Norvic Philatelics - GB New Stamps and Special Postmarks
Classic Children's Television - 7 January 2014
The
Twelve Stamps
Andy Pandy, Ivor The Engine, Dougal from The
Magic Roundabout
Windy Miller from Camberwick
Green, Mr Benn, Great Uncle Bulgaria from The
Wombles
Bagpuss, Paddington Bear, Postman Pat
Bob The Builder, Peppa Pig, Shaun The Sheep
The stamps - all 1st Class
Andy Pandy - Devised by Freda Lingstrom and Maria Bird,
Andy Pandy was first screened live in summer 1950 during the BBC’s For the
Very Young slot. Subsequent episodes were filmed to enable repeat broadcasts
and became central to the Watch with Mother segment from 1953.
Narrator Vera McKechnie addressed string puppets Andy Pandy, Teddy and Looby
Loo directly, and encouraged young viewers to sing and dance along with the
music and songs. After the original, filmed episodes had become too damaged
to be broadcast, and in 1970, 13 brand-new colour programmes were recorded.
Ivor The Engine
Developed for ITV by Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin, Ivor the Engine told
the story of small steam train working on a remote line in the “top
left-hand corner of Wales”. Narrated by Postgate, in his best Under Milk
Wood voice, the show used charmingly rudimentary techniques to animate
illustrations of Ivor and driver Jones the Steam. While Ivor would
perambulate along the rails making a pleasing “pssh-te-cuff” sound, Vernon
Elliott, a classical bassoonist, provided the accompanying music. A total of
32 episodes were made between 1959 and 1964, and a further 40 were
commissioned by the BBC in 1975.
The Magic Roundabout
In the early 1960s, French animator Serge Danot created an innovative
stop-motion series, Le Manège Enchanté. Ivor Wood joined Danot to work on
the original episodes. Set in a magical park, it featured a dog named Pollux
and his friends. First broadcast in 1964, the unique programme soon caught
the attention of TV executives in the UK. BBC Head of Children’s Programming
Doreen Stephens was charmed by the feel of the series, but felt the script
needed changes. Eric Thompson, who was brought in to redub it, wrote and
narrated new stories around the visual elements. Retitled The Magic
Roundabout, and featuring Dougal the dog, it was a hit upon its UK debut in
1965.
Camberwick Green
Created by Gordon Murray, Camberwick Green featured stories about the folk
of a picturesque rural village in the county of Trumptonshire. Thirteen
15-minute episodes were filmed in colour and narrated by the Play School
presenter Brian Cant. First broadcast in 1966, each episode began with a
rhyme: “Here is a box, a musical box, wound up and ready to play. But this
box can hide a secret inside. Can you guess what is in it today?” The
featured character – perhaps Windy Miller, Dr Mopp or Mrs Honeyman – would
then be revealed. Accompanying songs were composed by classical
guitarist Freddie Phillips.
Mr Benn
It all began in Festing Road, Putney, where author and illustrator David
McKee lived. He used the street as the inspiration for Festive Road, the
home of Mr Benn. First published in book form in the late 1960s, Mr Benn
the TV series followed in 1971. Each episode saw our hero visit a
fancy-dress shop where, “as if by magic”, the shopkeeper would appear.
Dressed in his chosen costume, Mr Benn would leave the changing room and end
up in
an unusual location – a knight’s armour, for example, led to an encounter
with a dragon, while a caveman outfit took him to the Stone Age and a
spaceman costume took him to outer space.
The Wombles
Created by Elisabeth Beresford for a series of novels in 1968, the Wombles
are conical-faced creatures that live in a burrow under Wimbledon Common and
spend their days collecting and recycling rubbish. They arrived on our
screens in a series of 60 short instalments first airing in 1973. Using
stop-motion models directed by Ivor Wood and the perky narration of Bernard
Cribbins, the show introduced us to, among others, the exotic Madame Cholet
and wise old Great Uncle Bulgaria. ‘The Wombling Song’, the show’s catchy
theme tune, gave rise to The Wombles pop group, which, with a little vocal
help from songwriter Mike Batt, had many hits.
Bagpuss
Another unique creation from Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin, Bagpuss was a
pink, striped, “saggy old cloth cat” who first appeared in 1974. The series
was set in a lost-and-found shop where Bagpuss would come to life on
delivery of a discarded, broken item from young girl Emily. He and his
friends – including six mice, banjo-playing toad Gabriel, rag doll Madeleine
and woodpecker bookend Professor Yaffle – would then weave songs and stories
around the object while it was repaired. With the restored item placed in
the shop window for its owner to collect, Bagpuss would give a contented
yawn and settle back down to sleep.
