AN iconic kids’ TV show is making a shock return.
Bagpuss, which turned 50 last year, is being turned into a live-action animated feature film which will hit cinemas in 2027.
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The much-loved programme about a pink and white cloth cat was voted the nation’s favourite children’s show in a 1999 BBC poll.
The reimagined Bagpuss will serve as a sequel to the 13 episodes that aired in 1974.
Michael Ford, chief executive of Threewise Entertainment, said: “Bagpuss was a ‘saggy old cloth’ with many a tall tale to tell of grand adventures past and we’re very proud and excited to be bringing this iconic character back to life with the blessing of both the original creators’ estates.
“This family movie will aim to rouse the sleepy old cat from his slumber and reunite him with his spirit of adventure for a fun and heartfelt quest that will delight fans old and new.”
The original Bagpuss was made by Peter Firmin and Oliver Postgate and featured Firmin’s daughter, Emily.
In each episode, Emily would place broken items that people had lost in her shop window and utter an incantation to her toy cat in the hope he would repair them.
Once she’d left, the screen would then go from sepia to colourful stop-motion as Bagpuss and other toys came to life and inevitably mended the objects.
Emily said of the new film: “Bagpuss was an integral part of my childhood. To me he wasn’t just a character on the screen, he was a friend who taught me about kindness, care and imagination.
“To see our most magical cat return now is incredibly moving and I’m thrilled that new fans will have the chance to discover him, and that his magic will live on and be shared with the next generation.”
The new film will revive the beloved pink cat for a new generation of viewers.
Birmingham-based production company Threewise Entertainment, which is developing the film, describes it as “a modern-day quest that blends heart-felt storytelling, comedy and music, while staying true to the spirit of the classic series.”
The reimagined story will see Bagpuss and his friends stir from their slumber to find themselves in contemporary Britain, where they continue their timeless mission of mending lost and broken “things”.
Puppeteer Firmin, who also co-created Clangers, Basil Brush, and Ivor the Engine, died in 2018 aged 89.
Most of the shows were produced in a barn on Firmin’s farm in Canterbury, Kent – where he was born.
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