Like numerous British people my age, it's difficult to hear the end of Bagpuss without having an urge to cry. And I don't know why, because it's not sad.
A series by Postgate and Firmin that is often overlooked is Pogle's Wood, which originally ran in 1965 as a serial (with a continuing story about Mr and Mrs Pogle battling to save a foundling baby (and a magical silver crown) from the machinations of a witch), which was considered a bit scary for young children and the series was reformatted as a magazine programme (with a self-contained story about the Pogle family - Mr & Mrs P, the foundling Pippin and an animated toy called Tog). But the story of the Pogles and the witch continued in the yearly children's annuals that Postgate and Firmin produced, the Witch continues to return, and every year is banished to nowhere or to be nothing or more and more abstruse concepts until in the final episode (1974) Mrs Pogle accepts the witch as a part of her own personality.
Which was pretty intense, even if I was nine by then. posted by Grangousier at 12:25 AM on December 9, 2008
My goodness, I haven't thought about those programmes in years. RIP Oliver. posted by tellurian at 12:31 AM on December 9, 2008
For those of us who have never heard these shows, here's the Bagpuss intro. What a lovely voice. He sounds like the most patient grandfather ever. posted by benzenedream at 12:32 AM on December 9, 2008
YouTube, yes, I didn't think. I'm old. posted by Grangousier at 12:37 AM on December 9, 2008
Aside from being the soundtrack to the lives of millions of children world wide, Oliver seems to have been a smart and radical guy.
I loved Noggin the Nog, Thor Nogson, Nogbad the Bad and all the rest of those Nogs. posted by PeterMcDermott at 12:39 AM on December 9, 2008 [1 favorite]
"Bagpuss gave a big yawn, and settled down to sleep.
And of course when Bagpuss goes to sleep, all his friends go to sleep too.
The mice were ornaments on the mouse-organ.
Gabriel and Madeleine were just dolls.
And Professor Yaffle was a carved wooden bookend in the shape of a woodpecker.
Even Bagpuss himself once he was asleep was just an old, saggy cloth cat.
Baggy, and a bit loose at the seams.
But Emily loved him."
Emily being Peter Firmin's youngest daughter and Peter Firmin being Postgate's partner in Small Films. I actually met Emily in a club (The Fridge) in London about 10 years ago which was slightly strange as she did look like an older version of Bagpuss's Emily and I watched that programme to death as a kid. I remember thinking afterwards that I should have hit on her but it would have all been a bit too weird and I was slightly spannered at the time.
As Grangousier says, the films are not sad but I think they're very wistful. Then again, the Haggis episode of Bagpuss always made me feel incredibly sad. The programmes never seemed to be patronising or talking down to the viewers and I remember my parents enjoying watching as much as my sister I did. (The same sister that managed to suck the original & a number of replacement ears off her favourite childhood toy Tog from Pogle's Wood.)
RIP Oliver and thank you for many happy memories. The Clangers, Pogle's Wood, Ivor the Engine & Bgpuss played a big part in my early childhood. posted by i_cola at 1:28 AM on December 9, 2008 [2 favorites]
I just watched three episodes of Clangers too. These are so delightful. They're clearly made for children, but have a timeless quality, the sort that makes adults remember when they were very young and how they felt watching them then. posted by louche mustachio at 2:07 AM on December 9, 2008
Pogles' Wood. To show the sheer strangeness and intensity aimed at young minds ;-) Apparently the apostrophe was moved to show that it was the wood of all the Pogles and not just Mr Pogle. posted by i_cola at 2:10 AM on December 9, 2008
I've been watching Ivor the Engine on YouTube with my son recently, and I was a huge fan of Noggin the Nog and Pogles' Wood.
These were some of the smartest, most captivating childrens' programmes ever made. Sad to see him go, and sad that no-one seems to be there as a modern equivalent.
Gentle brilliance. posted by dowcrag at 2:17 AM on December 9, 2008
Looking over these brings a bitter sweet sting of lost innocence... RIP Oliver.
Wonderful stuff. I've been reading the Noggin books to my son lately - they're a bit too wordy for him at the moment but I'm loving them.
Also, my earliest memory is of my dad being late home from work, and coming to my bedroom to say goodnight, bringing a new Ivor the Engine book. posted by Mocata at 2:56 AM on December 9, 2008
Truly .
