Home » Film & TV » Family Entertainment » Postman Pat Delivers the Goods Again; Other October Headlines

Postman Pat Delivers the Goods Again; Other October Headlines

© Nicholas Moreau

Postman Pat and his black and white cat are back.

Right about now, most non-Brits are asking the dying question, who the heck is Postman Pat. Frankly, I doubt many non-Brits even opened up this article, the unfamilar name in the title likely scared half of them off.

But on the other hand, those parents in the UK are likely anxiously awaiting me to stop rambling and get on to the juicy details.

Show Overview

The Beeb, properly the BBC or British Broadcasting Corporation, is famous for this show, one of their best kids "programmes" ever. "It's over 20 years since Britain¹s favourite postman and Jess, his faithful cat, broke onto our screens and became a hit with both kids and mums," Postman Pat brand manager Victoria Marks commented.

Essentially, the show starred a postman who helps his community out when he goes around on delivery. Almost Bob the Builder, except it isn't Pat's job to help out (also Pat doesn't build anything). To learn about the original series, I recommend visiting Wikipedia's Postman Pat encyclopedia article. The official site is under construction.

New Show to be Delivered

So, the folks at Cosgrove Hall in Manchester are back at work, animating a little featurette for VHS and DVD release in November 2003, and a complete new season of the series, to debut on the Beeb in 2004.

What's new? The Bains family for starters. The stories are, of course, all new, and a few of the old favourites have been brought upto speed with the current generation. But don't worry, although the show has a new look and material, production company Entertainment Rights says that "Cosgrove Hall has managed to retain the charm of the original while making the characters more contemporary and realistic."

Aquakids Comes to France

France's Télétoon will soon a new series called "Aquakids," by Korea's Cinepix animation house. Twenty-six computer animated half hour episodes feature kids and robot in "underwater adventures."

In the near future of this series for 6-to-12-year-olds, humans live at sea. Every child has a cuddly pet robot, which can transform into diving gear. Three kids and an archaeologist dive to find the secrets of a lost empire. While there are friends to be made, there's just as much going against them. Courage and friendship help them overcome the struggles placed upon them by monsters, pirates and an evil mastermind, whom has plans for world domination.

In French Europe, the series is distributed by Antefilms Production's France Animation, a European leader in the field of production and distribution, with more than 1200 half-hours of programming, shown in 100 countries.