Sunday, July 15, 2007

Noggin the Nog and Oliver Postgate

At lunch time today I listened to Desert Island Discs as usual. A famous person is asked to choose the 7 pieces of music they’d like to have with them if they were ship wrecked on a desert island. It was a great pleasure to me and I’m sure millions of others, that today’s guest was Oliver Postgate. Do you remember Noggin the Nog, (I have my copy open in front of me as I write and you might just get a quote) Bagpuss (I was too old), Ivor the Engine, The Clangers, The Pogles, Pogles Wood?. Peter Firmin drew things for him and he made his films in the most incredible conditions. I remember his lovely voice and it was a pleasure to hear his choice of music.

They played the piece of music that had been written for Graculus in Noggin the Nog when he returned to where he was born.

“Perhaps you dreamed it Graculus,” said Noggin.
“Dreamed it? Perhaps I did but I know that it I fly over there to the right of the sun I shall see a lake of salt water among tall trees” Graculus craned his neck as if to see over the mountain. “There are fish in the lake,” he added; “blue fish, good to eat”

and so it goes on, and they talk about Graculus’s egg remembering where it was laid; it was very moving to hear it again after all these years…

That was my nice thing that happened to me today along with Peter’s nomination.

4 comments:

Neutron said...

NOGGIN the NOG!!! That has transported me back...was that a brilliant series or what? And the name "Oliver Postgate"...you couldn't invent a better name.
Ta Anji, Sunday has been rescued; all I need now is to find an mp3 of the theme music from Tales of the Riverbank!

Anji said...

Neutron: I agree about the name - they don't make names like that any more. Tales of the Riverbank! We always watched that.
BTW My husband knew I was the women for him when he heard me announce "Anything can happen in the next half hour".

Neutron said...

...arghh...that's going to drive me crazy till I can remember what it comes from...I hear the Stingray theme tune but that can't be it...can it?

Anji said...

Neutron: Stingray it is!