Skwigly Online Animation Magazine Search

Peter Firmin, co-creator of Bagpuss and The Clangers Dies

// News

Skwigly



Peter Firmin, the co-creator of many loved children’s TV classics, including Bagpuss, The Clangers, Ivor the Engine, and Nogin the Nog, has died aged 89.

Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin filming The Clangers

Peter established  Smallfilms with co-creator Oliver Postgate (who passed away in 2008) which ran from 1958 to the late 1980s. Between them they created, crafted and produced their animated TV series’ in a barn on his land near Canterbury.

Aside from his work for Smallfilms, which included making the sets, puppets and backdrops for their shows; plus the visual effects and some sound effects, Firmin’s other career highlights included:

  • Co-creating the TV puppet Basil Brush in 1962
  • In 2014 he was honoured at the BAFTA Children’s Awards with the lifetime achievement award
  • In 2011 he was awarded the Freedom of the City of Canterbury in recognition of his “outstanding work”
  • Working on the new series of The Clangers, which picked up a BAFTA in 2015

Peter continued to work as an illustrator, writing and illustrating many books of Smallfilms characters, plus children’s books of his own, and worked right up  up until the beginning of 2018.

Want a more specific search? Try our Advanced Search

Skwigly Login


Create an account Forget Password?