Psssh-t-coof!

With the news of Oliver Postgate's death, it's rather significant as he was a Canterbury resident for quite a long time in his life, especially during the 1970s whilst series such as Bagpuss and Ivor the Engine were shown on television.

There was an exhibtion with some of his work and drawings by both him and Peter Firmin at the Canterbury Heritage Centre not long after I moved to the city, and it's rather sad when looking back at how after the late 80s, television turned it's back on him.

I seem to remember Oliver making an appearance on the first series of SMTV Live with Ant & Dec back in 1999 and they introduced him as "Oliver Postbag" resulting in the audience doing the postbag dance to the tune of "Please Mr Postman". I'm pretty sure I can remember it move for move with the last bit being adlibbed.

Although the most amusing story regarding his career was in the episode of the Clanger's called "The Iron Chicken" where at the start of the episode the door into the moon gets jammed and Major Clanger appears to be whistling "Oh, sod it, the bloody thing's stuck again". The line itself can be heard at about 56 seconds in so you can make up your own minds as to what it's saying.

I've said it before but the above episode has to be one of the cutest animations I have seen and the Iron Chicken itself is pretty adorable.

Bagpuss ended up being voted the best ever children's programme in a poll held by the BBC in 1999, around the same time they were airing the "Small People" promotional campaign.
This featured a little boy travelling through various places with different characters from Auntie's selection of children's programmes from over the years and this lead to
Ian Hislop getting a lot of stick on Have I Got News For You, for bearing an uncanny resemblance to the little boy.

Oddly enough I think Ian's voice sounds like Martin Jarvis's one for William Brown in his retellings of Richmal Crompton's rather amusing stories, although Martin's voice for the lisping Violet Elizabeth Bott sounds not to disimilar to Victor Lewis Smith's Esther Rantzen impression.

But overall Oliver and Peter's contribution to television has definitely made a mark with many generations with DVD sales of their series continuing to be succesfull proving that they'll be enjoyed by anyone of any age.

Oliver Postgate - 1925-2008