Postman Pat

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Postman Pat
Postman-Pat.jpg
Postman Pat and his black and white cat in the original programme.
Genre Stop motion/Children's
Created by John Cunliffe,
Ivor Wood
Developed by Ivor Wood
Written by John Cunliffe
Voices of Ken Barrie (1981-2012)
Lewis MacLeod (2013-)
Carole Boyd
Kulvinder Ghir
Angela Griffin
Janet James
Archie Panjabi
Melissa Sinden
Theme music composer Bryan Daly
Opening theme "Postman Pat and his Black and White Cat"
Composer(s) Simon Woodgate
Country of origin United Kingdom
No. of series 9
No. of episodes 141 (List of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s) Chris Rose
Mandy Kamester
Chris Bowden
Jane Smith
Producer(s) Debbie Pears
Jo Jorden
Running time 15 minutes (Series)
25 minutes (Specials)
Production company(s) Woodland Animations (1981-1996)
Cosgrove Hall Films (2003-2008)
Mackinnon & Saunders (2013-present)[1]
Classic Media (2010-2012)
DreamWorks Classics (2012-present)
Broadcast
Original channel BBC One
(1981-1985)
BBC Two
CBBC
(1986-2002)
CBeebies
(2003-2008)
Picture format 4:3 576i (1981-1997)
16:9 576i (2004 – 2008)
Original run 18 September 1981 – 19 December 2008
External links
Website

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 in Cumbria).[2]

Postman Pat′s first 13-episode season 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, Paddington Bear, and The Herbs. Following the success of the first series, and that of several TV specials in between, a second series of 13 episodes was produced by the same crew in 1996. Here, Pat had a family for the first time. A new version of the series has been produced by Cosgrove Hall from 2004, which expanded on many aspects of the original series. For the first time in the programme's history, Postman Pat was no longer sponsored by the Royal Mail, which previously had used the show as a marketing vehicle for them. This link was dropped in November 2000, with the Royal Mail spokesman saying the character no longer fitted in with the company's "corporate image".[3] Subsequent to this decision, Postman Pat became an employee of the fictional Special Delivery Service.

Contents

Plot [edit]

See also: List of Postman Pat episodes

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 Thompson, a farmer; and the local handyman and inventor, Ted Glen.

In the new series, Postman Pat Special Delivery Service (SDS), Postman Pat has been promoted to Head of the SDS and is now called upon to deliver anything. Each episode follows Postman Pat on a Special Delivery mission, from rescuing a runaway cow to delivering a giant ice cube. In his new role, Postman Pat commutes to the nearby town of Pencaster where he collects his special deliveries from the Pencaster Mail Centre. Postman Pat now has a new fleet of vehicles including a helicopter and motorbike, complete with side-car for Jess.[4]

In early 2013, Ken Barrie left due to the lack of the show and how much it changed from 1981 to 2012, becoming disappointed and declined to do a CGI-film version of Postman Pat, due to this, he was replaced by Lewis MacLeod, however he still provides voicing for Ted Glen, Alf Thompson and PC Selby.[citation needed]

Setting [edit]

Postman Pat is set in the fictional village of Greendale and the nearby town of Pencaster.

Greendale is a large, busy village situated in the heart of the 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 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 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.

In the original 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", the village 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 the short second series of 1991.

The inspiration for the post office itself comes from the post office located on the street where Cunliffe lived when he was writing the original treatment. The post office was at 10 Greenside in Kendal and was fully functional up until its closure in 2003.[5]

Characters [edit]

See also: List of recurring characters in Postman Pat
  • Patrick "Pat" Clifton, better known as Postman Pat, was the village postman for Greendale and has now been promoted to head of the 'Special Delivery Service' in nearby Pencaster. Pat lives at Forge Cottage in Greendale with his wife Sara and son Julian, who is six years old.
  • Jess the Cat — Jess is Pat's black and white cat. He is inseparable from Pat and goes everywhere with him.

Postman Pat Special Delivery Service [edit]

In the latest series, Postman Pat Special Delivery Service, Postman Pat has been given a promotion to Head of the Special Delivery Service (SDS). Despite the promotion, Pat does, however, now have a boss, Ben, who tends to give him instructions (whereas he was his own master before the "promotion"). Pat also seems to make more mistakes in his work since moving to SDS, largely because the new format is always based on one delivery, which has to go wrong somehow (thus often because of Pat's errors).

