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Postman Pat
Postman Pat and his black and white cat in the original programme.
GenreStop motion/Children's
Created byJohn Cunliffe[1]
Developed byIvor Wood
Written byJohn Cunliffe[1]
Directed byIvor Wood[1]
Voices ofKen Barrie (1981–2012)
Lewis MacLeod (2013–)
Carole Boyd
Kulvinder Ghir
Angela Griffin
Janet James
Archie Panjabi
Melissa Sinden
Theme music composerBryan Daly
Opening theme"Postman Pat and his Black and White Cat"
Ending theme"Postman Pat: Special Delivery Service"
ComposerSimon Woodgate
Country of originUnited Kingdom
No. of series9
No. of episodes141 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersChris Rose
Mandy Kamester
Chris Bowden
Jane Smith
ProducersDebbie Pears
Jo Jorden
Running time15 minutes (Series)
25 minutes (Specials)
Production companiesWoodland Animations (1981–1996)
Cosgrove Hall Films (2003–2008)
Mackinnon & Saunders (2013–present)[2]
Classic Media (2010–2012)
DreamWorks Classics (2012–present)
Original release
NetworkBBC1
(1981–2002)
CBBC
(1986–2002)
CBeebies
(2003–2008)
Release16 September 1981[1] –
19 December 2008
Related
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).[3]

Postman Pat′s first 13-episode series was screened on BBC1 in 1981.[4] 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. In 2000, Royal Mail stopped using Postman Pat for their promotional and charity work.[5][6] The television programme continues to use the Royal Mail logo on his postal van PAT 1.

Plot

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, 4x4 Jeep and motorbike, complete with side-car for Jess.[7]

Setting

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 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.

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 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.[8]

Characters

See also: List of recurring characters in Postman Pat

Main characters

  • 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. In the movie, he decides to win a trip to Italy with Sara.
  • Jess the Cat — is Pat's favorite black and white cat. He is inseparable from Pat and goes everywhere with him.[9]

Postman Pat Special Delivery Service

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, a world full of gadgets 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

  • 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 Royal Mail cruciform.
  • Royal Mail fleet service bus (Pat 2): Postman Pat's postbus, which was bigger than the van, which could carry passengers and freight as well as parcels, offering Postbus service. It first appeared in the 1991 special "Postman Pat takes the bus", in which Pat took it out for a trial run with the villagers to Ingledale. It was used in "Postman Pat and the Tuba", when Pat had to use it when his van broke down. It was used later to catch a robot and take the school children on a mystery tour. From series 4 onwards his post bus was painted yellow to become the school mini bus.
  • SDS Van (Pat 2): Pat's huge 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. It looks identical to Pat's Royal Mail Pat 1 van, but with an SDS design. (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 a side-car for Jess.
  • SDS Forklift Truck (Pat 6): A forklift truck driven by Ben (sometimes Pat)
  • SDS 4x4 (Pat 7): Postman Pat now has a 4x4 (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

  • Mobile Shop Van: 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 1981–1996)
  • Greendale Rocket: An old steam engine, driven by Ajay Bains, which has a mail carriage.
  • 4-wheeler jeep and trailer: A 4 × 4 jeep with a trailer that is driven by Amy Wrigglesworth and based on a Jeep Wrangler.
  • Mini School Bus: a yellow mini bus that was formally Pat Clifton's post bus in series 1-2. From series 4 onwards, it was painted yellow with black stripe details and is the school mini bus.
  • 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 truck: An old pick-up truck that is driven by Ted Glen. In the movie, it seems to be driven by someone else.
  • 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

Movie

Postman Pat: The Movie, a 3D computer-animated feature film, was released in May 2014 in the UK.[10] The film was produced by Lionsgate Films and Icon Productions and animated by RGH Pictures. The story revolves around Pat entering a talent show audition, which leads to robots taking over his postal service whilst he is away. The film stars Stephen Mangan as the voice of Pat, and also features David Tennant, Rupert Grint and Jim Broadbent.[11]

Spin-off

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 series debuted on 9 November 2009.

Music

Music for the original 1981 series was by Bryan Daly (died January 2012),[12] 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.[13]

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.

In 2013 Classic Media released Postman Pat SDS Series 2. The new 26 episode series retained Bryan Daly's original theme tune and Simon Woodgate's closing song, however new character themes and incidental music was composed by Sandy Nuttgens.

There is also an album called Postman Pat: Songs And Music From The Television on Post Music released in 1982

Books

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.

