Pogles' Wood
Stop-frame tales of a family living in a hollow tree.
Pogles' Wood is a British children's animated television show produced by Smallfilms between 1965 and 1967, first broadcast by the BBC from 1965 to 1968. The series, originally titled The Pogles, was created using stop-frame animation filmed in black-and-white in Peter Firmin's barn. It is notable for its transition from a more sinister tone to everyday countryside stories, and for being part of the Watch with Mother strand aimed at pre-school children.
Quick Facts
- Writer
- Oliver Postgate
- Voices
- Olwen Griffiths
- Steve Woodman
- Oliver Postgate
- Music
- Vernon Elliott
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Series
- 2
- Episodes
- 32
- Company
- Smallfilms
- Network
- BBC1
Facts from the source article.
Did You Know?
- The Adventures of Pippin and Tog was a popular children's hardback published annually each Christmas in the 1970s, featuring comics drawn by Bill Mevin.
- All episodes of both The Pogles and Pogles' Wood survive and have been released on DVD.
- The final collection of 14 episodes was released in November 2015 under the title Pogles' End.
Original series – The Pogles
The original series, The Pogles, consisted of six episodes each nine minutes long, broadcast from 29 July 1965 within the children's magazine programme Clapperboard. This series introduced the titular family and featured a mysterious, shape-changing Witch, giving the episodes a sinister tone. The BBC considered the series too frightening for its intended inclusion in Watch with Mother, which targeted children under five, and advised Oliver Postgate to focus future episodes on everyday countryside matters, leading to a title change.
Sequel series – Pogles' Wood
The follow-up series, Pogles' Wood, ran for 26 episodes, each lasting 15 minutes to match the standard length for Watch With Mother, a BBC strand aimed at very young viewers. The first half of the show focused on farm and countryside life, seen through the experiences of Pippin, Tog, and Mr. and Mrs. Pogle. The second 13 episodes introduced a more narrative-driven format, where Pippin and Tog usually discover an object and bring it to the storytelling plant, which then animates it—an early version of the later Bagpuss concept. The BBC continued airing repeats of Pogles' Wood until September 1973, when the series ended as children's television transitioned entirely to colour broadcasts.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes of Pogles' Wood are there?
Pogles' Wood has 32 episodes across 2 seasons.
When did Pogles' Wood end?
Pogles' Wood last aired on 2 January 1968.
More in British Children's Animated Television Shows
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