Postman Pat- S1E1- Postman Pat's Finding Day- Deep Dive
When we talk about powerhouses of children's TV, then you can look no further than Postman Pat. Pat, like so many of his counterparts including Fireman Sam, has gone through many incarnations- from the Postman Pat Movie (sadly awful) to the slightly better Special Delivery Service. However, the absolute best of Postman Pat is surely the original- set in the quaint village of Greendale, we follow the life and adventures of a gentle, people loving postman. Makes you proud to be English...
Theme tune and backing music
The first thing I want to mention is the fabulously relaxing music that is played right the way through the programme. Some wonderful guitar picking and strumming from Bryan Daly- who also wrote the theme tune- however it was sung by the stunningly eloquent narrator Ken Barrie. They actually released the theme tune into the charts in 1982, again sung by Ken Barrie, and it reached number 44. I would have expected it to reach a higher position, but people probably didn't understand the genius of Postman Pat back then. The actual theme tune, towering as it is, is one of the best theme tunes ever written for TV. However, it does in my opinion come second to Fireman Sam- as I have previously mentioned in the Fireman Sam Deep Dives.
If you were to ever watch this Postman Pat- Pat's Finding Day- and not be completely relaxed by it, there is simply something wrong with you. It has the same calming features as a wad of cannabis, but without the crushing paranoia and guilt afterwards. Modern shows have a lot to learn from this, as kids need to be calmed down, not revved up by what they watch- and hopefully they don't need to use cannabis in later life as a result.
My favourite bit of the theme tune is where it shows the brown wooden front door and it says, 'ring parcels through your door...'. I used to jump up from the sofa and go and knock on the TV religiously ever time it was on. I would have been about 4 years old, so this would have been 1988. Wow. That seems an awful long time ago. I still remember the Grundig TV we had, encased in a wood effect box. The world was really a different place then. I think it was a happier time with less things to complicate matters.
Pat's Finding Day (1981)
The theme for Postman Pat hasn't changed much in the 40 plus years of its existence. Pat basically doesn't deliver many letters or parcels, but does manage to solve the village's problems in the process. In this particular episode, Pat is on the lookout for Katie Pottage's lost doll but ends up finding everyone else's lost things in the process. Heroic.
Postman Pat is written by John Cunliffe- a hero of children's TV who sadly died in 2018. He was a resident of Colne, Lancashire (think Boundary Mill at the end of the M65) but moved all over the North in his lifetime including Kendal in the Lake District and his final resting place of Ilkley, West Yorkshire. He took the inspiration for Greendale from Longsleddale which is close to Kendal. He worked for many years as a teacher at Castle Park Primary School and also as a librarian. He also wrote the children's TV programme Rosie and Jim, another popular show, based on two puppets who lived on a canal barge. He wanted Postman Pat to live a village where everyone was kind and nice to each other- which is a reaction to the bullying he faced when he was growing up- for being too tall.
We first see Postman Pat characteristically driving his post van and talking to his pet cat, Jess. It is never made clear as to whether Jess is a boy or girl as the name would work for either sexes. Maybe Pat himself doesn't know. Although surely whenever he has had to go to the vets they could have shown him? Greendale is shown to be a fantastically calm village, surrounded by hills and trees, where nothing bad ever happens. Pat stops at the Post Office and speaks to Mrs Goggins who tells Pat it will be a busy day despite the fact there are literally only five or six things to shift. I wouldn't like to see what a quiet day looks like in Greendale- a solitary post card or a leaflet to deliver? It transpires that it is Katie and Tom Pottage's birthday and so most of the parcels will be delivered to one place. No wonder Pat has so much time on his hands to stop and chat. My question is, why can't all life be like this? Why are we constantly rushing about serving other, richer, crueler people?
The question remains- why hadn't Katie's Mum sorted these presents earlier? She's known for 365 days when their birthday is. Plus, she is cutting it a bit fine expecting them to be delivered on their birthday too. She gets lucky this time, but it won't always be like this. She ought to be more organised in future.
