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Smallfilms
Smallfilms is a British television production company that made animated TV programmes for children from 1959 until the 1980s. In 2014 the company began operating again, producing a new series of its most famous show, ''The Clangers'', however it became dormant again in 2017, after production of the show was slightly changed, It was originally a partnership between Oliver Postgate (who wrote the scripts, animated the characters, and voiced many of the characters) and Peter Firmin (who made the models of the characters and drew the artwork). Several very popular series of short films were made using stop-motion animation, including ''Clangers'', ''Noggin the Nog'' and ''Ivor the Engine''. Another Smallfilms production, ''Bagpuss'', came top of a BBC poll to find the favourite British children's programme of the 20th century. Background In 1957, Postgate was appointed a stage manager with Associated-Rediffusion, the company that then held the commercial weekday television franchise f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Smallfilms Bolex Camera
Smallfilms is a British television production company that made animated TV programmes for children from 1959 until the 1980s. In 2014 the company began operating again, producing a new series of its most famous show, ''The Clangers'', however it became dormant again in 2017, after production of the show was slightly changed, It was originally a partnership between Oliver Postgate (who wrote the scripts, animated the characters, and voiced many of the characters) and Peter Firmin (who made the models of the characters and drew the artwork). Several very popular series of short films were made using stop-motion animation, including ''Clangers'', ''Noggin the Nog'' and ''Ivor the Engine''. Another Smallfilms production, ''Bagpuss'', came top of a BBC poll to find the favourite British children's programme of the 20th century. Background In 1957, Postgate was appointed a stage manager with Associated-Rediffusion, the company that then held the commercial weekday television franchise f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bagpuss
''Bagpuss'' is a British animated children's television series which was made by Peter Firmin and Oliver Postgate through their company Smallfilms. The series of thirteen episodes was first broadcast from 12 February to 7 May 1974. The title character was "a saggy, old cloth cat, baggy, and a bit loose at the seams". Although only thirteen episodes were produced and broadcast, the programme remains fondly remembered, and was frequently repeated in the UK until 1986. In early 1999, ''Bagpuss'' topped a BBC poll for the UK's favourite children's television programme. Characters Bagpuss himself is a stuffed, cloth cat. The six mice carved on the side of the "mouse organ" (a small mechanical pipe organ that played rolls of music) wake up and scurry around, singing in high-pitched voices. The names of the six mice are: Charlie Mouse, Jenny Mouse, Janey Mouse, Lizzy Mouse, Eddie Mouse and Willy Mouse, although only three of the mice are ever referred to by their name; the remaining th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Clangers
''Clangers'' (usually referred to as ''The Clangers'') is a British stop-motion children's television series, consisting of short films about a family of mouse-like creatures who live on, and inside, a small moon-like planet. They speak only in a whistled language. They eat only green soup (supplied by the Soup Dragon) and blue string pudding. The programmes were originally broadcast on BBC One between 1969 and 1972, followed by a special episode which was broadcast in 1974. The series was made by Smallfilms, the company set up by Oliver Postgate (who was the show's writer, animator and narrator) and Peter Firmin (who was its modelmaker and illustrator). Firmin designed the characters, and Joan Firmin, his wife knitted and "dressed" them. The music, often part of the story, was provided by Vernon Elliott. A third series, narrated by Monty Python actor Michael Palin, was broadcast in the UK from 15 June 2015 on the BBC's CBeebies TV channel, gaining hugely successful viewing ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ivor The Engine
