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Postman Pat and the Magpie Hen is the second episode of the first series of Postman Pat which was first broadcast on 23 September 1981. It was entirely written by John Cunliffe and narrated by Ken Barrie.

Plot[]

During his lunch break, Pat falls asleep on a hill above Thompson Ground, leaving his lunch box open and his keys just beside it. When he wakes up, he sees Dorothy Thompson's hens running off with his sandwiches and one with his keys. Pat follows the hen up a tree, but then the hen drops the keys and flies away. After falling out of the tree, Pat tells Mrs. Thompson about the hen and she comes to the conclusion that the hen must think she’s a magpie. Pat and Dorothy then go to get a ladder and Pat finds more than just his keys up in the tree. He also finds Mrs. Thompson's wedding ring which went missing the previous Easter and which she thought she lost down the sink. Having lost his sandwiches, Pat is invited to share Mrs. Thompson's dinner. Later on when Pat carries on with the post, he tells everyone else about the magpie hen and they wonder themselves if anything they lost was taken by the bird in question. On the way home, Pat sees some real magpies and wonders if they had taught Mrs. Thompson's hens to take shining objects like them.

Characters[]

Vehicles[]

Locations[]

Differences between the TV and book versions[]

  • In the TV version, Alf Thompson leads the sheep away, but in the book, Peter Fogg is leading the sheep with help from his dogs Bess and Ben. Then Pat has to stop again as Alf is leading cows away.
  • The book version is called Postman Pat and the Mystery Thief.
  • Katy Pottage appears in the book version but not in the TV version.
  • The book mentions a character never seen on the show, Mr Forsyth the vet.
  • In the book version, Jess joins Pat on the picnic.
  • In the TV version, Pat talks to Alf Thompson at the end, but in the book version, he talks to George Lancaster.
  • The book mentions what Pat had in his lunch box with his sandwiches which include, a tin of sardines for Jess, an apple, a yoghurt and a slice of cherry cake.
  • In the TV version when Pat stops at Miss Hubbard’s cottage, he checks the van’s engine when it starts making odd sounds. This does not happen in the book version.
  • In the book version the pictures show that Charlie Pringle brought some lettuces to school, despite the text also saying that he had a bunch of flowers.
  • In the book version the narration says Lucy Selby brought a basket of eggs when it was Sarah Gilbertson in the picture whilst Lucy brought some flowers.

Trivia[]

  • This is the official introduction of Alf Thompson and the first speaking role of Miss Hubbard.
  • This is the first appearance of the Yellow Tractor.
  • The theme song is played again during this episode. As a result, this is the first episode to have a song played during the episode.
  • The music played when Pat goes up the tree to get his keys is the instrumental to the Farmer's Song.
  • In the Finnish and Swedish versions of the episode, the theme song is not sung when it is played the second time, instead an instrumental version is played.
  • In the Swedish, Spanish and Dutch versions, an instrumental version of Pop Goes the Weasel (which also features in Postman Pat's Windy Day) is played when Pat is at the school.
  • In the British version, when Pat brings down the nest to show to Mrs Thompson, the music fades out and fades back in when Pat says "Mind your head." The music also fades out when Pat leaves Thompson Ground with Jess. In the Swedish, Spanish and Dutch versions, the music does not fade out but does when Pat gets back into his van.
  • The scene of Pat going up the ladder to retrieve his keys from the tree was later referenced and shown in Postman Pat's ABC. The only difference between the normal and animated scenes was Pat saying "It was so high! I was really scared!"; in this version, Pat clearly hid his fear and concentrated on getting his keys back.
  • The three naughty hens that go for Pat's sandwiches are later referenced and shown in Postman Pat's 123.
  • This episode was included as a bonus on the Australian VHS release of Postman Pat Takes the Bus.
  • This is the last episode in which Ken Barrie voices Sarah Gilbertson.
  • Pat’s flask would later appear in a few episodes of "Bertha" and "Gran".
  • Dorothy's pie would later appear in the Railway Station cafe.
  • The instrumental to the Farmer's Song plays when Pat goes to get his keys back.

Goofs[]

  • How did Jess end up in Mrs. Thompson's kitchen if he didn't join Pat on his picnic?
  • Unless this is another skill she picked up from magpies, it would be impossible for the magpie hen to fly.
  • When the magpie hen flies away, she makes pheasant noises.
  • In the close-ups of Pat driving the van whilst the theme song is playing again, the roof is off.
  • In the long shots of Pat driving his van around the countryside and through the village, he is not wearing his hat or glasses and Jess is not next to him.
  • When Pat falls into a prickly bush, the sound effects that are heard sound more like water splashing.
  • When the tree's branch breaks under Pat, a string can be briefly seen attached to him and a close up of the branch breaking away under his foot and him falling can be seen for a few frames in between the moment itself.
  • When Pat chases after the hen he leaves his hat behind, but later on when he is helping carry the ladder back, his hat just reappears out of nowhere on his head.
  • When Pat is walking to the tree with the ladder, you can see a piece of a tree moving along the ground by itself.
  • The box containing the day old chicks should’ve had holes in it so the chicks would be able to breathe.

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