Advertising

The Postman Pat characters and setting have also been used in the UK in television advertisements for the company Specsavers.

US VHS releases

Titles include:

  • Vol.1 Postman Pat takes the Bus
  • Vol.2 Postman Pat and the Tuba

These two VHS releases are Region 1 VHS's and will work in the USA.There are no DVD's in the Region 1 format of Postman Pat for the United States.

UK DVD and VHS releases

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 – Ice Cream Machine
  • Postman Pat – In A Muddle
  • 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 Ice Cream Machine
  • Postman Pat Special Delivery Service: Flying Christmas Stocking
  • Postman Pat Special Delivery Service: A Speedy Delivery
  • Postman Pat – Happy Birthday Pat

Original series DVD releases

DVD releases of classic Postman Pat were limited in availability in various regions. In the UK, only one volume with three episodes from Series 2 was released by Right Entertainment in 2004 under the title Postman Pat in a Muddle. The same year saw the entire original series released on DVD in Spain, featuring both English and Spanish audio options.[14] No further releases were seen in the UK until 2011 when Classic Media issued all four specials from 1991 - 1994 on the DVD Happy Birthday Postman Pat. On February 3, 2014, the first and second series were made available in their entirety for the first time in the UK.[15][16]

  • Postman Pat – In A Muddle
  • Postman Pat – Happy Birthday Pat
  • Postman Pat – Postman Pat Takes a Message
  • Postman Pat – Postman Pat's Big Surprise

UK VHS releases

Between April 1983 and May 1984 three Postman Pat pre-certed titles (before the Uc rating by the BBFC got established in 1985) with twelve episode of the entire first series all except for Letters On Ice [episode 12] were released by Longman Video in its children's treasury range. plus one 30 minute title by Longman Video called My Own Postman Pat was released and featured two episodes that were Pat's Rainy Day [episode 4] and The Sheep in the Clover Field [episode 5]. on the back covers The Woodland Animations detail was copyrighted in 1982.

VHS video title Year of release Episodes
Postman Pat (LGVH 5011) April 1983 Pat's Rainy Day (Episode 4), The Sheep in Clover Field (Episode 5), Pat's Tractor Express (Episode 6), Pat's Thirsty Day (Episode 7)
Postman Pat 2 (LGVH 5019) October 1983 Pat's Foggy Day (Episode 9), Pat's Difficult Day (Episode 10), Pat Goes Sledging (Episode 11), Pat Takes a Message (Episode 13)
Postman Pat 3 (LGVH 5021) May 1984 Postman Pat's Finding Day (Episode 1), Postman Pat and the Magpie Hen (Episode 2), Postman Pat's Birthday (Episode 3), Pat's Windy Day (Episode 8)

In Spring 1986 a single video of four Postman Pat stories was released in the Marks and Spencer (originally called St Michael) Video library that was presented by BBC Enterprises Ltd.

VHS video title Year of release Episodes
Postman Pat (2511/5820) March 1986 Pat's Rainy Day (Episode 4), Pat's Tractor Express (Episode 6), Postman Pat's Birthday (Episode 3), Pat Takes a Message (Episode 13)

From November 1986 to May 2001 numerous Postman Pat video releases were released by the BBC.