Postman Pat SDS features an expanded and diverse cast, a fleet of new vehicles, and the new town of Pencaster. Postman Pat Special Delivery Service first screened on BBC2 on 29 September 2008. The new series was commissioned by the BBC and produced by Entertainment Rights and Cosgrove Hall.

Postman Pat's vehicles [edit]

  • Royal Mail fleet service van (Pat 1): Pat's bright red van is a small 'box' type van based on a BMC/Leyland Sherpa, with the registration, "Pat 1". For the first seven episodes of series one, it featured a generic crown-style symbol, which was designed to be similar to the official Royal Mail symbol. When the Royal Mail gave the programme makers permission to use their official symbol, the crown was replaced with the proper Royal Mail symbol.
  • In later episodes, Pat uses a minibus called Pat 2, which could carry passengers and freight as well as parcels, offering Postbus service. From series 4 onwards his post bus was painted yellow to become the school mini bus.

Postman Pat's Special Delivery Service vehicles [edit]

  • SDS Van (Pat 2): Pat’s eco-van, much bigger than the small van and can carry special deliveries.
  • SDS Helicopter (Pat 3): Postman Pat now has his pilot’s licence and his own helicopter, which he uses to complete tricky special deliveries across Greendale and Pencaster.
  • SDS Mini Van (Pat 4): Special Delivery Service mini van. Based on Pat's Pat 1 van. (Although Pat 1 can still be seen parked at SDS headquarters in some episodes, such as in the episode "The Disco Machine").
  • SDS Motorbike (Pat 5): Pat’s motorbike, with side-car for Jess.
  • SDS Forklift Truck (Pat 6): A forklift truck driven by Ben (sometimes Pat)
  • SDS 4x4 Quad Bike (Pat 7): Postman Pat now has a quad bike (seen from series 2 of Postman Pat: SDS)
  • SDS Postcar (Pat 8) : Postman Pat has a postcar, mainly for urgent deliveries (seen from series 2 of Postman Pat: SDS)

Other vehicles [edit]

  • Mobile Shop: a blue shop van shaped like a Bradford 5 x 5 van driven by Sam Waldron (who is only seen in the first two series from 1981-1997)
  • Greendale Rocket: An old steam engine that has a mail carriage at the back driven by Ajay Bains
  • 4-wheeler jeep and trailer: A 4 x 4 jeep with a trailer that is driven by Amy Wrigglesworth and based on a Jeep Wrangler.
  • Forklift: A red forklift that is operated by Ben Taylor (and sometimes by Pat) at the Pencaster Sorting Office.
  • Food van: A food delivery van that has fruit painted on the side driven by Michael Lam.
  • Old farm truck: An old farm pickup truck that is driven by Ted Glen.
  • Greendale police car: A police car that is driven by P.C. Selby.
  • Pencaster Flyer: A blue and red high speed train that is driven by Ajay Bains to carry mail and passengers between Greendale and Pencaster.

Outside the main broadcast series [edit]

Movie [edit]

Postman Pat: The Movie - You Know You're The One, a 3D computer-animated feature film will be released in 24 May 2013 in United Kingdom and 27 November 2013 in United States and will star Stephen Mangan as the voice of Pat. David Tennant, Rupert Grint and Jim Broadbent will also star in the movie but their roles are currently unknown.[6]

Spin-off [edit]

A CGI spin-off to the series was made called Guess with Jess which follows Pat's cat Jess now with the ability to talk and his adventures with the farm animals. The Postman Pat characters and setting have also been used in the UK in television advertisements for the company Specsavers. The series debuted on 9 November 2009.

Music [edit]

Music for the original 1981 series was by Bryan Daly (died January 2012),[7] who wrote a number of songs including the well-known theme tune. For the 2003 series, pop writer Simon Woodgate scored the show and wrote new songs, including a new closing theme "What's in His Bag?". The theme tune "Postman Pat & His Black and White Cat" was originally sung by Ken Barrie for the original series in the 80s and 90s. The tune was released as a single in the UK where it reached number 44 in the charts in July 1982.[8]

The theme tune and songs for the new series and sequel, Postman Pat Special Delivery Service (including "Special Delivery Service, What's It Going to Be Today?), was recorded by Simon Woodgate at Echobass Studios.

Books [edit]

Over 12 million book titles have been sold worldwide to date and there are a further 17 titles to be released in the UK in 2009. This growing collection includes Postman Pat storybooks, integrated learning books, colouring books, and multi-character magazines.

