Postman Pat creator John Cunliffe dies aged 85
Author also created children’s TV show Rosie and Jim
John Cunliffe, the author and creator of the much-loved children’s TV shows Postman Pat, and Rosie and Jim, has died, aged 85.
Cunliffe’s family placed a death notice in their local newspaper, the
Ilkley Gazette, announcing that he died on September 20th and was buried
after a private funeral on Wednesday.
“[John Cunliffe] left his Ilkley home in a deluge of rain on Thursday 20
September, never to return,” read the notice. “Even the skies wept for
John, the gifted creator of Postman Pat, Rosie and Jim and author of
many earlier published collections of poetry and picture story books for
children.”
Cunliffe created the character of Postman Pat Clifton and his black and
white cat, Jess, who lived in the fictional village of Greendale after
being inspired by his time living in the Lake District. He wrote the
show on an old Triumph typewriter in the back bedroom of a house in
Kendal and teamed up with the animator Ivor Wood, who had worked on the
Magic Roundabout, The Herbs, The Wombles and Paddington Bear.
Cunliffe presented the BBC with 13 stories about Pat and Jess, which
eventually aired in 1981 and would be the start of a children’s TV
franchise worth millions. He continued to write books about Postman Pat
but signed a deal which meant he didn’t have control over merchandising
or the way the character would be developed on screen.
In 1994, Nick Davies wrote that when Cunliffe raised concerns about the
direction his creation was going and the volume of promotional
merchandise being created, he “protested quietly and was told to face
commercial realities”.
Cunliffe was bullied as a child growing up in Colne, Lancashire. He
created the idyllic life of Postman Pat and “a community where everyone
was happy and nobody broke anybody else’s spectacles for the sheer
pleasure of it”, in part as a response to his childhood.
His other major success was Rosie and Jim, a show about a pair of rag
dolls “who gently meandered around the British countryside on a
canalboat”. It was produced by Ragdoll, the same company that went on to
produce Teletubbies.
He penned around 190 books for children, including picture books and volumes of poetry, according to his agency biography.
Cunliffe is survived by his wife, Sylvia, and son, Edward.
A Royal Mail spokesman said: “Royal Mail was saddened to hear of the
death of John Cunliffe. He created a character loved by young and old
alike, while highlighting the unique role that postmen and women, in
their red vans, play in communities across the country.”
Director of BBC Children’s Alice Webb said: “We are saddened to hear the
news of John’s death. Postman Pat has been a hugely popular character
on the BBC for nearly 40 years and was an absolute favourite from my own
childhood. Postman Pat’s enduring popularity speaks to the genuine
charm and warmth that John imbued in the characters that populate
Greendale.
“It’s a world you’d like to be part of - a community that cares, is full
of heart and full of fun - and that is a lovely thing to show
audiences, both young and old.
“John created a real and relatable world that will continue to entertain
our audience for a long time to come and I count myself lucky to be one
of millions of children whose childhoods were enriched by John’s
creations.” – Guardian, PA
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