VHS video title Year of release Episodes
Postman Pat 1 (BBCV 4028) 3 November 1986 Postman Pat's Finding Day (Episode 1), The Sheep in Clover Field (Episode 5), Letters on Ice (Episode 12)
Postman Pat 2 (BBCV 4029) 3 November 1986 Postman Pat and the Magpie Hen (Episode 2), Pat's Foggy Day (Episode 9), Pat Goes Sledging (Episode 11)
Postman Pat 3 (BBCV 4030) 3 November 1986 Pat's Thirsty Day (Episode 7), Pat's Windy Day (Episode 8), Pat's Difficult Day (Episode 10)
Postman Pat's Big Video (BBCV 4168) 7 November 1988 Pat's Rainy Day (Episode 4), Pat's Tractor Express (Episode 6), Postman Pat's Birthday (Episode 3), Pat Takes a Message (Episode 13)
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 (Episode 8), Pat's Tractor Express (Episode 6), The Sheep in the Clover Field (Episode 5), Postman Pat and the Magpie Hen (Episode 2), Pat's Thirsty Day (Episode 7)
Postman Pat's Birthday (BBCV 5468) 5 September 1994 Postman Pat's Birthday (Episode 3), Letters on Ice (Episode 12), Pat's Windy Day (Episode 8), Pat's Foggy Day (Episode 9)
Postman Pat Takes a Message (BBCV 5469) 5 September 1994 Pat Takes a Message, Pat's Thirsty Day (Episode 7), Pat Goes Sledging (Episode 11), The Sheep in the Clover Field (Episode 5)
Postman Pat's Finding Day (BBCV 5470) 5 September 1994 Postman Pat's Finding Day (Episode 1), Pat's Tractor Express (Episode 6), Pat's Rainy Day (Episode 4), Pat's Difficult Day (Episode 10), Postman Pat and the Magpie Hen (Episode 2)
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 (Episode 14), Pat Goes Sledging (Episode 11), Pat's Difficult Day (Episode 10), Postman Pat and the Toy Soldiers (Episode 15), Postman Pat's Birthday (Episode 3)
Postman Pat– 2 on 1 (BBCV 5814) 1 April 1996 Postman Pat's Finding Day (Episode 1), The Sheep in the Clover Field (Episode 5), Letters on Ice (Episode 12), Postman Pat and the Magpie Hen (Episode 2), Pat's Foggy Day (Episode 9), Pat Goes Sledging (Episode 11)
Postman Pat and the Hole in the Road (BBCV 5891) 2 September 1996 Postman Pat and the Hole in the Road (Episode 18), Postman Pat and the Suit of Armour (Episode 19), Postman Pat in a Muddle (Episode 20), Postman Pat Misses the Show (Episode 21)
Postman Pat's Bumper Bag (BBCV 6223) 5 May 1997 Pat's Windy Day (Episode 8), Pat's Rainy Day (Episode 4), Pat Takes A Message (Episode 13), Postman Pat and the Tuba (Episode 16), Postman Pat and the Barometer (Episode 17)
Postman Pat Has Too Many Parcels (BBCV 6123) 15 September 1997 Postman Pat Has Too Many Parcels (Episode 25), Postman Pat Follows the Trail (Episode 22), Postman Pat Has The Best Village (Episode 23), Postman Pat Paints The Ceiling (Episode 24)
Postman Pat's Big Surprise (BBCV 6539) 7 September 1998 Postman Pat and the Big Surprise (Episode 26), Postman Pat and the Robot (Episode 27), Postman Pat takes Flight (Episode 28), Postman Pat and the Beast of Greendale (Episode 29)
Postman Pat's Big Surprise (Limited Edition) (BBCV 6706) 7 September 1998 Postman Pat and the Big Surprise (Episode 26), Postman Pat and the Robot (Episode 27), Postman Pat takes Flight (Episode 28), Postman Pat and the Beast of Greendale (Episode 29), Postman Pat and the Mystery Tour (Episode 30)
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 (Episode 16)
Postman Pat- More Adventures from Pat and his friends (2 on 1 BBCV 6952) 15 November 1999 Pat's Thirsty Day (Episode 7), Pat's Windy Day (Episode 8), Pat's Difficult Day (Episode 10), Pat's Rainy Day (Episode 4), Pat's Tractor Express (Episode 6), Postman Pat's Birthday (Episode 3), Pat Takes a Message (Episode 13)
Postman Pat's Big Video! (BBCV 6945) 2 May 2000 Postman Pat and the Robot (Episode 27), Postman Pat Paints the Ceiling (Episode 24), Postman Pat and the Suit of Armour (Episode 19), Postman Pat and the Mystery Tour (Episode 30), Postman Pat Has Too Many Parcels (Episode 25), Postman Pat Misses the Show (Episode 21)
Postman Pat's Favourites (BBCV 6985) 2 October 2000 Postman Pat in a Muddle (Episode 20), Postman Pat Has the Best Village (Episode 23), Postman Pat and the Big Surprise (Episode 26), Postman Pat Takes Flight (Episode 28), Postman Pat and the Hole in the Road (Episode 18), Postman Pat and the Beast of Greendale (Episode 29)
Postman Pat's Prize Postbag (BBCV 7143) 8 May 2001 Postman Pat Takes the Bus (Episode 14), Postman Pat and the Toy Soldiers (Episode 15), Postman Pat and the Tuba (Episode 16), Postman Pat and the Barometer (Episode 17)

