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 29 July 2016.
Video Postman Pat
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 Thompson, the farmer; and the local handyman and inventor, Ted Glen.
Maps Postman Pat
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
Special Delivery Service
(Originally Postman Pat: SDS) In the new spin-off 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. He has a new 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 Films.
Both seasons of Postman Pat SDS are available digitally on iTunes.
A new series aired in 2016.
Outside the main broadcast series
Film
Postman Pat: The Movie, a British-American 3D computer-animated comedy children's feature film version of the British stop-motion animated children's television show, was theatrically released on 23 May 2014 in the United Kingdom. The film was distributed and produced by Lionsgate and Icon Productions and animated by Rubicon Group Holding. 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 Jim Broadbent, Rupert Grint, David Tennant, Ronan Keating, Susan Duerden, Sandra Teles, TJ Ramini and Peter Woodward.
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), 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 sung by Ken Barrie for the original series in the 1980s and '90s. An extended version of the tune was released as a single in the UK where it reached number 44 in the charts in July 1982.
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.
The ever-popular theme song underwent several adaptations; from 1994 to 1996, the theme tune had additional instruments such as synthesised strings and a tambourine. The same was done to the 1995 album version which was an edit of the original 1982 album version.
Books
As of 2009, over 12 million books, including storybooks, integrated learning books, colouring books, and multi-character magazines, have been sold worldwide.
Advertising
The Postman Pat characters and setting have also been used in the UK and Australia in television advertisements for the company Specsavers.
Uk VHS releases
- Celebrity Home Entertainment (1999)
Titles include:
- Vol.1 Postman Pat takes the Bus 16
- Vol.2 Postman Pat and the Tuba 18
- Strand Home Video (1990)
Titles Include:
- Postman Pat's ABC Story Episode 14
- Postman Pat's 123 Story Episode 15
- Read Along With Postman Pat Episode 20
- The First Season was released on 13 separate VHS tapes: 1 episode per tape. It is unknown when these were released.
Fisher Price Home Video also made a VHS with 3 episodes on it: Postman Pat's Finding Day, Postman Pat's Tractor Express and Postman Pat's Rainy Day
Uk DVD releases
As Postman Pat wasn't as popular in the United States, only one DVD title, Postman Pat: The Movie, was released by Paramount Pictures in 2015.
UK DVD and VHS releases
- Longman Video (1983-1984)
- BBC Video (1986-2001)
- Abbey Home Media (1987-1995)
- Universal Pictures Home Entertainment (2003-present)
- Entertainment Rights (2003-2008)
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:
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. 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 3 February 2014, the first and second series were made available in their entirety for the first time in the UK, However the titles are both season 2 with the season 3 theme which received bad reviews from classic fans.
- Postman Pat - Postman Pat's Finding Day
- Postman Pat - Postman Pat and the Hole in the Road
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 11] were released by Longman Video in its children's treasury range. Also, one 30-minute title by Longman Video called My Own Postman Pat (Cat. No. LGVH 2001) was released featuring two episodes - Pat's Rainy Day [episode 3] and The Sheep in the Clover Field [episode 9]. On the back covers The Woodland Animations detail was copyrighted in 1982.
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 Sri Lanka, Postman Pat first series was broadcast over Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation (State Television Company) in the early 90's.
- In Hong Kong, Postman Pat Special Delivery has aired on ATV World in English.
- In New Zealand, the original series has aired on TV1 and later on TV2 and the new SDS series currently screens on Kidzone, the children's show on TVNZ6. The 2003 series was also broadcast on TV3.
- In Australia, Postman Pat airs on ABC, Max, Nickelodeon, ABC Kids, ABC2, Boomerang, Cartoon Network, ABC1 and ABC 4 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. 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. Postman Pat no longer airs in the United States.
- 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.
- In Israel, Postman Pat has been known as Dar HaDavar (?? ?????), Dani HaDavar (??? ?????) and Dan HaDavar (?? ?????) and has been shown on the Israeli Educational Television and on the Hop! Channel, dubbed into Hebrew.
- 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. The original series also aired on cable and satellite television on its youth and children's network YTV.
- In Ireland, Postman Pat was broadcast on RTÉ2 and aired on their biggest children's block The Den.
- In South Africa, Postman Pat was broadcast on M-Net being shown on their children's block K-T.V.. It was later moved to SABC 2.
- In Malaysia, Postman Pat aired on TV3 and was shown on Friday afternoons at 5:32pm with the series being reedited into two episodes.
Europe
- 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 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 Galicia (Spain), Postman Pat is broadcast as O Carteiro Pat, in Galician language, on Televisión de Galicia.
- In Catalonia (Spain), Postman Pat is broadcast as Pat el carter, in Catalan language, on Televisió de Catalunya. In fact, the original 1981 series was one of the first animation series shown on the channel, in 1984.
- 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 Spain Postman Pat is known as Pat el cartero and is shown dubbed in Spanish on Clan TVE.
- In Iceland, Pósturinn Páll is how Pat is known to the viewers of Sjónvarpið, the public Icelandic television network.
- In Austria and Germany, Postman Pat has been broadcast on ORF (Austria) and Super RTL (Germany) with the name "Postbote Pat".
- In France, Postman Pat is called "Pierre Martin".
- In Portugal, Postman Pat is known as "O Carteiro Paulo" and is shown on RTP2, MOV and Canal Panda, dubbed into Portuguese.
- In Sweden, Postman Pat is known as Postis-Per and is shown dubbed into Swedish.
- In Denmark, Postman Pat is known as Postmand Per and is shown on DR, dubbed into Danish.
- In Norway, Postman Pat is known as Postmann Pat and is shown on NRK, dubbed into Norwegian.
- In Finland, Postman Pat is known as Postimies Pate and is shown on YLE, dubbed into Finnish.
- In Greece, Postman Pat was also known as "Taxydromos Pat" (?????????? ??? - Tahhydromos Pat) and was shown on ALTER until the station's closure. From November 2016 to January 2017, it was shown on ERT2.
Postman Pat Village at Longleat
Longleat Safari Park had an outdoor reproduction of Greendale village, including the Post Office, the Clifton's house and the Greendale station. It also had a miniature model of Greendale. It was installed during the 1990s, was relocated during 2008 in preparation for a new animal area and was revamped a third time for 2013. The attraction was closed at the end of 2015 and was permanently removed in 2016.
Award nominations
In 2006, Postman Pat was nominated for "Best Pre-school Animation Series" at the BAFTA Children's Awards.
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 communist revolution in Greendale and Pat is shot by fascist soldiers.
- Harry and Paul parodied Postman Pat in series 3 and 4 with "Parking Pataweyo", a stereotypical African immigrant traffic warden, played by Daniel Kaluuya, whose name and theme tune are based on Pat's.
- Spitting Image in 1987 the topical satirical puppet series, featured Temporary Postman Pratt 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.
References
External links
- Official website
- Postman Pat on IMDb
- Postman Pat at TV.com
- Postman Pat at the BFI's Screenonline
- Postman Pat on iTunes
- Postman Pat: Special Delivery Service on iTunes
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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