On the way, Pat stops at the village school and starts to play hopscotch with the children which on the surface appears to be perfectly innocent. However, if this was the modern day, Pat wouldn't be let anywhere near those children without having passed a thorough DBS check first. He even trusts Bill Thompson with the post because 'he's the oldest'. He can't be that old, it is only a little village primary school so he can't be more than 11 at the eldest. Bill is dressed in a lovely shiny yellow mackintosh that looks like it's been borrowed from Ringo Starr- who has a similar red coloured shiny number in the recently released Beatles biopic 'Get Back'. He repays Pat's faith in him by dropping the letters into a big puddle in the yard. Next we see Pat driving the van again through the winding roads, sometimes with his glasses on, sometimes without them- glaring continuity error there- but what a good excuse to waste time and drag out the programme for another few minutes.
Pat then pulls up at Pottage Farm with the twins' presents, which they eagerly snatch from him. Tom ripped open his present like a wild dog to reveal a simple bat and ball set. Only one bat too- so he can't even play it with his sister. To be honest I thought they'd get a bit more- especially with their mother (father isn't mentioned- a bit like Norman Price from Fireman Sam, the writers create and leave the mystery unanswered. All very hush hush, but again, this was a different time, when having children out of wedlock was considered shameful) being a rich farmer. Still, he seems happy nonetheless. Katie opens her presents with a right face on her. She doesn't even cheer up when she sees her new doll and four or five paperback books. I think she's being a little ungrateful and should take a leaf from her brother's book, who is cock-a-hoop with a simple wooden bat and ball. Better keeping the money in your own bank than that of the toy shop- would be Mrs Pottage's modus operandi.
Pat enquires as to the reason for her having a face on, and her mum replies that she hasn't seen Sarah Ann, her doll, for ages. She's only gone and lost her- maybe that's why her Mum bought her a new one. But, as we find out, she's lost without it and they are highly unlikely to find it because they called at lots of places yesterday so it could be anywhere. Well, serves her right for being absent minded. She'll be more careful next time I imagine. Pat offers his services, touching the Mum's hand as he does so- is he inviting himself to er... well, I'll leave that question unanswered. One thing puzzles me about this scene, and that is why the twins aren't at school? You can't just take your birthday off school, Mrs Pottage will get fined through the nose for this behaviour- she won't bother, as her pockets are very deep.
Pat'a next stop is at the village church to speak to Reverend Timms. There is some absolutely cracking church based organ music playing in the background, the question is, who is playing it? Maybe Miss Hubbard has been practising- but we never find out. Pat delivers a postcard from cousin Joan on holiday in Majorca (this was a time where everyone had lots of foreign holidays and the worry of diesel fumes killing the atmosphere wasn't on the agenda). Reverend Timms helpfully remarks that Katie could have lost the doll in church as she always brings it- 'seek and thou shalt find' he says and reminds Pat to mind his head- as if the church was built in Tudor times when everyone was tiny. Ironically, the Reverend himself bangs his head on the pews- funny as he told Pat to watch his own head. He eventually finds something- not Sarah Ann, but a glove with DT embroidered on to it- Dorothy Thompson. At least he is in her good books now- it'll make Alf jealous when he rocks up with it- hero of the hour as usual. Pat's constant heroism must get annoying for the other villagers. He's like a goody two shoes, and we all know how annoying they are.