Broadcasters in other countries

  • In mainland China, the series launched on China's dominant broadcast platform, China Central Television (CCTV) in July 2008. The show was dubbed into Chinese.
  • In Hong Kong, Postman Pat Special Delivery has aired on ATV World in English.
  • In New Zealand, the original series has aired on TV2 (New Zealand) and the new SDS series currently screens on Kidzone, the children's show on TVNZ6.
  • In Australia Postman Pat is on Cartoon Network and ABC Kids.
  • In 2005, Postman Pat was sold to the Japanese division of Disney Channel, finally putting to rest a long-standing misconception in the UK that Japanese television would not take the series because having only three fingers and a thumb on each hand (as Pat does) was a Yakuza symbol.[17] The series is dubbed into Japanese.
  • In the United States, newer episodes of Postman Pat initially aired weekdays at 8:00 AM Eastern time on the HBO Family cable network. The 2004 series used to broadcast weekends on the Qubo channel. The episodes were unaltered, leaving intact the accents and other distinctly British elements of the series.They no longer air Postman Pat in the United States.
  • In Israel Postman Pat is known as "Dar Ha'davar" and is shown on Channel One, dubbed in to Hebrew.
  • In India, Postman Pat was shown under the heading of "Half Ticket Express" which included various other shows aimed at children.
  • In Indonesia, Postman Pat currently aired in B-Channel.
  • In Iran, Postman Pat was broadcast in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The show was dubbed into Persian under the name Pat-e Postchi.[18]
  • In Malaysia, Postman Pat originally aired on RTM1 in the early 1990s. It reappeared on NTV7 in English in 2008. It is also shown on Astro Ceria bilingually, in both Malay and English. As of November 2009, NTV7 has completed airing of the 2004 series and is airing Postman Pat SDS in its place. As of January 2010, Astro Ceria no longer broadcasts Postman Pat. NTV7 airs Postman Pat SDS on weekends at 9:00 AM as usual.
  • In the Philippines, the series aired on TV5, dubbed into Tagalog. Cartoon Network (Philippines) also broadcasts until 2009 or 2008.
  • In Canada, Postman Pat is shown on the Treehouse Children's Network.[19]
  • In Arabic, Postman Pat is known as ساعي البريد and shown on Baraem.

Europe

  • In the Faroe Islands he is known as Pedda Post and he has repeatedly been broadcast by Kringvarp Føroya.
  • In Scotland, Postman Pat is shown not only in English but also sometimes broadcast as Pàdraig Post, in the Gaelic language, on BBC Scotland.
  • In Wales, no Welsh language version of Postman Pat is currently screened. However, there are VHS tapes available of the original series translated into Welsh that were produced by Sain Video.
  • In the Netherlands the series was also shown dubbed in Dutch. There the series is called Pieter Post. It was first broadcast by NCRV, later on Kindernet and Nickelodeon.
  • In Catalonia (Spain), Postman Pat is broadcast as Pat el carter, in Catalan language, on Televisió de Catalunya.
  • In Italy Il postino Pat has aired at various times on the RaiSat Ragazzi channel, Raitre and RaiSat YOYO.
  • In Poland the adventures of Listonosz Pat is shown on MiniMini and TVP1.
  • In Russia he is known as Pochtalion Pat (Почтальон Пэт). It was first broadcast by Karusel.
  • In Denmark Postman Pat is known as Postmand Per and his cat is called "Emil" .
  • In Spain Postman Pat is known as Pat el cartero and is shown dubbed in Spanish on Clan TVE.
  • In Norway he is known as Postmann Pat and his cat is called "Miss". The series has been repeatedly broadcast by the NRK. The 1981 series was narrated by actor Sverre Anker Ousdal, whereas the new series are now dubbed in Norwegian. Some parts of the dubbed series are available as DVDs.
  • In Iceland, Pósturinn Páll is how Pat is known to the viewers of Sjónvarpið, the public Icelandic television network.
  • YLE TV2 of Finland airs the adventures of Postimies Pate. The original 1981 series were also released on VHS in the mid-80's; in those releases, Postman Pat was translated as Posti-Pat.
  • In Austria and Germany, Postman Pat has been broadcast on ORF (Austria) and Super RTL (Germany) with the name "Postbote Pat".
  • In Galicia, Postman Pat is known as "O carteiro Pat" and used to be broadcast on TVG, in Galician language. "O carteiro Pat" is a remembered character for adults, as they watched the TV series on their childhood. Theme tune was translated as "Carteiro Pat e o seu gato Jess".
  • In Basque Country (Spain), Postman Pat is known as "Patrick Postaria" and used to be broadcast on ETB 1, in the Basque language.
  • In Sweden, Postman Pat is known as "Postis-Per" and is shown on Nickelodeon and TV4, dubbed into Swedish. Some parts of the dubbed series are available on DVD.
  • In Portugal, Postman Pat is known as "O Carteiro Paulo" and is shown on RTP2, MOV and Canal Panda, dubbed into Portuguese.
  • In Croatia, Postman Pat is known as "Poštar Pat" and was shown on HRT 2, dubbed into Croatian.
  • In the Czech Republic, Postman Pat is known as "Pošták Pat" and is shown on ČT1, dubbed into Czech.
  • In Cyprus, Postman Pat was known as Taxydromos Pat and was shown dubbed in Greek on the national channel Cybc(RIK).
  • In Greece, Postman Pat was also known as Taxydromos Pat" and was shown on ALTER.
  • In Ireland, Postman Pat is shown on RTÉ Two's the Den. Postman Pat SDS is now also shown Weekdays at 11:05.
  • In Serbia, Postman Pat is known as "Poštar Pet" and was shown on Minimax, dubbed into Serbian language.