DVD and VHS releases [edit]

With over four million DVDs and videos sold globally, there is a growing collection of titles available for Home Entertainment release, including feature length specials and interactive games. Titles include:

  • Postman Pat - ABC & 123 Stories
  • Postman Pat - Read Along with Postman Pat
  • Postman Pat - Magic Christmas
  • Postman Pat - Clowns Around
  • Postman Pat - In A Muddle
  • Postman Pat - Ice Cream Machine
  • Postman Pat - The Pirate Treasure
  • Postman Pat Boxset - Ice-Cream Machine/Clowns Around
  • Postman Pat - Great Dinosaur Hunt
  • Postman Pat - The Giant Snowball
  • Postman Pat - Popstars
  • Postman Pat - Football Crazy
  • Postman Pat - Great Big Party
  • Postman Pat Boxset - Magic Xmas & Giant Snowball
  • Postman Pat - Go-Kart Race
  • Postman Pat Popstars/Great Big Party
  • Postman Pat's Summer Spectacular
  • Postman Pat - Christmas Eve
  • Postman Pat - Big Boat Adventure
  • Postman Pat Boxset - Great Dinosaur Hunt/Giant Snowball/Spotty Situation/Ice Ladder/Big Butterflies/Spooky Sleepover/Greendale Movie/Train Inspector
  • Postman Pat Boxset-Pirate Treasure/Green Rabbit/Flying Saucers
  • Postman Pat Boxset - Christmas Eve/The Giant Snowball/Magic Christmas
  • Postman Pat Special Delivery Service - A Brand New Mission
  • Postman Pat Special Delivery Service - Pat to the Rescue
  • Postman Pat Boxset: Great Big Party/Postman Pat: Great Dinosaur Hunt/Postman Pat: The Icecream Machine
  • Postman Pat Special Delivery Service: Flying Christmas Stocking
  • Postman Pat Special Delivery Service: A Speedy Delivery
  • Postman Pat - Happy Birthday Pat

UK VHS releases [edit]

