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 |
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| Original release | 16 September 1981 – 29 March 2017 |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | Guess with Jess (spin-off) |
Postman Pat is a British stop-motion animated children's television series first produced by Woodland Animations.
It is aimed at pre-school children, and concerns the adventures of Pat Clifton, a postman in the fictional village of Greendale (inspired by the real valley of Longsleddale near Kendal).
Postman Pat's first 13-episode series was screened on BBC1 in 1981. John Cunliffe wrote the original treatment and scripts, and it was directed by animator Ivor Wood, who also worked on The Magic Roundabout, The Wombles, Paddington Bear, and The Herbs. Following the success of the first series, four TV specials and a second series of 13 episodes were produced during the 1990s. Here, Pat had a family for the first time. A new version of the series was produced by Cosgrove Hall Films from 2003, which expanded on many aspects of the original series. In 2000, Royal Mail stopped using Postman Pat for their promotional and charity work. The television programme continued to use the Royal Mail logo on his postal van PAT 1 for several years after.
The original voice of Postman Pat, Ken Barrie, died on July 29, 2016 followed by creator John Cunliffe who died on September 20, 2018.
Contents
Plot
Each episode follows the adventures of Pat Clifton, a friendly country postman, and his "black and white cat" Jess, as he delivers the post through the valley of Greendale. Although he initially concentrates on delivering his letters, he nearly always becomes distracted by a concern of one of the villagers, and is usually relied upon to resolve their problems. Notable villagers include the postmistress, Mrs. Goggins; Alf and Dorothy Thompson, the farmer; PC Selby, the police constable; Pat and Sara Clifton; Jeff Pringles, the teacher; Ajay Bains, driver of the Greendale Rocket and Pencaster Flyer; Nisha Bains, the owner of the cafe; and the local handyman and inventor, Ted Glen.
Setting
Postman Pat is set in the fictional village of Greendale and the nearby town of Pencaster, on the border between Cumbria and North Yorkshire.
Greendale is a large, busy village situated in the heart of the Cumbrian countryside. Running through the centre of the village is the High Street, home to Mrs Goggins' Post Office and shop, an unofficial meeting house for the residents. Located on the edge of the village is the railway station, home to the Greendale Rocket. Nisha Bains runs a popular café there with Sara while her husband Ajay runs a regular schedule on the Greendale Rocket to the nearby town of Pencaster. In the original series (1 and 2), Greendale consisted of windy and narrow country roads in the valley which usually had some involvement as to why Pat had problems with his rounds, as the lanes would be blocked or full of snow drifts that were not passable.
Pencaster is a large, bustling, modern town located within easy commuting distance for the villagers of Greendale. Situated on the waterfront, Pencaster is a hive of activity, boasting a market square in the centre surrounded by shops, houses, a large railway station, state-of-the-art buildings, and a boat jetty. It bears some resemblance to Lancaster, the county town of Lancashire, which likewise is a short commute from Longsleddale, the area used as the inspiration for Greendale.
In the second series of the show from the mid-90s, the area is referred to as Garner Bridge, and is located in Greendale. For example, in the episode "Postman Pat and the Suit of Armour", Greendale Post Office is referred to as "Garner Bridge Post Office".
Ingledale is another large, busy village town situated in the heart of the North Yorkshire countryside, only seen once in a special in 1991, set to make a second appearance in the revival.
Inspiration
Cunliffe, interviewed about the series, has said that he chose the character of a postman since he needed a character who could visit the countryside and interact with many different people.
The inspiration for the post office itself comes from that located on the Kendal street where Cunliffe lived when he was writing the original treatment. The post office, at 10 Greenside, closed in 2003.
Cunliffe did not retain rights to the character, and was disappointed by some of the tie-in media later released. He wrote the stories to the series Rosie and Jim, which he also presented, as a show which he could have tighter control of.
While Cunliffe visited post offices for inspiration, he has said that the character and village was not based on any one place or person. He commented in 2015 that "I got maybe half a dozen people last year saying they were the inspiration."
Cast
- Lewis MacLeod as Postman Pat (2nd time), Ben Taylor, Robot 1, Sat Nav, Alf Thompson (2nd time), Sean McGuinness
- Ken Barrie as Postman Pat (1st time), Matt Clifton, Mrs. Goggins (1st time), Ted Glen (1st time), Alf Thompson (1st time), Dorothy Thompson (1st time), Bill Thompson (1st time), Peter Timms (1st time), Julia Pottage (1st time), Katy Pottage (1st time), Tom Pottage (1st time), Arthur Selby (1st time), Lucy Selby (1st time), Sylvia Gilbertson (1st time), Sarah Gilbertson (1st time), Jeff Pringle, Charlie Pringle (1st time), Rebecca Hubbard (1st time), Sam Waldron, Granny Dryden, Peter Fogg, Major Forbes, George Lancaster, Santa Claus, Train Inspector, Pumpkin Wrigglesworth, Narrator, Radio Greendale Speaker, John, George, Countdown Sequence Voice
- Carole Boyd as Sara Clifton, Julian Clifton (1st time), Mrs. Goggins (2nd time), Dorothy Thompson (2nd time), Bill Thompson (2nd time), Julia Pottage (2nd time), Katy Pottage (2nd time), Tom Pottage (2nd time), Betty Pottage, Lucy Selby (2nd time), Sylvia Gilbertson (2nd time), Sarah Gilbertson (2nd time), Jackie Gilbertson, Charlie Pringle (2nd time), Rebecca Hubbard (2nd time), George's Wife, Radio Weather Woman
- Kulvinder Ghir as Bill Thompson (3rd time), Tom Pottage (3rd time), Ajay Bains, Bessie Thompson, Michael Lam, Robot 2, Grizzly, Shopper-Bot 3000
- Janet James as Julian Clifton (2nd time), Lucy Selby (3rd time), Lauren Taylor
- Archie Panjabi as Katy Pottage (3rd time), Nisha Bains, Meera Bains
- Melissa Sinden as Jess Clifton, Polly Clifton, Dotty Pringle, Bonnie Goggins
- Anji Kreft as Additional Voices (1st time)
- Angela Griffin as Amy Wrigglesworth, Lizzy Taylor, Flora, Rowena Roberts, Duchess of Pencaster
- Jimmy Hibbert as Additional Voices (2nd time)
- Bradley Clarkson as Ted Glen (2nd time), Arthur Selby (2nd time), Ned Glen
- Dan Milne as Peter Timms (2nd time)
- Joel Trill as Chris Beacon
- Professor Brian Cox as Professor Ryan Farrow
See also
In Spanish: Pat el cartero para niños
