MJ Ray: Farewell Oliver Postgate: Chairman Bagpuss, I almost knew you
There have been glowing tributes in the news today following the death of Oliver Postgate, creator of Bagpuss, Ivor the Engine and Noggin the Nog and co-creator of the Clangers.
But it’s surprised me how few of the mainstream news sites have linked to Oliver Postgate’s personal website. I knew where it was because it’s hosted by an ISP that TTLLP have worked for. So far, I’ve seen one link to it from the Guardian, buried in a sidebar alongside one of the commentators waffling about him.
Are British TV and newspapers scared of Chairman Bagpuss’s “orthodox Miaoist” views?
The site’s not that up-to-date (understandably), but it has given me a bit of amusement and warmth today after this sad news. It’s also serendipitious after yesterday’s wikipedia filtering caused a surge in interest in “Wind of Change” band Scorpions that Oliver Postgate’s final homepage was called “The Law of Unintended Consequences” - if you enjoyed the narrative style of Bagpuss, Ivor and the Clangers, go enjoy reading it:-
“Because not being intended, unintended consequences are not on the list of what was expected to happen, so if one does happen, nobody has to notice it or connect it with whatever was intended. Or, if they do notice it they just write it off as part of the law of unintended consequences , and of course as [God's] laws are immutable, eternal and that, they know they can t do anything about it even if they wanted to, which half the time they don t.”