VHS video title Year of release Episodes
Postman Pat 1 (BBCV 4028) 3 November 1986 Postman Pat's Finding Day, The Sheep in Clover Field, Letters on Ice
Postman Pat 2 (BBCV 4029) 3 November 1986 Postman Pat and the Magpie Hen, Pat's Foggy Day, Pat Goes Sledging
Postman Pat 3 (BBCV 4030) 3 November 1986 Pat's Thirsty Day, Pat's Windy Day, Pat's Difficult Day
Postman Pat's Big Video (BBCV 4168) 7 November 1988 Pat's Rainy Day, Pat's Tractor Express, Postman Pat's Birthday, Pat Takes a Message
Postman Pat's New Video (BBCV 4691) 4 November 1991 Postman Pat and the Toy Soldiers, Postman Pat Takes the Bus
The Very Best of Postman Pat (BBCV 4869) 5 October 1992 Pat's Windy Day, Pat's Tractor Express, The Sheep In The Clover Field, Postman Pat and the Magpie Hen, Pat's Thirsty Day
Postman Pat's Birthday (BBCV 5468) 5 September 1994 Postman Pat's Birthday, Letters On Ice, Pat's Windy Day, Pat's Foggy Day
Postman Pat Takes a Message (BBCV 5469) 5 September 1994 Pat Takes a Message, Pat's Thirsty Day, Pat Goes Sledging, The Sheep in the Clover Field
Postman Pat's Finding Day (BBCV 5470) 5 September 1994 Postman Pat's Finding Day, Pat's Tractor Express, Pat's Rainy Day, Pat's Difficult Day, Postman Pat and the Magpie Hen
Postman Pat and the Tuba (BBCV 5472) 3 October 1994 Postman Pat and the Tuba, Postman Pat and the Barometer
Postman Pat's Bumper Collection (BBCV 5683) 2 October 1995 Postman Pat Takes the Bus, Postman Pat Goes Sledging, Postman Pat's Difficult Day, Postman Pat and the Toy Soldiers, Postman Pat's Birthday
Postman Pat– 2 on 1 (BBCV 5814) 1 April 1996 Contains the episodes from "Postman Pat 1" and "Postman Pat 2", as shown above: Postman Pat's Finding Day, The Sheep in the Clover Field, Letters on Ice, Postman Pat and the Magpie Hen, Pat's Foggy Day, Pat Goes Sledging
Postman Pat and the Hole in the Road (BBCV 5891) 2 September 1996 Postman Pat and the Hole in the Road, Postman Pat and the Suit of Armour, Postman Pat in a Muddle, Postman Pat Misses the Show
Postman Pat's Bumper Bag (BBCV 6223) 6 May 1997 Pat's Windy Day, Pat's Rainy Day, Pat Takes A Message, Postman Pat and the Tuba, Postman Pat and the Barometer
Postman Pat Has Too Many Parcels (BBCV 6123) 15 September 1997 Postman Pat Has Too Many Parcels, Postman Pat Follows the Trail, Postman Pat Has The Best Village, Postman Pat Paints The Ceiling
Postman Pat's Big Surprise (BBCV 6539) 7 September 1998 Postman Pat and the Big Surprise, Postman Pat and the Robot, Postman Pat takes Flight, Postman Pat and the Beast of Greendale
Postman Pat's Big Surprise (Limited Edition) (BBCV 6706) 7 September 1998 Postman Pat and the Big Surprise, Postman Pat and the Robot, Postman Pat takes Flight, Postman Pat and the Beast of Greendale, Postman Pat and the Mystery Tour
Postman Pat's Special Delivery (BBCV 6770) 12 April 1999 Postman Pat Follows a Trail, Postman Pat and the Hole in the Road, Postman Pat and the Tuba
Postman Pat- More Adventures from Pat and his friends (2 on 1 BBCV 6952) 15 November 1999 Contains the episodes from "Postman Pat 3" and "Postman Pat's Big Video", as shown above: Pat's Thirsty Day, Pat's Windy Day, Pat's Difficult Day, Pat's Rainy Day, Pat's Tractor Express, Postman Pat's Birthday, Pat Takes a Message
Postman Pat's Big Video (BBCV 6945) 2 May 2000 Postman Pat and the Robot, Postman Pat Paints the Ceiling, Postman Pat and the Suit Of Armour, Postman Pat and the Mystery tour, Postman Pat Has Too Many Parcels, Postman Pat Misses the Show
Postman Pat's Favourites (BBCV 6985) 2 October 2000 Postman Pat in a Muddle, Postman Pat has the Best Village, Postman Pat and the Big Surprise, Postman Pat Takes Flight, Postman Pat and the Hole in the Road, Postman Pat and the Beast of Greendale
Postman Pat's Prize Post Bag (BBCV 7143) 8 May 2001 Postman Pat Takes the Bus, Postman Pat and the Toy Soldiers, Postman Pat and the Tuba, Postman Pat and the Barometer

Postman Pat Village at Longleat [edit]

Longleat House has an outdoor reproduction of Greendale village, including the Post Office, the Clifton's house and the Greendale station. It also has a miniature scale model of Greendale.[9]

Award nominations [edit]

In 2006, Postman Pat was nominated for "Best Pre-school Animation Series" at the BAFTA Children's Awards.[10]

Parodies [edit]

Harry Enfield and Chums featured a parody entitled "Il Postino Pat", with an operatic reworking of the theme tune and the characters speaking in Italian. At the end there is a revolution in Greendale and Pat is shot by fascist soldiers.

  • Harry and Paul made five parodies of Postman Pat in "Parking Patewayo"

References [edit]

  1. ^ "Postman Pat and Postman Pat: Special Delivery Service". Mackinnon and Saunders. Retrieved 15 February 2013. 
  2. ^ "Postman Pat". BBC. 30 March 2006. Retrieved 20 December 2011. 
  3. ^ BBC News, "Postman Pat gets the Sack", 19 November 2000.
  4. ^ "Postman Pat goes postal", The Register.
  5. ^ Visit Cumbria - Beast Banks Post Office, Kendal. Retrieved 6 January 2009
  6. ^ Chitwood, Adam (16 September 2011). "Stephen Mangan, Rupert Grint, Jim Broadbent and David Tennant to Voice POSTMAN PAT: THE MOVIE – YOU KNOW YOU’RE THE ONE". Collider.com. 
  7. ^ "Bryan DALY Obituary". The Times. 20 January 2012. Retrieved 20 January 2012. 
  8. ^ "Chart Stats". Retrieved 24 March 2011. 
  9. ^ Longleat - As featured on BBC's Animal Park
  10. ^ "Past Winners and Nominees - Children's - Awards - 2006". BAFTA. Retrieved 17 March 2010. 

External links [edit]

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Postman_Pat&oldid=554083770"