Remembering Oliver Postgate.
Sad to hear of the death of Mr Postgate - creator of so many happy childhood moments for so many people. I was a Clangers boy myself. What about you?
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eh ooo-ay. oo-ay ah.
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Clangers and Noggin The Nog for me.
I had a brown crocheted elephant when I was small that looked not unlike a Clanger. That have me hours of whistling fun.
I also remember vividly the joy of finding a Noggin The Nog book in the local library. When I think of that cartoon even today I can smell that particular kind of disinfectant they used to used in libraries and other public buildings in the early 70s, so vivid is that memory.
Oliver's voice still gives me a warm, safe feeling when I hear it. I can't really think of a better epitaph for anyone.
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Yes I too loved the Clangers, especially the soup dragon and the little Froglets ;-)
I used to do a brilliant impression - drove my parents nutty!
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eh woo wooooh.
Goodbye and Green Soup for supper.
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I loved Bagpuss, but because my parents weren't big fans of telly, we didn't get a colour set until I was secondary school, and I was rather amazed to see the start sequence where the cat 'comes alive' in COLOUR !
But let us not only remember his childrens' programmes - he was a splendidly political animal as well - which I only discovered via his small ads in Private Eye.
http://www.oliverpostgate.co.uk/
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Delightful man, who brought a great deal of joy to at least two generations of children (amongst which I number myself).
As I said on a previous thread, my own personal favourite was Ivor the Engine, but they were all magic, without a trace of malice, and a great treat to watch and hear.
That voice - Unforgettable!
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I don't remember Ivir BigSis ;-)
Interesting to read his views on the BBC and how childrens televison has changed ;-
http://www.oliverpostgate.co.uk/archive1.html
"Lastly, the policy is tragically preposterous because there is simply no need or reason for the BBC to 'compete and stand out'. It is a publicly funded body and it should know that feeding the minds of young people is a seriousloving responsibility. We ourselves have passed this responsibility on to the BBC and it has no business leaving it to the mercies of a money-grubbing market"
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Ivor the Engine was quite special for me. My Dad would come home from work and would eat his supper on a tray whilst i sat at his feet watching the programme.
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Well, then, Jonnie, here's a treat for you
And a memory for Sazmond
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDWk0BCeblQ
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Major Clanger will be upset.
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And something of Mr. Postgate's philosophical content
http://www.oliverpostgate.co.uk/
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Oh, and Jonnie: I only saw the colour versions of Ivor which came out in 1975. Now, I note the Clangers were being shown in 1969 and 1971 .... So, basically you're saying you were too 'old' for Ivor, eh? ;o)
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Oh thanks for posting that up BigSis - fascinating viewing - he really knew how to tell a story.
Also nice to see how multifunctional Ivor was. Joining in with the choir at the end ;-)
-- and yes ahem! was the Clangers really as long ago as 1971!
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Bagpuss dies on the 40th birthday of the mouse. RIP.
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That was the first episode, Jonnie - the stories got more adventurous as they went on. I think the Ivor series gave Peter Firmin the greatest scope for his pictorial talents, and the landscapes are quite delightful.
I also always thought Ivor much more appealing that Thomas the Tank Engine. Some years ago, when I was unofficial stepmum to a 3 year old boy, I had great fun introducing him to Ivor, which he loved. The books are delightful, with resonances which the reader can really emphasis with a child - phrases like 'dark, dank-smelling tunnel' linger in my memory, words you could roll around your mouth and watch the eyes of the child widen and wonder.
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What better epitaph than to have given so much pleasure to so many children and adults alike.
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It's Mr Postgate's voice that I remember best. I only ever saw Bagpuss when off school with flu. I was terrified of the Soup Dragon ... not sure why ... but adored Ivor the Engine.
Pssh-ti-cfff! Pssh-ti-cfff! Pssh-ti-cfff!
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Pogles Wood was where I wanted to live. Failing that sailing with Noggin or eating teacakes with Jones The Steam (did he eat teacakes? If not, he certainly should have). It was such friendly name, Postgate, it almost sounded like it a character in one of the wonderous stories. Farewell Oliver Postgate, thank you for such happy Watch With Mother memories.
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I am deeply saddened by the loss of Oliver Postgate. He has brightened the lives of three generations of my family - my dad loved Noggin the Nog, I was a child in the 70's so Bagpuss, the Clangers and Ivor the Engine are are part of what made me, and I've enjoyed watching videos of the same with my boys. He had a talent for gentle storytelling, weaving magical threads to create a warm and comforting world. Having read his autobiography, I found him to also be a genuinely gentle and compassionate soul, who never lost the child in him. RIP Mr Postgate. We loved you.
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Oliver Postgate's world helped to shape my childhood, and Bagpuss and Ivor the engine were firm favourites. I am now a professional animator, and I think it is partly due to his influence that I chose this career path.
Oliver Postgate will be sadly missed, but his work lives on to inspire even more generations of children.
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For me it had to be the Clangers and Bagpuss as the most memorable. That said, there is a carving on the entrance to the church in the village where my parents live that looks just like Nogbad the Bad:
http://flickr.com/photos/fearless_fred/449487653/in/set-72157594548016182/
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I loved Idris the Dragon in Ivor the Engine. I had so many memories of sitting with my brother and sister watching Ivor and Jones the Steam!! RIP Oliver. You will be missed.
