Bagpuss film ‘will be faithful to original’, Birmingham producer says

The production company chosen to bring back Bagpuss has promised to stay faithful to the charm of the original.

Michael Ford, the chief executive of Birmingham-based Threewise Entertainment, said his pitch had been to keep “everything that everybody loved about those characters,” but put them into new situations.

He approached the show’s original creators, Small Films, during Bagpuss’s 50th anniversary last year and signed a deal to bring the saggy old cloth cat to cinemas in 2027.

Mr Ford said Daniel Postgate, the son of one of the creators, Oliver Postgate, “really loved our take and what we wanted to do and wanted to come on that journey with us”.

The original series, broadcast in 1974, told the story of what happened when the pink-and-white toy cat came to life when he woke up in a shop window.

It was created by Mr Postgate and Peter Firmin and Mr Ford said Firmin’s “beautiful design” had helped the show endure so long and remain loved by so many.

He also said the original series felt “real” because models were used.

“Back then the characters were really there, they were filmed just like the original Star Wars and things like that, they were really there on set and I think you therefore believe those adventures,” he said.

The new version will feature a mixture of live action and animation and the perspective will be different.

Mr Ford said: “Originally Bagpuss was like your grandad, he was there in the metaphorical armchair telling you about his tales and adventures gone by.”

The big screen version would see see Bagpuss “go on one of those big adventures” he said.

Mr Ford said he was working closely with the families of the original characters and said it was like “getting your favourite cuddly toy out of the attic”.