Oliver Postgate Trivia Quiz

Answer: 1925

He was born in Hendon, North West London. Oliver Postgate is the grandson of the 1930s Labour Party leader, George Lansbury, who is also the grandfather of actress Angela Lansbury.

Answer: Queagh

In 1935 the family moved from Hendon to Finchley, 4 miles away. The cat used to let Oliver's brother John's pet lizards and snakes out of their vivarium to roam free around the neighbour's gardens.

Answer: Sherborne, Dorset

Oliver did not last long in this job, only a few months, then moved from job to job during which time he designed an automatic muck-spreading cart. Unfortunately, when he went to the patent office, he found that someone else had already designed one almost exactly the same.

Answer: Peter Ustinov

At the time Peter Ustinov was married to one of Oliver's relatives and they saw each other at family get togethers. Oliver's first job in the theatre was as actor/stage manager of a theatre company in Brighton.

Answer: November 1957

Prue was already married when they first started dating. In order for her to get a quick divorce Oliver and Prue helped to set up a 'romantic assignation' (night of passion) in a hotel, so a private detective could find them.

Answer: Alexander the Mouse

The animation on this series, made in 1958, was done using characters cut out of card with magnets under them, and other magnets to move them. This caused a number of problems with the control of the characters, one of which was the fact that if the magnet underneath was the wrong way up, the characters would flip over.

Answer: The Merioneth and Llantisilly Rail Traction Company Limited

Originally there was only meant to be one series of 'Ivor the Engine', Oliver felt that once Ivor had achieved his goal and become a member of the choir the story was over. He only did more at the insistence of the BBC.

Answer: The Saga of Noggin the Nog

This was a very special award because it had been created by the Telecine Department just for this occasion. It was awarded to Oliver by Eamonn Andrews, then presenter of 'This is Your Life'.

Answer: Tog

Tog was a cross between a squirrel and a rabbit. Oliver had it worked out in his mind that Pippin was about six years old and was the son of the king of the fairies, now being looked after by Mr and Mrs Pogle.

Answer: The Clangers

'The Clangers' was originally made without any human speech on at all. Oliver changed this at the insistence of the BBC who felt that children would spend too much time asking parents to explain what the characters were saying, and not paying attention to the programme.

Answer: Spain

They originally went to the Costa del Sol for a months holiday. Before the month was over they decided to buy the Villa they had rented, for four thousand pounds.

Answer: False

She was actually Peter Firmin's daughter, Emily. She wasn't happy about appearing at the beginning and end of each episode, because she thought it would cause her embarrassment at school.

Answer: The International Solar Energy Society

Oliver came up with his idea while sitting in his green house one day. He noticed that the heat from the sun warmed up the air in the green house, and thought that if that air could then be pumped around a house it would work just as well as normal central heating.

Answer: The Western Australian Institute of Technology

This position had come to Oliver through a friend, Peter Efford, who worked in the School of Art and Design in Perth. Oliver was going to turn the job down, but Prue said he should take it. It also meant that Prue could have a second treatment of Trondo, a revolutionary treatment for cancer that she had received in 1979.

Answer: True

This prompted a new interest in 'Bagpuss', 'Ivor the Engine' and 'The Clangers'. In 1987 Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin were given honorary MA degrees by the University of Kent, the degrees were awarded 'in loco Bagpusis' because the honour was meant for the famous cat, but being fictional he couldn't receive it personally.