Postman Pat Village at Longleat

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.[20]

Award nominations

In 2006, Postman Pat was nominated for "Best Pre-school Animation Series" at the BAFTA Children's Awards.[21]

Parodies

  • Harry Enfield and Chums featured a parody entitled "Il Postino Pat" (the show's Italian title), 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.[22]
  • Harry and Paul parodied Postman Pat in series 3 and 4 with "Parking Pataweyo", a stereotypical African traffic warden whose name and theme tune are based on Pat's.
  • Spitting Image in 1987 the topical satirical puppet series, featured Temporary Postman Pratt[23] in a send-up of Royal Mail's employment of temporary postal workers during busy times. In the opening titles, Pratt can be seen driving a familiar (though yellow in colour) van along country roads before running over a black and white cat. Pratt likes to clear his workload as quickly as he can by dumping the post rather than delivering it. He is portrayed as a student who is lazy and rude.

Radio

Terry Wogan played the theme tune on his BBC Radio 2 breakfast show every morning in the early 1980s, as a joke, but it became a hit.[24]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Postman Pat's creator looks back at its conception". BBC News. 16 September 2011. Retrieved 24 June 2014. The first episode, Postman Pat's Finding Day, was broadcast on 16 September 1981.
  2. ^ "Postman Pat and Postman Pat: Special Delivery Service". Mackinnon and Saunders. Retrieved 15 February 2013.
  3. ^ "Postman Pat". BBC. 30 March 2006. Retrieved 20 December 2011.
  4. ^ DeMott, Rick (13 June 2011). "Postman Pat Kicks Off 30th Birthday Celebration". Animation World Network. Retrieved 24 June 2014. First introduced on BBC1 on September 16, 1981,...
  5. ^ "Postman Pat gets the Sack". BBC News Online. 19 November 2000.
  6. ^ "Royal Mail drops Postman Pat". Brand Republic. 20 November 2000.
  7. ^ "Postman Pat goes postal", The Register.
  8. ^ Visit Cumbria – Beast Banks Post Office, Kendal. Retrieved 6 January 2009
  9. ^ "Characters: Jess the Cat" Official website. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
  10. ^ Mangan, Stephen (13 September 2013). "UK release in May". Twitter. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ "Bryan DALY Obituary". The Times. 20 January 2012. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
  13. ^ "Chart Stats". Archived from the original on 28 July 2012. Retrieved 24 March 2011.
  14. ^ Postman Pat - 8 DVD Spanish box set
  15. ^ Postman Pat: Series 1 - Postman Pat Takes A Message DVD
  16. ^ Postman Pat: Series 2 - Postman Pat's Big Surprise DVD
  17. ^ Bob the Builder fixed for Japan, BBC News.
  18. ^ Blockbuster Online – Postman Pat
  19. ^ "Postman Pat at Treehouse TV".
  20. ^ Longleat – As featured on BBC's Animal Park
  21. ^ "Past Winners and Nominees – Children's – Awards – 2006". BAFTA. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
  22. ^ "Harry Enfield and Chums S2 Ep2 BBC"
  23. ^ "Temporary Postman Pratt on Spitting Image (ITV)", Spitting Image (ITV).
  24. ^ "Postman Pat". jedisparadise.co.uk. 22 February 2013. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
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