Dorothy is out at Thompson Ground collecting the eggs- they have money coming in from everywhere these farmers. Wait til Pat gives her her lost glove. To be honest I expected her to a little more grateful when Pat returns her personalised item (probably expensive- she won't be seen dead 'buying cheap, buying twice' oh no. She'll be a regular at Edinburgh Woolen Mill- incidentally, they have a branch of EWM in Boundary Mill, Colne, which is where John Cunliffe was born). All she says is 'well I never', which happens to be also one of my Grandma's go-to surprised phrases. Pat dabs himself down with a white hankerchief. He must be sweaty and out of breath with all of this walking about he's doing. Dorothy invites Pat inside, he thinks his luck is in- Alf must be at the market- but sadly for him she only offers to look for Katie's lost doll. In this sequences, the background music is one of my favourite songs to feature in a children TV show or any show. So relaxing and I honestly do not know which instrument they used to create the sound, but it is nothing short of magnificent. I urge you to have a listen- you can do that here and fast forward to 9 minutes 16. Pure joy. Ken Barrie mentions that 'they searched everywhere'. But what he really means is that they searched behind the TV (nice flowers on top of it by the way) and under a cushion. Whilst they didn't find the doll (what a surprise) they did actually find a knife. Pat immediately notices that it is Ted Glen's knife, how did it get there? Hmmm. Dorothy quickly moves the conversation on, remarking on how pleased Ted will be to have it back.
Next stop is Ted Glen's workshop. I wonder if he can explain the position of the knife? Whatever the reason, he was delighted to have it back. He also invited Pat to look round the workshop for the doll- as they had been yesterday to drop off a broken lamp. Make do and mend in Greendale. Ted shows off his wonderful tool collection- an anvil, loads of saws, timber standing against the wall which Pat manages to clatter to the ground and tangle himself up in. Ted couldn't find the doll but he did find a watch that he had completely forgotten that he had. Ted says that it belongs to poor Miss Hubbard- who 'probably forgot all about it'. Hmmm, doubtful, she was more likely waiting for it but was too embarrassed to ask. Now it had been so long that she was completely unsure what to do. Pat promises to give it back. He really is doing a great job of the Great Possession Reset in Greendale. He should set up a Patreon!
We come across one of the more curious characters in Greendale next. That is Sam Waldron, owner of the mobile shop. This is a position taken by Michael in the more modern version of Postman Pat- cruelly casting Waldron back into the wilderness. The reason why he is such a curious character is his stunning resemblance to a certain Herr Adolf Hitler, Chancellor of the Third Reich. He even has that weird hat that they used to wear. He is just short of a pair of lederhosen. Maybe he wears that at weekends, or on his annual trips to Munich for the Oktoberfest. I think this resemblance is the main reason Sam Waldron was written out of Postman Pat in the end. Although fair play to him, the idea of a mobile shop is a great one and I can't believe we don't have them these days.
Sam is happily entertaining another curious character- Miss Hubbard. Committed to the church, she has never married, instead of relying on a man to do things for her, she rides her bike around Greendale, going about her daily business. We are not told how or even if she makes a living. She could be living at the expense of the tax payer. Despite this, she looks like a nailed on member of the Women's Institute. She was surprised to see Pat with her watch. She'll be even more surprised when she realises that Ted hasn't even fixed it.
Pat plans to cheer Katie up by buying her a box of chocolates and in the process- hey presto- he manages to find the lost doll Sarah Ann! Thank heavens above! Incidentally look below at the mouth of the doll. It is utterly frightening. I think that the writers of the Batman trilogy featuring welshman Christian Bale took inspiration from this doll when they were creating the look for the Joker character played by the late Heath Ledger. You'd think Katie would want to get rid of an awful fright like that. Sam was said to be 'amazed'. Wow, it doesn't take much does it? He probably snaffled it and was planning on giving it as a gift to his own niece.
Pat then triumphantly drives off to Pottage Farm to be the hero of the hour yet again. He completely invites himself to gatecrash the twins' party- saying that he has got a present and he has the doll so why shouldn't he- and hands the doll over to an overjoyed Katie. She finally gave a big smile, the first that day. The relief from her mother was palpable. She even set a place at the table for Jess. Another job well done. Plus it took over 6 hours to deliver four things.
Thank you for reading this deep dive into Postman Pat- the original and best from 1981. Thank you for supporting my work on Patreon too- I genuinely appreciate it.
Comments
Post a Comment