More than half a century has passed since the BBC aired 13 episodes of the story of a somnolent pink-and-white striped cat which cemented Bagpuss’s place in the annals of TV history. Now Bagpuss, “the most important, the most beautiful, the most magical saggy old cloth cat in the whole wide world” has been dusted off to star in a new film.
The original show was primarily stop-motion with some paper cutout and conventional animation work, while the big screen reboot will combine live action and animation, with a projected release date of 2027.
Voted the the all-time favourite children’s programme in 1999, the show was made by the Clangers co-creators Peter Firmin and Oliver Postgate, and filmed in the former’s barn in Blean, Kent.
Firmin’s daughter, Emily, played a little girl of the same name who runs a shop for lost property which focuses on repair, rather than resale. Each episode featured a new item being brought in and then inspected by Bagpuss and fellow shop residents including Madeleine the rag doll, Gabriel the toad, and a woodpecker called Professor Yaffle based on Bertrand Russell.
The series also featured a huge number of specially written songs, largely derived from folk tunes, and has since proved especially popular with musicians. The 2003 Radiohead single There, There has the subtitle “The Boney King of Nowhere”, which was a song from Bagpuss.
While the series was set in the Victorian era – with a sepia-tinted photograph in the opening credits giving way to colour as the toys come alive – the film will be set in the modern day.
According to Birmingham-based production company Threewise Entertainment, which is developing the film, the story will involve Bagpuss and friends awakening to find themselves in contemporary Britain, where they continue their work mending broken items.
It will be, says the company, a “quest that blends heartfelt storytelling, comedy and music, while staying true to the spirit of the classic series”. The estates of both creators are involved in the reboot, with Emily Firmin saying:
“Bagpuss was an integral part of my childhood. To me he wasn’t just a character on the screen, he was a friend who taught me about kindness, care and imagination.
“To see our most magical cat return now is incredibly moving and I’m thrilled that new fans will have the chance to discover him, and that his magic will live on and be shared with the next generation.”
In 2009, Daniel Postgate, Oliver’s son and a Bafta-winning writer in his own right, blocked a proposed CGI TV return for the cat, saying he did not want a “lightweight” remake and adding that he felt CGI had “a slightly lurid quality, even at the best of times”.
Threewise said that the film was developed with and approved by Daniel Postgate before his death in June.
Other classics of British children’s TV to have made the leap to the big screen include Postman Pat, Wallace & Gromit, Fireman Sam and Thomas the Tank Engine.
