Postman Pat facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Postman Pat |
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Postman Pat and his black and white cat, Jess in the original series.
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| Genre | Children's stop motion |
| Created by | John Cunliffe |
| Developed by | Ivor Wood |
| Written by | John Cunliffe |
| Directed by | Ivor Wood |
| Voices of |
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| Narrated by | Ken Barrie (1981–1996) |
| Composer(s) |
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| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 8 |
| No. of episodes | 196 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
and Chris Rose (CBBC)
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| Producer(s) |
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| Editor(s) | Martin Bohan |
| Running time |
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| Production company(s) |
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| Distributor | NBCUniversal Television Distribution |
| Release | |
| Original network | |
| Picture format | |
| Audio format | |
| Original release | 16 September 1981 – 29 March 2017 |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | Guess with Jess (spin-off) |
Postman Pat is a popular British stop-motion animated TV show for children. It's all about the fun adventures of a friendly postman named Pat Clifton and his black and white cat, Jess. The show was first made by Woodland Animations.
The series is mostly for younger kids, but many older children and adults enjoy it too! It takes place in a made-up village called Greendale. This village was inspired by a real valley in England called Longsleddale, near Kendal.
The first 13 episodes of Postman Pat were shown on BBC1 in 1981. John Cunliffe wrote the first ideas and scripts for the show. Ivor Wood, a famous animator, directed it. He also worked on other well-known shows like The Magic Roundabout and Paddington Bear.
After the first series was a big hit, more episodes and special shows were made in the 1990s. In these new stories, Pat even had his own family! A newer version of the show was made by Cosgrove Hall Films starting in 2003. This version added many new things to the original stories.
Sadly, Ken Barrie, who was the original voice of Postman Pat, passed away on July 29, 2016. The show's creator, John Cunliffe, passed away on September 20, 2018.
Contents
What's the Story About?
Each episode of Postman Pat follows the daily life of Pat Clifton. He is a kind country postman, and his loyal "black and white cat," Jess, is always with him. Together, they deliver mail throughout the beautiful Greendale valley.
While Pat's main job is to deliver letters, he often gets sidetracked. He usually ends up helping the villagers with their problems or concerns. Pat is the person everyone in Greendale relies on to solve their little troubles.
Some of the well-known people in Greendale include:
- Mrs. Goggins, the friendly postmistress.
- Alf and Dorothy Thompson, who are farmers.
- PC Selby, the local police officer.
- Pat's own family, Sara and Julian Clifton.
- Jeff Pringles, the teacher.
- Ajay Bains, who drives the Greendale Rocket train.
- Nisha Bains, who runs the local cafe.
- Ted Glen, the clever local handyman and inventor.
Where Does Postman Pat Live?
Postman Pat is set in two main places: the made-up village of Greendale and the nearby town of Pencaster. These places are located near the border of Cumbria and North Yorkshire in England.
Greendale Village
Greendale is a busy village in the countryside. The High Street runs through the middle of the village. Here you'll find Mrs. Goggins' Post Office and shop. This shop is a popular spot where villagers often meet and chat.
On the edge of the village is the railway station. This is where the Greendale Rocket train is kept. Nisha Bains runs a popular cafe at the station with Sara. Her husband, Ajay, drives the Greendale Rocket to Pencaster regularly. In the first two series of the show, Greendale had many winding, narrow country roads. These roads often caused problems for Pat's mail rounds, like being blocked by snow.
Pencaster Town
Pencaster is a large, lively, and modern town. It's easy for the people of Greendale to travel there. Pencaster is located by the water and is always busy. It has a market square in the center, surrounded by shops and houses. There's also a big railway station, modern buildings, and a boat jetty. Pencaster looks a bit like the real town of Lancaster in Lancashire. Lancaster is also close to Longsleddale, which inspired Greendale.
In the show's second series from the mid-1990s, the area was sometimes called Garner Bridge. For example, the Greendale Post Office was called "Garner Bridge Post Office" in one episode.
Ingledale is another large, busy village. It's in the North Yorkshire countryside. This village was only seen once in a special episode in 1991.
How the Show Was Created
John Cunliffe, the creator, explained why he chose a postman as the main character. He said he needed a character who could travel around the countryside and meet many different people. This way, Pat could have lots of adventures and interact with everyone in the village.
The idea for the post office in the show came from a real post office. It was on the street in Kendal where Cunliffe lived when he first wrote the story. That real post office closed in 2003.
John Cunliffe did not keep all the rights to the Postman Pat character. He was a bit sad about some of the toys and other products that were made later. He wanted more control over his stories. That's why he wrote and presented another show called Rosie and Jim, where he had more say in how things were done.
Even though Cunliffe visited real post offices for ideas, he said that Pat and Greendale were not based on any single real person or place. He mentioned in 2015 that many people claimed to be the inspiration for the character!
Who Are the Voices Behind the Characters?
Many talented actors have given their voices to the characters in Postman Pat.
- Lewis MacLeod voices Postman Pat (in later series), Ben Taylor, and others.
- Ken Barrie was the original voice of Postman Pat, Matt Clifton, Mrs. Goggins (first time), Ted Glen (first time), and many other characters, including the Narrator.
- Carole Boyd voices Sara Clifton, Julian Clifton (first time), Mrs. Goggins (second time), and many other female characters.
- Kulvinder Ghir voices Bill Thompson (later series), Tom Pottage (later series), Ajay Bains, and other characters.
- Janet James voices Julian Clifton (later series) and Lucy Selby (later series).
- Archie Panjabi voices Katy Pottage (later series), Nisha Bains, and Meera Bains.
- Melissa Sinden voices Jess Clifton, Polly Clifton, and Dotty Pringle.
- Anji Kreft and Jimmy Hibbert provided additional voices.
- Bradley Clarkson voices Ted Glen (later series) and Arthur Selby (later series).
- Dan Milne voices Peter Timms (later series).
- Joel Trill voices Chris Beacon.
- Professor Brian Cox voices Professor Ryan Farrow.
See also
In Spanish: Pat el cartero para niños
