Postman Pat
A postman's adventures in the fictional village of Greendale.
Postman Pat is a British stop-motion animated children's show, originally made by Woodland Animations. It centres on Pat Clifton, a Royal Mail postman working in the fictional village of Greendale—a place inspired by the real Longsleddale valley near Kendal. The first series, consisting of 13 episodes, aired on BBC One in 1981. John Cunliffe wrote the original concept and scripts, while animator Ivor Wood—known for *The Magic Roundabout*, *The Wombles*, *Paddington*, and *The Herbs*—directed. After the first series succeeded, four TV specials and a second 13-episode series were produced in the 1990s. This later series introduced Pat’s family on screen for the first time, though his wife had been mentioned in earlier episodes. A new version, produced by Cosgrove Hall Films, ran from 2004 to 2008 and expanded on the original. The original Postman Pat series concluded earlier than 2017; the 29 March 2017 date refers to the end of the spin-off *Special Delivery Service*, not the original series. The spin-off *Special Delivery Service* continues to air in reruns on CBeebies on weekends, and the later CGI series (*Postman Pat: Special Delivery Service*) was rerun on ITVBe’s littleBe block from September 2023 to May 2024 (not the Cosgrove Hall stop-motion series). The original two Ivor Wood series are available on BritBox, Prime Video, and DVD.
Each episode follows Pat Clifton—a friendly country postman—and his black-and-white cat Jess as he delivers mail across Greendale. Though his main task is delivering letters, he often gets sidetracked by a villager’s problem and is eager to help. Notable villagers include postmistress Mrs. Goggins; farmers Alf and Dorothy Thompson; Reverend Timms; PC Selby; teacher Jeff Pringle; farmhand Peter Fogg; chicken farmer George Lancaster; mobile grocer Sam Waldron; upper-class Miss Hubbard; Julia Pottage, who runs Greendale Farm; and handyman-inventor Ted Glen.
The show is set in the fictional village of Greendale and the nearby town of Pencaster, on the border between Cumbria and North Yorkshire. Greendale’s look changed across series. In the original (1981–1996), it was a small village with narrow, winding roads, where Pat could enjoy a leisurely pace and even stop for a picnic. From 2003 onward, Greendale became a larger, busier village in the Cumbrian countryside, with a High Street featuring Mrs.
- First aired
- 1981
- Final episode
- Original series concluded earlier; 29 March 2017 marks the end of Special Delivery Service
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Creator
- John Cunliffe
- Director
- Ivor Wood
- Network
- BBC One
- Format
- Stop motion animated children's television series
Lore & Background
Postman Pat was created by John Cunliffe, who wrote the original treatment and scripts, and directed by animator Ivor Wood, who also worked on The Magic Roundabout, The Wombles, Paddington, and The Herbs. The series is set in the fictional village of Greendale and the nearby town of Pencaster, on the border between Cumbria and North Yorkshire. In the original series (1981–1996), Greendale was a small village with narrow, winding roads; in later series from 2003 onwards, it became a big, busy village. The show's protagonist is Patrick Clifton, a friendly country postman, and his black and white cat Jess, as he delivers the post through the valley of Greendale, often becoming distracted by villagers' concerns and helping resolve their problems.
Following the success of the first series, four TV specials and a second series of episodes were produced. The spin-off *Postman Pat: Special Delivery Service* first screened on CBeebies (not BBC Two) on 29 September 2008.
Reader's Guide
Postman Pat holds significance as a long-running British children's television series that began in 1981 and continued for over three decades, ending in 2017. Its gentle, rural setting and focus on community problem-solving made it a staple of children's programming. The show's creator, John Cunliffe, chose a postman as the central character to allow interaction with many different people in the countryside. The series inspired a spin-off, Postman Pat: Special Delivery Service, which is still rerun on CBeebies on weekends, and the Cosgrove Hall series from the 2000s was rerun on ITVBe's children's block littleBe from September 2023 to May 2024. The show's legacy includes its distinctive stop motion animation and its portrayal of a fictional village that resonated with audiences, though Cunliffe did not retain rights to the character and was critical of some tie-in media.
Did You Know?
- The first series of Postman Pat consisted of 13 episodes and was screened on BBC One in 1981.
- The fictional village of Greendale was inspired by the real valley of Longsleddale near Kendal.
- In the second series (1996), the village was briefly referred to as Garner Bridge, while Greendale was the name of the valley.
- Ken Barrie voiced all characters and narrated the first series; in later series, other actors joined the cast.
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