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I loved the Clangers especially and Ivor the Engine. His voice was just lovely to listen to and quite soothing. What an imagination he must've had too! They don't make kids programmes like those anymore :-(
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Mrs Wonko has just informed me of the sad passing of Mr Postgate. Tonight the World will be a slightly colder place without his gentle wit and charm. At least we still have the body of work he and Peter Firmin gave us.
I never really 'got' the Clangers, it was a bit too "out there" for me. Much prefered dear old Bagpuss and Ivor. Mrs Wonko, being just a little older than me, has a soft spot for Noggin the Nog, and who am I to disagree?
I think the Wonko household will be digging out the Ivor video cassettes tonight! Thank you Mr Postgate for giving us a part of our childhood.
;o) []
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Oh I loved Noggin and The Clangers. And my late Dad also just loved The Clangers. He was never a great fan of television but if The Clangers were on he'd watch it and always have a good laugh.
How sad that todays children will miss out on gentle and funny little stories, which appealed to all ages, were beautifully written and told with a soft and comforting voice.
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24
I think Postgate would have interrupted even the Clangers with a shout of Ban the Bomb if he thought doing so would have brought it's ban nearer.
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27 posts for the great Small Films team.
Come on BBC, time for a re-run of all their work. Children will love it as we all did.
The Clangers was a particular favourite of mine. I thought it very subversive at the time. But having seen some of the others again on U Tube I realised that telling a good story was the key to their talent.
Farewell, Oliver Postgate. You will not be forgotten.
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It occured to me, whilst listening to the Today programme this morning, that the only articles that featured someone of genuine political commitment and integrity were the tributes to Oliver Postgate. I'm incredibly grateful to have grown up with programmes of such warmth and gentleness, that nonetheless conveyed very effectively that having concern for other people is A Very Good Way to live your life.
One of my university housemates and I used to converse in 'Clanger' (nooooo, this didn't annoy our other housemates in the slightest. What makes you think it would?), and small toy Bagpuss is guardian of my car. I may even have been known to talk to it on long journeys. I hope Oliver Postgate would approve.
RIP.
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Does anyone remember The Pingwings? They were, I think, one of Oliver Postgate's first endeavours in the middle 60s.
It was a wonderful programe - black and white of course (they were penguins after all).
Just looking around the web for a reference to them and found this link. You can even knit your own. Something that I think Mr Postgate would have thoroughly approved of.
http://www.dragons-friendly-society.co.uk/pingdraft.htm
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In tribute to the man, I've been doing my Ivor impression at silly times during the day...
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I was a Clangers girl myself, but I also loved Bagpuss. As per previous comments, the sound of his warm voice is a treasured memory from my childhood. They don't make programmes like those nowadays.
You may not be aware, but you can still buy the sheet music for both Ivor the Engine and Noggin the Nog, all these years later. As a musician part of the joy of these programmes was the music - who can forget the theme for Ivor the Engine? Just shows how treasured the programmes are.
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Thanks for the clip during PM, Eric! I loved it (and agree with him, too)
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RIP.
As a (young) child in the early 80s,I think I was probably at the tail-end of the Postgate-era, in the sense that what we got were just repeats of old episodes. I also recall loving Morph and Fingermouse.
Somewhere in the mid-80s, kids TV seemed to go a bit skew-wiff. I recall Philip Scofield and Gordon T Gopher etc - seems as if they had a lot more imported animation along the lines of "Willy Fog" and "The Mysterious Cities of Gold"; I can't really recall much in the way of native content (aside from Dangermouse)... what happened?
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I loved everything that smallfilms produced. The ideas were simple and Olivers voice was magical. I have a collection of Bagpusses on top of my wardrobe that look down on me every night as well as some Clangers and Charlie Mouse. Am I a bit sad? No just a huge fan
Oliver will be sadley missed.
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I loved Bagpuss, and Ivor in particular. I remember it being on towards the end of the children's programme set, before the 'grown-up' news. Mr. Postgate's voice had a comforting tone and as a storteller he was compelling.
Those of us lucky enough to see these shows when we were children were far richer than today's children, fed on short-attention-spanning content, full of flashing lights and presenters shouting. There was a gentle, friendliness to Mr. Postgate and Mr. Firmin's work that has been lost somehow.
We are poorer without him, but his work will live on in many children and grown-up children alike. A fine achievement.
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Postgate was Fantastic. His voice and creations which I listened to in my early life fasinated me and made me feel more at home and happy. His voice in particular was unique and special. I think that most people around my age group will always remember it.
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It was always and will ever be Noggin the Nog for me . . . and some years ago, when my children were little (they're now 16 and 18), I found some of the stories on video. And a book of them, too. Nooka, Graculus the Green Bird, Olaf the Lofty . . . they loved them all, even in black and white, and they STILL won't let me throw them away!
Repeat after me: 'In the land of the north, where the black rocks stand guard against the cold sea . . .'
Bagpuss? Pah. Not a patch.
xx
LadyPen
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I am an adult 47. I cried uncontrollably when I heard that Oliver Postgate had died. What a shame, I am still choked up.
Please, there was one episode which was only broadcast on election day years ago, it was on this website, but seems to have disappeared, I so very much would like to see it. Can you tell us where it has gone... please please please.
Thank you, from a broken heart.
ps. my Ten year claims the clangers were his favorite programme when he was a "kid" (sadly no longer have a VHS so the two videos I bought are unplayable)... please put the missing episode back online.
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Noggin the Nog still rocks !
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