Paddington Bear
A Bear Called Paddington, written by Michael Bond, was first published in
1958. In 1975, the TV series directed by Ivor Wood and narrated by Michael
Hordern was a mix of Paddington as stop-motion puppet animation and 2D
illustration for all the other characters and backgrounds. In the first
episode, Mr and Mrs Brown meet the marmalade-loving bear from Darkest Peru
and take him home, naming him after the London railway station where he was
found. Paddington is the classic innocent abroad, a kind bear, well-meaning
and polite, who is unaware of the obstacles and imminent catastrophes so
evident to everyone else – but things always turn out fine for Paddington in
the end.
Postman Pat
Ivor Wood collaborated with writer John Cunliffe to bring Postman Pat to our
screens in 1981. As he worked his route in bucolic Greendale, each
stopmotion episode would see the Postman become distracted by the plight of
one
of the locals, who included farmer Alf Thompson, handyman Ted Glen and
postmistress Mrs Goggins. Originally narrated by Ken Barrie, Lewis MacLeod
more recently took over as the voice of Pat, whose route now includes
the bustling town of Pencaster.
Bob The Builder
Can he fix it? Yes, he can! Making his debut in 1998, Bob the Builder was
the brainchild of former Muppets designer Keith Chapman. As the world’s
favourite builder, Bob’s ability to take on any project promotes a can-do
attitude of positivity and the benefits of working together, as sung in his
chart-topping theme tune. Voiced by Neil Morrissey, Bob is ably assisted by
his ‘Can-Do Crew’ of Scoop, Muck, Dizzy, Roley and Lofty, as well as his
business partner Wendy.
Peppa Pig
Peppa is a lovable, cheeky little piggy who lives with her little brother
George, Mummy Pig and Daddy Pig. Peppa’s favourite things include playing
games, dressing up, days out and, most of all, jumping in muddy puddles.
After Lily Snowden-Fine and Cecily Bloom, Harley Bird was the third person
to provide Peppa’s vocals, and in 2011 she won Best Performer at the BAFTA
Children’s Awards. The show sees its 10-year anniversary in 2014 and Peppa
will be wearing her golden boots to celebrate.
Shaun The Sheep
First appearing in the Oscar-winning 1995 Wallace and Gromit film A Close
Shave, Shaun the Sheep graduated to his own TV series in 2007. Shaun is a
sheep who doesn’t follow the flock – in fact, he leads them into all sorts
of
scrapes and scraps, turning peace at Mossybottom Farm into mayhem in the
meadow. Shaun and his pals run rings around their poor sheepdog Bitzer, as
he does his best to stop the Farmer from finding out what’s going on behind
his back.
Technical details and details of background images:
The stamps were designed by Interabang and are printed by International
Security Printers in Gravure. The 25mm square stamps will be issued
in two sheets of 30/60 with five se-tenant designs per sheet, enabling
customers to buy a vertical strip of five of any individual.
Acknowledgements:
Andy Pandy
© Ben Productions LLC; Ivor the Engine
and Bagpuss © 2014 Smallfilms Ltd
and Peter Firmin; Dougal, The
Magic Roundabout © Serge Danot; Windy
Miller, Camberwick Green © Gordon
Murray (Trumptonshire) Ltd; Mr Benn
© 2013 David McKee/Licensed by Clive Juster & Associates; Great
Uncle Bulgaria, The Wombles © WCH Ltd; Paddington
Bear™ © P & Co Ltd 2013; Postman
Pat © 2014 Woodland Animations Ltd, a division of Classic Media
UK Limited. Licensed by Classic Media Distribution Limited. Original
writer John Cunliffe; all rights reserved; Bob
the Builder ™ © 2014 HIT Entertainment Limited and Keith Chapman;
Peppa Pig © ABD Ltd/Ent. One UK
Ltd 2003; Shaun the Sheep ©
Aardman Animations Ltd 2014
Products issued, available from Royal Mail:
Set of 12 stamps (2 strips of 6) --
Strip of 6 from sheet 1 or sheet 2, or vertical strip of 5 of any single
stamp
First day cover --
Presentation pack -- Stamp
cards (set of 12) -- Medal Cover -- Framed sets -- Pin-badges
Special Postmarks
Postmarks available for the day of
issue are shown here. These postmarks cannot be obtained
after the date of issue. The
images shown here may not be to scale.
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Ref FD1401TH Philatelic Bureau Official Postmark
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Ref FD1401PL Wimbledon Official Postmark
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Ref FD1401NP
Wimbledon Official non-pictorial Postmark
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Ref L13011 Commemorating the Smallfilms Series, Blean, Canterbury
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Ref L12831
40th Anniversary of Bagpuss, Blean Canterbury
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Ref L13012 Commemorating the Smallfilms Series, Blean,
Canterbury
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Ref 13013 London
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Ref L13014 Shepherd's Bush, London W12
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Ref L13009 Children's TV London
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Ref M13016 The Roundabout, Birmingham
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<<<<
Ref N13017 Manchester |
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Special Handstamp Centres:
L codes from London
M codes from Midland (Birmingham)
N codes from North of England (South Shields) |
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This page created 13 December 2013
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