Pass us a swanee whistle and a bowl of blue string pudding: some familiar looking pink knitted space mice are coming to London next month.
The Clangers, Bagpuss & Co is a new exhibition at the V&A Museum of Childhood, celebrating the work of the great kids' TV makers Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin. In what is the first major retrospective of the duo's production company, Smallfilms, visitors will get to see original puppets, read scripts from Clangers episodes (yup, there was scripted dialogue), and marvel at Postgate’s stop-motion film camera, adapted using a small motor and bits of Meccano.
Other Postgate/Firmin creations get airtime too, including Pogles Wood, Noggin the Nog and Ivor the Engine.
This isn't just a roll around in the nostalgic hay for adults; The Clangers returned to BBC TV last year, with Michael Palin taking over narration duties. These characters truly are timeless.
The Clangers, Bagpuss & Co is on at V&A Museum of Childhood from 19 March-9 October. Entry is free.
On 21 April there's a nostalgic children's TV quiz at the museum, hosted by our own Matt Brown. Tickets are £10.
