host and his sister Joanna were the first owners of the cuddly toys.

The BBC series, voiced by Michael Hordern, featured a stop-motion puppet while other characters were paper cut-outs.

The ninth annual British Animation Awards were staged at the BFI Southbank last night.