''Ivor the Engine'' is a British cutout animation television series created by Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin's Smallfilms company. It follows the adventures of a small green steam locomotive who lives in the "top left-hand corner of Wales" and works for ''The Merioneth and Llantisilly Railway Traction Company Limited''. His friends include Jones the Steam, Evans the Song and Dai Station, among many other characters. Background Having produced the live ''Alexander the Mouse'', and the stop motion animated ''The Journey of Master Ho'' for his employers Associated Rediffusion/ITV in partnership with Firmin, Oliver Postgate and his partner set up Smallfilms in a disused cow shed at Firmin's home in Blean, near Canterbury, Kent. ''Ivor the Engine'' was Smallfilms' first production, and drew inspiration from Postgate's World War II encounter with Welshman Denzyl Ellis, a former railway locomotive fireman with the Royal Scot train, who described how steam engines came to life whe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oliver Postgate
Richard Oliver Postgate (12 April 1925 – 8 December 2008), generally known as Oliver Postgate, was an English animator, puppeteer, and writer. He was the creator and writer of some of Britain's most popular children's television programmes. ''Bagpuss'', ''Pingwings'', ''Noggin the Nog'', ''Ivor the Engine'', ''Clangers'' and ''Pogles' Wood'', were all made by Smallfilms, the company he set up with collaborator, artist and puppet maker Peter Firmin. The programmes were originally broadcast from the 1950s to the 1980s. In a 1999 BBC poll ''Bagpuss'' was voted the most popular children's television programme of all time. Early life Postgate was born in Hendon, Middlesex, England, into the Postgate family, as the younger son of journalist and writer Raymond Postgate and his wife Daisy (née Lansbury), making him the cousin of actress Angela Lansbury and maternal grandson of Labour politician, and sometime leader, George Lansbury. His other grandfather was the Latin classic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Noggin The Nog
''Noggin the Nog'' is a fictional character appearing in a TV series (of the same name, originally broadcast 1959–1965 and 1982) and a series of illustrated books (published 1965–1977), created by Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin. The TV series is considered a cult classic from the golden age of British children's television. Noggin himself is the simple, kind and unassuming “King of the Northmen” in a roughly Viking-age setting, with various fantastic elements such as dragons, flying machines and talking birds. Peter Firmin is said to have come up with the name of Noggin after travelling on the London Underground and seeing Neasden tube station, which made him think "Noggin". Some of the original artwork for the series is on display at the Rupert Bear Museum. The appearance of the characters was influenced by that of the Lewis chessmen in the British Museum. Plot and characters The stories were based around the central character of Noggin, the rather simple but good-nat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pingwings
''Pingwings'' was an animated black-and-white children's television series, comprising 18 ten-minute episodes, broadcast in the United Kingdom on ITV in three series of six programmes each, between 1961 and 1965. It first aired on Southern Television. Created by Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin of Smallfilms, it starred a family of penguin-like creatures who lived at the back of a barn on the fictional Berrydown Farm. The Pingwing characters were knitted by Firmin's sister Gloria Wilson, and the animation was achieved using the stop motion technique. Some of the animated sequences were filmed in the open air. Such sequences were often intercut with live-action sequences, featuring Mr and Mrs Farmer and Gay the Goat. In this way the Pingwing family interacted with their neighbours on the farm. The series was in fact filmed partly "on location": since Peter Firmin and his wife lived in an old farmhouse, and the Smallfilms film studio was located in a disused barn adjacent to it, al ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pinny's House
''Pinny's House'' is a 1986 animated television series produced by Smallfilms, produced by Oliver Postgate. The show is based on a series of books written and illustrated by Peter Firmin and focuses on the toys in a Victorian dolls' house. The programme premiered on 22 October 1986 as part of the BBC's See-Saw programming block. The series was the last production by duo Peter Firmin and Oliver Postgate. Broadcast Although the thirteen part series was originally broadcast between October and December 1986, it received many repeats over the years, although often a repeat run would be of just eleven of the thirteen episodes. * 1st Screening: 22 Oct-12 Dec 1986 * 2nd Screening: 9 Apr-25 Jun 1987 * 3rd Screening: 17 Nov-4 Dec 1987 * 4th Screening: 13 Jan-30 Mar 1988 * 5th Screening: 18 Jul-3 Oct 1988 * 6th Screening: 17 Feb-21 Apr 1989 * 7th Screening: 29 Jun-14 Sep 1989 * 8th Screening: 27 May-12 Jun 1991 * 9th Screening: 25 Nov-11 Dec 1991 * 10th Screening: 12-27 Mar 1992 * 11 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pogles' Wood
