On this day in history : 12th April 1925 – The birth of Oliver Postgate – animator, puppeteer, screenwriter and creator of many popular children’s TV programmes, including Bagpuss and the Clangers….
Richard Oliver Postgate was born in Hendon, Middlesex…. His father, Raymond Postgate, was a writer and journalist and founded the ‘Good Food Guide’…. His mother was Daisy Lansbury – and his first cousin was Angela Lansbury….
Postgate was privately educated in Finchley, North London and then boarding school in Devon…. Whilst studying at Kingston College of Art in 1942 he joined the Home Guard…. However, when he was called up to serve in World War 2 he declared himself a conscientious objector – (just as his father had done before him in World War 1) – which resulted in him serving 3 months in Feltham Prison…. He was eventually granted an exemption – but in return he had to work either on the land or in social service…. He worked as a farmhand for the remainder of the War – and then went to work for the Red Cross in occupied Germany….
1948 saw him back in England and enrolled in drama school – but following this he couldn’t quite settle into anything permanent…. In 1957 he began to work as a stage manager with Associated Rediffusion (later to become Rediffusion London) – the British ITV franchise holder…. Postgate became involved with children’s productions…. However, he thought children’s programmes of the time lacking…. Glove puppets and puppets on strings served a purpose – but he knew he could do better – and taught himself frame by frame animation…. Postgate had found his niche…. In 1958 he created ’Alexander the Mouse’ – about a mouse who sets out to find his royal roots and becomes king…. This was the beginning of his collaboration with puppeteer and animator Peter Firmin…. Together they formed their own production company – ‘Smallfilms’…. They set up at Firmin’s home , a farm in Blean, near to Canterbury – and later in a row of converted pigsties….
From this partnership came children’s programmes that many of us grew up with…. ‘The Journey of Master Ho’, 1958 – about a small boy and a water buffalo…. ITV’s ‘Ivor the Engine’, 1959-1964 (later revived in colour 1976-77) – the adventures of a little green steam locomotive, who lived in ‘the top left hand corner of Wales’ and longed to sing in a choir…. ‘The Saga of Noggin the Nog’, 1959-65 (once again revived in colour, 1982) – about the king of the Northmen and featuring flying machines, dragons and talking birds…. This was Smallfilms’ first production for the BBC….
Frame from the original 1959 series Ivor the Engine – Fair use 
1992 book, The Sagas of Noggin the Nog – Fair use
‘Pingwings’, 1961 and ‘The Pogles’ and ‘Pogles’ Wood’, 1965-68 followed and then came the now cult TV series ‘The Clangers’, 1969-74…. The little creatures living on a small planet ‘far-far-away’….eating Blue String Pudding and Green Soup – courtesy of their friend the Soup Dragon….
‘Bagpuss’ made his debut in 1973… The saggy old cloth cat that everybody still loves…. A little girl called Emily (who was played by Peter Firmin’s own daughter Emily) – who owned a shop that didn’t actually sell anything…. Instead the shop window would display lost and broken things – waiting for their rightful owners to come along and collect them…. Surprisingly only 13 episodes were ever made – but they were often repeated, fond memories for all of us…. In 1999 ‘Bagpuss’ was voted the favourite British children’s TV character of all time….
During the 1970s and 80s Postgate was active in the anti-nuclear campaign – by addressing meetings and writing pamphlets…. He had married Prue Myers in 1957, becoming a stepfather to three children and then father to twins Stephen and Simon in 1959…. Another son, Daniel was born in 1964…. Prue died of cancer in 1982…. Postgate was to meet Naomi Linnell who was to become his partner until his death at a nursing home in Broadstairs on the 8th of December 2008…. His youngest son, Daniel, was to inherit Smallfilms….
Cottage Capers 