Catch up TV
Series 9: 6. Oliver Postgate: A Life in Small Films
Once upon a time, not so long ago, there was a man whose name was Oliver Postgate. He had a shed where he made things. \n\nWith his friend Peter Firmin, Oliver created entire worlds for characters including Bagpuss, The Clangers and Ivor the Engine. These stories fired the imaginations of generations of children, and his lullaby voice became a universal reminder of childhood. \n\nTime Shift celebrates Oliver Postgate's life and work through a treasury of clips from well-known and rarely seen films, alongside film and photos from the family archive. Fans including Lauren Child (Charlie and Lola) and Andrew Davenport (In the Night Garden) are on hand to heap praise on the man who is such an inspiration for their work.\n\nPostgate's family help delve deep into his history and discover the inventions, such as Oliver's old camera adapted with Meccano, that powered his imagined worlds. Co-creator Firmin reveals the story behind his most celebrated characters and introduces his daughter Emily, familiar to millions as the owner of Bagpuss.\n\nThe documentary also reveals how, as the grandson of Labour leader George Lansbury, Postgate's life was shaped by radical politics. His deeply held beliefs influenced his classic creations, and campaigning became his focus until his death in December 2008.
Source: BBC 4
Most recent episodes of Timeshift
Timeshift
Series 11 - Of Ice And Men
Documentary which looks at why the most inhospitable place on the planet has exerted such a powerful hold on the imagination of explorers, scientists, writers and photographers.
14-10-2026
BBC 4
Timeshift
Series 16: 1. Bridging The Gap: How The Severn Bridge Was Built
2016 sees the fiftieth anniversary of the Severn Bridge, which completed the motorway link between England and Wales. Timeshift tells the inside story of the design and construc ...
06-09-2026
BBC 4
Timeshift
The History Of Pubs
The pub has been the mainstay of British society since medieval times, a cornerstone of any community playing a unique role in national life. But in the past 50 years the pub ha ...
05-09-2026
BBC 4
Timeshift
Series 2: The Great British Seaside Holiday
Timeshift presents a bank holiday celebration of the British seaside holiday experience from its Victorian origins and heyday in the 1950s to its slow decline and attempts at re ...
29-08-2026
BBC 4
Timeshift
Series 13: 3. Bouffants, Beehives And Bobs: The Hairstyles That Shaped Britain
15-08-2026
BBC 4
Timeshift
Series 14 - Killer Storms And Cruel Winters - The History Of Extreme Weather
Lucie Green looks back through Britain's most dramatic weather history and sees how our reactions helped forge a weather science that today allows us to predict the worst extremes.
19-07-2026
BBC 4
Most popular episodes of Timeshift
Timeshift
Series 13 - Full Throttle: The Glory Days Of British Motorbikes
Documentary which explores the British love of fast, daring and sometimes reckless motorbike riding during a period when home-grown machines were the envy of the world.
04-03-2018
BBC 4
Timeshift
Series 8: How To Be A Good President
In a whistlestop tour through the history of the US presidency, journalist and author Jonathan Freedland asks what qualities make a great president and what we can learn from th ...
27-08-2024
BBC 4
Timeshift
Series 16: 1. Bridging The Gap: How The Severn Bridge Was Built
2016 sees the fiftieth anniversary of the Severn Bridge, which completed the motorway link between England and Wales. Timeshift tells the inside story of the design and construc ...
06-09-2026
BBC 4
Timeshift
Series 13: 3. Bouffants, Beehives And Bobs: The Hairstyles That Shaped Britain
15-08-2026
BBC 4
Timeshift
Series 11 - Of Ice And Men
Documentary which looks at why the most inhospitable place on the planet has exerted such a powerful hold on the imagination of explorers, scientists, writers and photographers.
14-10-2026
BBC 4
Timeshift
Series 12 - The Joy Of (train) Sets
The Model Railway Story: How the British have been in love with model railways for more than a century, with unique archive and contributions from modellers such as Pete Waterman.
16-09-2025
BBC 4