''Pogles' Wood'' (in its first series it was entitled ''The Pogles'') is an animated British children's television show produced by Smallfilms between 1965 and 1967, first broadcast by the BBC between 1965 and 1968 (but repeated regularly until the early 1970s). The original six episode series, ''The Pogles'', was broadcast from 29 July 1965, within the children's magazine programme ''Clapperboard''. The 26-episode sequel, ''Pogles Wood'', was shown as part of the ''Watch with Mother'' strand, whose target audience was pre-school children (meaning, in the 1960s, children under 5 years of age): a somewhat younger audience than that for ''Clapperboard''. The 32 episodes were filmed using stop-frame animation, in Peter Firmin's barn (not in a BBC television studio). All were made in black-and-white. The episodes were narrated by Oliver Postgate, who introduced the story (typically beginning each episode with the show's catchphrase, ''Now where shall we find the Pogles?'') and also vo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
What-A-Mess
''What-a-Mess'' is a series of children's books written by British comedy writer Frank Muir and illustrated by Joseph Wright. The title character is a dishevelled, accident-prone Afghan Hound puppy, whose real name is Prince Amir of Kinjan. The book series was later made into two animated series, both narrated by Muir. Characters * What-a-Mess – a scruffy Afghan puppy who is the main character of the franchise. His real name is Prince Amir of Kinjan. He has a yellow duck sitting on top of his head. In the US version, What-A-Mess is voiced by Ryan O'Donohue. ** Baldwin: In the US animated version, the duck was coloured blue, as his character was merged with the bluebird in the UK animated version and books, and was also given the name Baldwin by What-A-Mess. * What-a-Mess's mom – also known as The Duchess of Kinjan is a pedigree Afghan Hound. She is voiced by Charity James in the US version. * Family – the owners of What-a-Mess and his mother. They consist of the father, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Seal Of Neptune
''The Seal of Neptune'' is a children's programme created by Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin, also known for their works ''Ivor the Engine'' and ''Clangers ''Clangers'' (usually referred to as ''The Clangers'') is a British stop motion, stop-motion children's television series, consisting of short films about a family of mouse, mouse-like creatures who live on, and inside, a small moon-like planet ...''. It was broadcast on BBC Television in 1960. Its plot featured the adventures of a seahorse and a shrimp and was similar in animation style to Ivor the Engine and Noggin the Nog. It was followed in 1963 by a sequel called ''The Mermaid's Pearls''. In October 2010, the original film of the series was recovered from a disused pig sty on a farm belonging to Firmin. In 2014, ''The Seal of Neptune'' and ''The Mermaid's Pearls'' (1963) were released on DVD by the Dragons Friendly Society. References External links * * Dragons friendly society 1960 British television se ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Blean
Blean is a village and civil parish in the City of Canterbury, Canterbury district of Kent, England. The civil parish is large and is mostly woodland, much of which is ancient woodland. The village, developed village within the parish is scattered along the road between Canterbury and Whitstable, in the middle of the Forest of Blean. The parish of St. Cosmus and St. Damian in the Blean was renamed "Blean" on 1 April 2019. History According to Edward Hasted's 1800 county study, the village was once part of the king's ancient forest of Blean in the Hundred (county division), hundred of Westgate. The name Blean is the dative form of the Old English word ‘blea’ which means rough ground. Therefore the name of the parish means "the church of Saints Cosmas and Damian (sic) in the rough ground." In 1835, the Blean Union Workhouse, designed by William Edmunds, was built on four acres south of Herne Common. The design was based on Sir Francis Bond Head , Sir Francis Bond Head's ''Pla ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
