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Postman Pat Takes the Bus
PostmanPatTakestheBus51
Air Date 25th December 1991 (UK)
23rd December 1993 (Australia)
Previous Postman Pat takes a Message
Next Postman Pat and the Toy Soldiers

Postman Pat Takes the Bus is a half hour special which was broadcast on Christmas Day 1991. This episode was written by John Cunliffe. It was the first production of the show since the first series in 1981, 10 years earlier.

Plot[]

Pat was on his way to the Post Office to get his brand new vehicle, the Royal Mail Post Bus. He takes Granny Dryden, Miss Hubbard and Ted Glen on their way to Ingledale. They went to buy some drinks and some food from Sam Waldron, stopped by PC Selby who was putting road blocks at the unsafe bridge, so they take a shortcut on the road to Thompson Ground.

They suddenly heard the Reverend Timms cycling on his old bicycle straight into the barn, so he has to go with Pat on his Post Bus to Ingledale while Alf mended his bike. They finally arrived in Ingledale, Granny Dryden goes missing but she soon comes back and they set off home again.

But Dorothy tells Pat about Mrs. Goggins who has been on the phone thinking he might have had an accident with the Post Bus so he gives her a ring while his friends have a cup of tea. Pat soon got his friends home safe and sound.

Characters[]

Characters Introduced[]

Vehicles[]

Locations[]

Cast[]

  • Ken Barrie as Pat, Ted Glenn, Alf Thompson, the Reverend Timms, P.C. Selby, Granny Dryden, Sam Waldron, Major Forbes and the Main Narrator
  • Carole Boyd as Sara Clifton, Julian Clifton, Mrs. Goggins, Dorothy Thompson, Julia Pottage, Katy Pottage and Miss Hubbard

Trivia[]

  • This special episode marks the first of several things:
    • The first appearances of Sara and Julian Clifton, P.C. Selby and Major Forbes, although Sara (unnamed) and Major Forbes were mentioned in Series 1 a few times.
    • This is Carole Boyd's first episode in the cast.
    • The first episode in which Ken Barrie does not voice all the characters.
    • The first episode in which Pat's van does not appear.
    • The first episode where Katy Pottage appears without Tom.
    • The first appearance of the Royal Mail Post Bus. It would appear again in Postman Pat and the Tuba and again in Postman Pat and the Robot and Postman Pat and the Mystery Tour. In the new series, the post bus is painted yellow and is used for the school transport. The number plate is also changed from PAT 2 to SCHOOL 1 from Special Delivery Service onwards.
    • The first appearance of Pat’s bicycle and Peter Fogg’s motorbike. (Peter’s motorbike was previously used in the “Gran” episode, "Gran’s Bike" as Alf the Butcher’s motorbike. Conveniently Peter Fogg’s model was used for this character).
    • The first appearance of Ted’s Lorry (although it was seen driven by Peter Fogg).
    • While still written by John Cunliffe, this is the first episode in which Ivor Wood receives credit for suggesting the storyline.
    • The first episode for which Derek Mogford is credited as co-director alongside Ivor Wood. Mogford had previously been credited as an animator for Series 1, with Wood as the main director.
  • The episode also features the only occurrence of two things:
    • Royal Mail is mentioned for the first and only time when referring to the post bus.
    • The only episode to mention Ted's Land Rover (which did appear in some books and the audio cassette Postman Pat 2.)
  • Carole Boyd joins the cast and takes over all voicing female and child characters from Ken Barrie - the only exception being Granny Dryden, whom Barrie continued to voice until the character's last appearance in Series 2.
  • The statue in Ingledale resembles Ted Glen in appearance.
  • The close-up of Postman Pat driving the van is featured in the ABC for Kids Video Promos from 1993-1997.
  • The image of the end credits was also used for the title card of the VHS, Postman Pat's Bumper Collection of which this special comes first.
  • The bottle of lemonade from Postman Pat's Thirsty Day, Pat’s cough sweets from Postman Pat's Foggy Day and the jar of cream from Postman Pat's Difficult Day can be seen at Pat's house and the post office. Additional, the bottle of lemonade would later appear on Sam's van and is what Miss Hubbard brought.
  • A spinning top from the "Bertha" episode, "The Best Machine Competition" can be seen on a shelf in the post office.
  • From this episode onwards, the cream telephone from "Bertha" can be seen in several houses. In this episode, it appears on the post office counter and at Thompson Ground. Pat also uses it to phone Mrs. Goggins.
  • The cream radio from "Gran" can briefly be seen behind some items on the post office shelf.

Goofs[]

  • The narrator changes tenses in some places.
  • Peter Fogg appears to be driving Ted's lorry in Ingledale but then passes going the other way on his motorbike almost instantly. 
  • After dropping Granny Dryden off at her cottage, Pat leaves her gate open but when he drives off it is closed.
  • Miss Hubbard forgot to pay for the eggs she bought from George Lancaster.
  • After Pat leaves the church before picking up Granny Dryden, someone suddenly appears in the back of the bus.
  • When Pat gets into the bus at Granny Dryden’s, the windscreen wiper twitches down.

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