Tributes paid to Peter Firmin, co-creator of The Clangers and Bagpuss

0 Peter Firmin: ‘Children have adored his work for decades’ Peter Firmin – the man behind enduring childhood favourites including The Clangers, Bagpuss and Basil Brush – has died at the age of 89.

Along with his co-creators, Mr Firmin brought joy to generations with his skilfullycrafted animated creations.

He died yesterday at his Kent home after a short illness. His spokesman said: “During a career spanning over six decades, Peter worked with great skill in a remarkably wide variety of creative disciplines as a fine artist, craftsman and author.

“Of all his work, he will probably be most fondly remembered for the characters he co-created and made.”

Mr Firmin created magical worlds from scratch with his low-tech, hand-crafted characters which still have “such enduring appeal that they remain hugely popular to this day,” the spokesman added.

The sleepy “saggy cloth cat” Bagpuss was voted the most popular BBC children’s programme ever made in 1999, and Mr Firmin was honoured with a Bafta Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014.

He is probably best known for The Clangers, complete with its pink, long-nosed, knitted mouse-shaped creatures living on a small blue planet not far from Earth.

The BBC programme was relaunched three years ago, decades after it first appeared on TV screens in 1969,

Mr Firmin also created the cheeky fox Basil Brush with Ivan Owen and worked with his long-time business partner Oliver Postgate on Bagpuss, The Clangers, Ivor the Engine, Noggin the Nog and Pogles Wood.

Alice Webb, director of BBC Children’s programmes, said: “A remarkable man with an incredible ability to create wonderful characters that children have adored for decades, he will be fondly remembered and sorely missed.”