It has just been within the last few weeks that the significance of these programs have had on my life. posted by niccolo at 3:23 AM on December 9, 2008
Beautiful work; thanks for everything and farewell, Mr Postgate. posted by Abiezer at 3:36 AM on December 9, 2008
Mr Postgate's work was totally absent from my own (American) childhood, but my daughter loves her Bagpuss DVD, and I've grown rather fond of it as well. It's the kind of children's program that wouldn't get made today...
They were wonderful, gentle and timeless programmes. What a great man. I wonder if the Bagpuss intro could be shown now in full because it's so slow. Oh well, I'm sure the mice could fix it". posted by patricio at 4:02 AM on December 9, 2008
It must have been a lot of fun to make TV programmes back then. Just two people could get some money from the BBC and go away and make a show, doing everything themselves from the writing to the animation and the voices. Admittedly the budgets were very small, but the output was entertaining enough.
It says a lot about the creative output of the BBC that that would just never happen nowadays. There would be probably 4 different written proposals required and 6 different reviews of the project proposal before any new show is made. That would be before the appointed producers, script editors, educational consultants got involved.
Also, my earliest memory is of my dad being late home from work, and coming to my bedroom to say goodnight, bringing a new Ivor the Engine book.
You've reminded me my Dad made me a Froglets mobile from blown egg-shells he'd sprayed orange. Magic! posted by Abiezer at 4:39 AM on December 9, 2008
.
Thank you for Bagpuss, The Clangers and Ivor. posted by jackiemcghee at 5:01 AM on December 9, 2008
When Oliver Postgate dies,
all of us die a little too.
Bagpuss was my childhood. I remember watching the first episode of this new series, and thought it was made especially for me.
I still alarm colleagues by singing the mice's We will fix it ... in a falsetto voice when setting out troubleshooting. posted by scruss at 5:07 AM on December 9, 2008
my boy loves ivor; jones the steam, dai station master. has a wonderful evocation of community--i'm sure postgate deliberately set out to do this. never did i think he would be able to watch the same show i loved 30 years ago in a different country. postgate certainly had something very special in voice and delivery. seems like a cool guy too. posted by iboxifoo at 6:16 AM on December 9, 2008
It seems that as we age, we all get a bit baggy, and a bit loose at the seams.
not so very long ago, in the top left hand corner of wales, there was a railway: 1st episode (my favorite) posted by iboxifoo at 6:24 AM on December 9, 2008
Thanks for posting the links to The Clangers. I loved seeing it again (my dog not so much apparently - he has hidden now).
bap98189: I completely agree with your post about the appeal of the simplicity of the approach that Postgate took. There is something to be said for setting loose extremely imaginative people in a small team with a tiny budget and then seeing what they come up with.
The music in all these films is great too; they must have had a great time putting them together. posted by rongorongo at 12:31 PM on December 9, 2008
I loved Pogle's Wood, and Noggin the Nog.
Bagpuss was real, of course. posted by essexjan at 1:22 PM on December 9, 2008
I have a little Bagpuss on my desk, that I brought to the US with me. I'm not sure if I can add anything, other than if you're of that age-range to have grown up in Britain with Smallfilms on the television, you're probably feeling like you've lost a family member. He was like the Queen Mum, except that he mattered.
I always kind of hoped that God spoke in that voice.
A friend of mine went to a reading he gave from his autobiography (which is very good, though apparently out of print and now at silly prices second-hand) in central London, which was made up of people in their thirties and forties, mostly, sitting cross-legged in the childrens' section, swaddled in that voice. (He told a few rude jokes too, which was not quite something they expected.) posted by holgate at 1:03 AM on December 10, 2008
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A series by Postgate and Firmin that is often overlooked is Pogle's Wood, which originally ran in 1965 as a serial (with a continuing story about Mr and Mrs Pogle battling to save a foundling baby (and a magical silver crown) from the machinations of a witch), which was considered a bit scary for young children and the series was reformatted as a magazine programme (with a self-contained story about the Pogle family - Mr & Mrs P, the foundling Pippin and an animated toy called Tog). But the story of the Pogles and the witch continued in the yearly children's annuals that Postgate and Firmin produced, the Witch continues to return, and every year is banished to nowhere or to be nothing or more and more abstruse concepts until in the final episode (1974) Mrs Pogle accepts the witch as a part of her own personality.
Which was pretty intense, even if I was nine by then.
posted by Grangousier at 12:25 AM on December 9, 2008