Bagpuss, dear Bagpuss, has delighted generations of children. One of Smallfilms’ biggest successes, the show is often ranked as one of the best children’s TV shows of all time. Even when I was growing up in the 90s, there was still a fondness for the saggy old cloth cat and his friends.
Made by Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin’s Smallfilms, the series of 13 episodes was first broadcast in 1974. The opening sequence told the story of a little girl called Emily, a shop and her cloth cat Bagpuss. In each episode, a new item was left for the toys to ponder. Other characters that lived in the shop include the six mice of the “mouse organ”, a rag doll called Madeleine and a wooden woodpecker bookend called Professor Yaffle.
Fabulous films recently released a new Blu-ray of the complete series, containing 13 episodes plus 3 special features. Each episode has been restored in HD for the first time.
Picture
The episodes have been restored and remastered from 16mm film. When I put the disc in for the first time, I was stunned by how good it looked. The colors are vibrant and the detail is unexpectedly clear. I remember reading a review of the two-decade-old DVD release that said the show would possibly never look any better. This release proves that the theory was wrong. Let’s take “Episode 1: Ship in a Bottle” as an example. The bottle itself looks shiny and has more definition than expected.
The show still looks as it should, but much has been done to create a consistent viewing experience. I recall seeing film flashes and other oddities in previous transfers, but that rarely happens here. Signs of grain are still present, meaning the image keeps its intended look. These changes also do not affect Oliver Postgate’s charming animation, which is as you’ll remember it, only clearer.
Sound
“The sound has never been better. The narration by Oliver Postgate in the intro sequence is just as you remember it. All of the sonic qualities are there. The same could be said for the character voices; nothing has been changed or enhanced in a way unfaithful to the original experience. I suspect that clearer versions of music cues and songs have been used, but I have no concrete proof of this. In any case, it all sounds as it should.”
Special features
The special features contained here are few but they pack a lot of punch. At home with Bagpuss, featuring the late Peter furman discussing the projects origins, is a fascinating watch. The same could be said for the story of Ivor The Engine and Smallfilms, a BBC documentary from 2005.
I remember watching this when it was made and regularly quoted it. They could have just left in the part about bagpuss, but I’m glad they didn’t. Bernard griggins narration plus the candidness of fermin and Oliver postgate, is an absolute joy. The tone of the documentary is somewhat scathing towards modern practices, but they do it this way to show the difference.
There is also a Bafta tribute. These are all nice features to have that complement the contents of this set. If you bought previous restorations of Smallfilms material, a couple of these features have been used previously.
Conclusion
The team behind this release has done an amazing job of restoring Bagpuss, making it possibly look the best it ever has. I’m not a huge fan of this show, but this has somehow helped me to see it in a new light. This is a worthwhile upgrade from any previous edition! Bagpuss is available on DVD and Blu-Ray from Fabulous Films.
