Postman Pat ( TV Series 1981 - Ongoing )





 

Plot

Postman Pat's first 13-episode season 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, Paddington Bear, and The Herbs. Following the success of the first season, and that of several TV specials in between, a second season 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. For the first time in the programme's history, Postman Pat was no longer sponsored by the Royal Mail, which previously had used the show as a marketing vehicle for them. This link was dropped in November 2000, with the Royal Mail spokesman saying the character no longer fitted in with the company's "corporate image." Subsequent to this decision, Postman Pat was switched to being an employee of the fictional Special Delivery Service.



 

Each episode followed 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 and motorbike, complete with side-car for Jess.





 

Setting

Postman Pat is set in the fictional English (Cumbrian) village of Greendale and the (North Yorkshire) town of Pencaster on the "Cumbria / North Yorkshire" Border.

 

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 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 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 original series of the show from the mid-90s, the area is referred to as Garner Bridge.[3] Garner Bridge is in Greendale. For example, in the episode Postman Pat and the Suit of Armour, the village 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 part of the "Cumbria / North Yorkshire" Border, 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 a child. The post office was at 10 Greenside in Kendal and was fully functional up until its closure in 2003.

Characters

 

Ajay Bains  Ajay and his family have recently moved to Pencaster. He is in charge of the Pencaster Flyer as well as his beloved Greendale Rocket.

Nikhil Bains  Ten month old baby boy of Ajay and Nisha.

Nisha Bains  Ajays wife. Nisha combines running the Station Café with looking after her two children, Meera (seven) and Nikhil (ten months).

Meera Bains  Seven years old and the daughter of Ajay and Nisha.

Shabnam Bains - Unseen, but Ajays' first child she lives in Israel with her grandmother.

Mrs. Bains - Unseen, but the mother of Ajay she lives with her granddaughter Shabnam.

Julian Clifton  Six year old schoolchild and the only known child of Postman Pat and Sara.

Pat Clifton  Postman, husband of Sara and father of Julian. Always helps people with their problems, though has been known to poke his nose in business he wasnt invited to.



Sara Clifton  Married to Pat, Sara is a modern mother who juggles wooden spoons and apples, looking after Julian whilst working part-time as a waitress in the late night club. "Postman Pat and the Big Surprise" mentioned Sara once worked in a Post Office.

Granny Dryden - Granny Dryden is a friendly old lady who lives in a cottage in the Greendale countryside like Miss Hubbard (the character has not been shown or seen on the show since 1997). In the Tuba episode, she uncovered some old instruments, yet made Pat collect them as her feet couldn't cope with the strain.

Peter Fogg - Peter is another farmer who works at Greendale Farm with the Pottages and lives with his wife Jenny who has never been shown on the tv version of the show), (Peter Fogg has not been seen on the show since 1997)

Major Forbes - Major Forbes is an old army major, and says things such as "Eh, what", "Old chap" and "Good man".

Ted Glen  Ted is the local handyman and can fix anything. Teds a bit of an inventor and enjoys inventing strange contraptions.

Sarah Gilbertson  Brunette wide haired schoolchild, daughter of Dr. Slyvia Gilbertson.

Dr. Sylvia Gilbertson  Greendale's blonde, Welsh doctor and mother of Sarah Gilbertson.

Bonnie Goggins  Mrs Goggins' white West Highland Doberman.

Mrs Goggins  The village postmistress in Greendale, Mrs Goggins came to Greendale from Scotland and has a small West Highland doberman, Bonnie. Her first name is Pauline.

Miss Rebecca Hubbard - Miss Hubbard is a friend of Pat, (she also lives in a cottage in the countryside like Granny Dryden) she also has her own bike and always likes to go to choir practice, (The character has not been seen on the show since 1997, it was secretly said she might have gone to live in York)

Jess  Postman Pat's black-and-white cat. He is very smart and always seems to be able to help people when they are in need.
Michael Lam - He runs the mobile shop and library.

George Lancaster - farmer(he only appeared in the 80's and 90's series). George is often seen with wooly hat loosely placed on his head.
Julia Pottage  Black haired orchard farmer, mother of Katy and Tom.

Katy Pottage  Blond girl with twin brother Tom.

Tom Pottage  Timid blond boy with twin sister Katy.

Charlie Pringle  Seven years old and very clever; loves science. In some ways he is similar to Pat, because he has a long nose and glasses.
Geoff Pringle  School teacher and father of Charlie.

Ben Taylor - General Manager of the Pencaster Sorting Office and works with Pat for the Special Delivery Service.

Lauren Taylor - Wife of Ben and the new school teacher in Greendale.

Lizzy Taylor - Seven year old schoolchild and daughter of Ben and Lauren. Lizzy is a wheelchair user and has been since birth. The show often makes light mockery because of her disability.

Alf Thompson  Alf is a black haired farmer with a mustache and runs Thompson Ground with his wife Dorothy.

Bill Thompson  Black haired Nine year old schoolchild and the son of Alf and Dorothy.

Dorothy Thompson  A blonde farmer's wife, Dorothy runs Thompson Ground with Alf Thompson.

Reverend Timms  The white haired local vicar in Greendale.

Arthur Selby  The black haired policeman with mustache in Greendale and Pencaster, father of Lucy Selby, can be called PC Selby for short or Arthur.

Lucy Selby  Brunette schoolchild and the seven year old daughter of PC Selby.

Sam Waldron  Sam Waldron is a Mobile Shop owner. He is a good old friend of Pat who they once helped each other by delivering together. Sam is always on time for everyone around Greendale. (The character has not been featured on the show since 1997. It may be that Michael has replaced him.)

Amy Wrigglesworth  Amy is a fully trained vet who has come to work from Skegness.

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Pumpkin Wrigglesworth  Pumpkin is Amy's Welsh mountain pony and can be very stubborn and grumpy.

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