Voice of Postman Pat dies aged 83
KEN BARRIE, the voice of children’s TV show Postman Pat, has died aged 83.
The actor and singer voiced Pat and many of the other characters in the animated series, as well as singing the theme song, which spent 15 weeks in the top 75.
His daughter Lorraine Peterson said he died peacefully at his home in Denham, Buckinghamshire, of liver cancer.
Barrie lent his voice to 31 episodes of TV favourite Postman Pat between 1981 and 2005. He also worked on Postman Pat: Special Delivery Service in 2008.
He got the job after recording his voice on tape at the suggestion of the guitarist working on the show’s music and later said he never imagined it would be so popular.
Barrie, who was born Leslie Hulme in Tunstall, Stoke, had a singing career with Embassy Records under the name of Les Carle, sang on an album with Fred Astaire and Bing Crosby, and provided backing vocals on Top Of The Pops for stars including David Essex. He also dubbed the singing voices of Larry Hagman and George C Scott. In 2009 he topped the charts as part of Peter Kay’s Animated All Star Band on the official BBC Children in Need song in 2009.
His daughter said: ‘He was very proud of what he did for children but his legacy is not so much Postman Pat, he did a lot more and he loved singing.’