Sci-Fi Bulletin: Exploring the Universes of SF, Fantasy, Horror and Spy-fi!

Another veteran science fiction series is being revived by the BBC, with the announcement that new adventures for The Clangers, created by Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin, are on their way in 2015 in a new set of adventures overseen by the BBC and original producers Smallfilms.

According to Firmin, ‘We hope to engage and  entertain children of  all ages and their families, just as Oliver and I did all those years ago. The new series will include  great story telling with lots of heart. It will also be technically  improved. When you watch the  original Clangers you have to make allowances for the limitations of the  animation techniques when it was made. It was magical for its time, but this is a new Clangers for a new age.’

The new show is being co-produced by Firmin and Oliver Postgate’s son Daniel, and will continue to use stop motion animation.

CBeebies controller Kay Benbow said:  ‘Nostalgia is a funny thing, and we always think very carefully about remakes or  re-imaginings of classic children’s programmes. The Clangers is a programme that has an  enduring magic. The new proposition has been built firmly upon the joyful  foundations of the original, and will be produced by a team of exceptional  talent which includes the extraordinary Peter Firmin. We are terrifically excited to bring this  out-of-this-world series to our CBeebies audience.’

All the familiar characters, including the Soup Dragon, will be seen; whether the original opening, including the line “Sod it, the bloody thing won’t open” (spoken through a swannee whistle), will be retained is yet to be revealed.

One of the Clangers’ greatest claims to fame were their appearance in the 1972 Doctor Who story, The Sea Devils, in which the Master is seen watching the programme.