Postman Pat and the Hole in the Road is the first episode of the second series.
Plot[]
At the school, Mr. Pringle has been teaching the children about volcanoes and earthquakes, and after Pat picks up Julian from school, he heads off to the Post Office the next day. Mr Goggins tells him that PC Selby warned her about a hole in the middle of the road, located near Thompson Ground.
Pat heads off in his van to deliver the mail and warns Alf Thompson about the hole in the road just outside his farm. Pat continues on his way, but sees P.C. Selby has put up a lot of "diversion" signs and when he follows them, he ends up going around in a big circle. Alf sees Pat again and moves the signs out of the way. Pat and Alf drive on towards Thompson Ground and Alf sees the hole in the road, only to find that it is baby sized.
P.C. Selby sees them and discovering they travelled along the closed road and moved the signs, prepares to take their names and addresses, but he can't spell "proceeding" and also, he hasn't got a pencil sharpener. After Dorothy brings tea out for everyone, P.C Selby comes up with the idea of putting a diversion into a field and through the yard.
Later, Pat delivers a letter to Miss Hubbard and then delivers a parcel to Ted Glen. He tells him about the hole in the road and Ted tells him he can use some tar to fill the hole, with equipment left over from a job in Pencaster.
Pat heads back to the Post Office, but stops at Thompson Ground again on the way. Some new signs have been put up, leading into a field and through the yard. Alf isn't happy about it, but as soon as Sam drives through in his mobile shop, and they head off for another cup of tea while the tar sets, P.C. Selby gets stuck and has to take his boots off and be carried away in a wheelbarrow by Ted and Alf, much to his annoyance. Pat puts a warning sign that says "Danger: Police Boots" so everyone can see it and then heads off to have a cup of tea.
Characters[]
- Pat
- Jess
- Julian
- Mrs. Goggins
- Ted Glen
- Alf Thompson
- Dorothy Thompson
- Bill Thompson
- Katy and Tom Pottage
- P.C. Selby
- Lucy Selby
- Mr. Pringle
- Charlie Pringle
- Miss Hubbard
- Sam Waldron (does not speak)
- Julia Pottage (book version only)
- George Lancaster (book version only)
- Sara Clifton (mentioned in the book version)
Vehicles[]
Locations[]
- Post Office
- Greendale School
- Ted Glen's Workshop
- Thompson Ground
- Miss Hubbard's Cottage
- Greendale Farm (book version only)
- Intake Farm (book version only)
Cast[]
- Ken Barrie as Pat, Ted Glen, Alf Thompson, P.C. Selby, Mr. Pringle, and the Main Narrator
- Carole Boyd as Julian Clifton, Mrs. Goggins, Dorothy Thompson, Bill Thompson, Katy and Tom Pottage, Lucy Selby, Charlie Pringle and Miss Hubbard
Differences between the book and TV series[]
In the book, there is an introduction with Pat driving along in his van and going to deliver the post, as in the very first episode of the series. This wasn't filmed and added to this episode, however.
In the book version, Pat delivers a parcel to Mrs. Pottage and the twins tell Pat about the volcano project before Pat comes to the diversion signs.
In the book version before heading back to Thompson Ground, Pat delivers a load of letters for George's birthday which also includes a card from him and Sara.
The following characters only appear in the book version:
- Mrs Pottage
- George Lancaster
- Sara Clifton (mentioned)
Trivia[]
- Mr. Sprott's water powered clock from the "Bertha" episode "Bertha's Birthday Party" can be seen in the school.
- This is the first episode to be animated by George Laban who took over from Derek Mogford.
- This is the first episode in the second series where most of the dialogue would be repeated and reused.
Goofs[]
- When Pat drives off from the Post Office near the beginning of the episode, there's (what appears to be) blu-tak stuck to the front and back wheels of the van.
- When Pat puts up the new sign at the end of the episode, it appears to stand up against an invisible object.
- A crossroad sign is seen when Pat is at a T-Junction.
- Due to smaller scale models being used, in the long shots of Pat driving through the village and the countryside, he is not wearing his hat or glasses and Jess is not next to him.
- Due to reused footage, When Pat says "What, more diversions," the arrow on the sign is pointing the wrong way.
Gallery[]
