“Once upon a time, not so long ago, there were two overgrown boys called Oliver and Peter.
And Peter lived on a farm.
It was a rather unusual farm because it didn’t grow any crops and there were no sheep or cows, but it was the home of Ivor the Engine, Noggin the Nog, the Clangers and of course Bagpuss.
And there they made the most beautiful, the most brilliant, funny old Small Films in the whole wide world or so we like to think…”
I was very sorry to hear that Oliver Postgate, co-creator of wonderful childrens animated shows such as The Clangers, Bagpuss and Pogle’s Wood, died earlier this week aged 83.
Postgate’s partner, Naomi Linnell, confirmed he died at a nursing home near his home in Broadstairs in Kent on Monday.
BBC News reports how Postgate created some of the best-loved children’s TV, often in collaboration with the artist and puppeteer Peter Firmin. In a poll earlier this year, Bagpuss, a saggy pink cloth cat, was voted the best TV animal of all-time.
“Oliver Postgate should be remembered as one of the great children’s storytellers of the 20th century,” commented Ben Davies on the New Statesman web site. Postgate wrote for the magazine’s site between November 2006 and February 2008. “Generations were transported by his imagination – and thanks to creations like Bagpuss and Ivor the Engine – were inspired to use their own.” (You can read all Oliver’s contributions to newstatesman.com by clicking here)
For all his delight at creating many wonderful and characters for television and the young at heart, Postgate became increasingly disillusioned by modern times.
“We now live in a world which no longer needs people,” he wrote in his autobiography, Seeing Things, published in 2001, “a world in which many people have no meaningful part to play in their own lives and have gradually become passengers, inert consumers, nurtured and given identity by supermarkets, spin-doctors, and the bright, brittle media.”
He gave much of his money to charity and was a conscientious objector during World War 2, and was very concerned about the environment in later years.
Postgate himself was never one not to play a meaningful part, and brought much joy to many in all that he created.
More Tributes
• BBC Obituary: Oliver Postgate
• In pictures: Oliver Postgate’s career
• The Daily Mail: From Bagpuss to the Clangers, he enchanted youngsters… So why did Oliver Postgate fall out of love with TV and his children?
The Daily Mail, 9th December 2008
• The Guardian: Oliver Postgate: a very traditional subversive
• The New Statesman: Thank You, Oliver Postgate
• Socialist Unity Tribute
“What he understood brilliantly is that children are self-aware of the transient nature of their own childhood…”
• The Stage: And when Oliver goes to sleep, children’s television goes to sleep…
• Telegraph Obituary
• The Times Obituary
• Oliver Postgate memorial on lastingtribute.co.uk
Pay tribute to Postgate yourselves
Oliver Himself…
• Oliver Postgate’s official web site(?): www.oliverpostgate.co.uk
• Bagpuss creator Oliver Postgate in his own words
The Guardian, 9 December 2008: Oliver Postgate talks about his creations, including how the voice of Bagpuss character Professor Yaffle was based on philosopher Bertrand Russell
• You can read all Oliver’s contributions to newstatesman.com by clicking here
Related News Items and Web Sites
• Bagpuss poised to make comeback
(BBC News, 24 October 2008) The original Bagpuss is on display at the Canterbury Museum.
• The Dragon Friendly Society
This Society exclusively publishes books and videos of the children’s television programmes made by Smallfilms.
• Official Small Films Web Site
- About the Author
- Latest Posts
The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.
He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: Obituaries
I hope this means that they’ll bring out a new edition of the book. I kick myself for not buying a copy when it came out.
It’s a wonderful biography and the accompanying CD is a gem. If you can track down a copy I thoroughly recommend it.
Hi John.
One link you haven’t included is the one for the Guardian piece with all the YouTube clips in. It’s at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/organgrinder/2008/dec/09/television-television