Seeing Things

Description

Oliver Postgate is widely regarded as the greatest children's storyteller of the modern era. His work, which included The Clangers, Ivor the Engine, The Pogles, Noggin the Nog and, most famously, Bagpuss, is beloved by generations. In this delicious memoir Oliver Postgate describes how he came to create his stories and characters, developing innovative techniques of animation and puppetry alongside his friend and co-producer Peter Firmin. Amazingly, almost all of Oliver's films were made in a cowshed in Kent on a budget of next to nothing. The story of Oliver Postgate's extraordinary and adventurous life, and the wonderful characters who populated it - both real and imagined - is witty, charming, beautifully remembered and exquisitely told.

Oliver Postgate was born in north London in 1925. He attended several different schools including, inadvertently, Dartington Hall. He attempted several different professions before founding Smallfilms with Peter Firmin in 1957. They went on to make a multitude of children's films for television, from a cowshed near Canterbury. He died, aged 83, in Broadstairs, Kent, in December 2008.

* Postgate had one of the most distinctive, instantly recognisable voices in television, warm, avuncular but also tinged with an otherworldly quality that suited his strange, magical stories perfectly. Daily Telegraph * Oliver Postgate was, for my money, the greatest children's storyteller of the last 100 years. Together, the team of Postgate and Peter Firmin were apparently incapable of creating anything less than timelessly wonderful whenever they sat down to work. Charlie Brooker * Oliver Postgate created some of the most beautiful and understated children's television animation of the 1950s and beyond. Not only have we lost a great animator, but a singular performer and brilliant storyteller. Phil Jupitus * He had a warmth and love for what he was doing and for the audience who were watching. Jonathan Ross * He was one of the great storytellers on television. Michael Rosen * Postgate's work has been a huge influence on me ... Somehow, for me, [The Clangers] defines all that is cosy about childhood. From Postgate's warm, reassuring voice, to the curiously handknitted aliens, it gave me a sense that all was well with the world. Lauren Child * A wise and warm book from Britains favourite surrogate uncle, proving he's just as good at storytelling for adults as he was for children. -- Claire Sawers List * Postgate beautifully recounts the story of his extraordinary and adventurous life, and how he came to create his stories and characters. Oldie