Jones the Steam...a made guy?

I Twittered (Tweeted? Twat?) last night about Ivor the Engine and Tony Soprano...I feel I should explain.

Late on last night, in light of the usual round of sod all on the telly of a Saturday evening, we sat down to watch the next episode of The Sopranos which we had as part of our latest shipment from Sofa Cinema. Imagine our surprise - and subsequent delight - to find that instead of Tony and co. backed by the soundtrack of the Alabama 3, we had our daughter's Ivor the Engine compilation in the DVD player! No difference at all...

The images - and sounds - conjured up are just fantastic. You really have to get into character but I can just about hear Jones the Steam telling Dai Station in his broadest Welsh accent "Hey, forgeddaboutit, I just whacked some guy..." or, perhaps better yet, Tony Soprano in full New Jersey-Italian saying, "It wasn't a very big or a very important railway but it was all there was..."


Ba da boom, ba da bing...isn't it?

Postgate Postscript

I couldn't let this pass unmentioned...I followed a link to the first (colour) episode of Ivor The Engine on YouTube. My rotten internet connection wasn't quick enough...

"You know what's happening Jones, don't you?" "No Dai, what's that?" "It's only buffering isn't it?"

Beautiful.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDWk0BCeblQ

And when Bagpuss goes to sleep...

The legend that is Oliver Postgate is sadly no longer with us. The creator of iconic children's television shows Bagpuss, Ivor the Engine and The Clangers died on Monday evening.

There are literally thousands of sites on the web extolling the virtues of his work with Peter Firmin and decrying the current state of children's television so for me to join in would seem a little pointless.

What's been incredible, though, is the sheer number of (virtual) column inches devoted to the life and times of a man who, I discovered on reading his marvellous autobiography, Seeing Things, a few years ago sort of accidentally fell into making films for television. And hasn't the world been a brighter place for it?

In the four or so years since we've had a solid fuel stove, rarely have I opened the door to fling in another log or scuttle of coal without thinking of "Jones the Steam" from my personal favourite, Ivor the Engine...there he is, look.*

When I clicked "News Results for Oliver Postgate" in Google, I was staggered by the number of entries, particularly the diversity of blogs marking his passing. I think he would have been pleased. to be remembered for the colour and joy he brought to people's lives. The top left hand corner of Wales will be forever in our hearts.

*for the fans