Edinburgh Roald Dahl graffiti work by The Rebel Bear appears at Sighthill Roundabout on Calder Road

Street art reacting to Roald Dahl controversy appears at Sighthill Roundabout underpass in Edinburgh

The latest Edinburgh graffiti work by a renowned street artist takes aim at the controversial decision to rewrite Roald Dahl’s children’s books – and it has created quite a fuss with locals. The street artist known as ‘The Rebel Bear’ has been creating street art over the last six years throughout Scotland as well as in London, Calais, Havana, Mumbai and New York, often focusing on controversial current affairs and politics.

His latest work is located on the underpass at Sighthill Roundabout on Calder Road, featuring characters from Roald Dahl books gagged and handcuffed with police-style tape marked “dangerous” across the paintings. It includes Willy Wonka in handcuffs with his mouth gagged, Matilda with a bag on her head and the Hungry Crocodile with his mouth bound shut.

Dahl's estate and publisher said his works had been updated to be more suitable for modern audiences, with the removal of some references to things like characters' appearance and weight. This move angered Dahl fans, with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s spokesperson saying works of fiction should be "preserved and not airbrushed".

The artwork at Sighthill Roundabout features famous Roald Dahl characters Willy Wonka, Matilda and the Hungry Crocodile.

The Rebel Bear posted this latest work on his Instagram page yesterday, saying: “If you aren’t aware of the story then feel free to give it a quick search. And if you have any, I would love to hear your opinions on it all.”

His post received almost 100 comments, with one Instagram user writing: “Personally, no issue with them being updated, or left alone. It’s not something to stress about. We all need to calm down. Let’s not play into the rights obsession with culture wars either. Love this work - amazing work as always.”

Another said: “What is the world coming to? Leave his words as it was written. Ok so the language used may not be what is accepted now but the children of today should be educated that these stories were accepted at the time and that is part of history.”

While one commented: “I can see that some of the language can be problematic. But if anything, that is a good jumping off point for discussing these things with your children.” “Good to see debate stimulated - The Bear always has important points to make - seems like we get pulled into versions of right and wrong very quickly,” added another Instagram user.

The controversial work is by the street artist known as ‘The Rebel Bear’.

While the majority of comments backed The Rebel Bear’s stance, one Instagram user said: “I never liked Roal Dahl's creepy twisted stories that pretended to be for children. They are cruel and stabby and uphold a type of consciousness that I rejected then, and still reject. Leave this behind and move forward with far better, more inclusive books.”

Backlash after Roald Dahl books rewritten to remove ‘critical language’