The BBC has commissioned 26x15 more episodes of POSTMAN PAT from Entertainment Rights, prior to the show's debut on CBeebies and BBC2 later this year. This new commission brings the total amount of programming under license to the BBC to 78x15 episodes and 8x30 specials, ensuring POSTMAN PAT will run on the BBC into 2006 and beyond.
The all-new series of POSTMAN PAT, produced by ER in association with Cosgrove Hall Films and Cbeebies, engages and captivates children by representing a real-life world featuring everyday characters that children can both relate to and have fun with as well as its underlying values of community, of helping one another and of sharing. Children all over the world have been charmed by the characters and stories in POSTMAN PAT, demonstrated by international sales of the series over the last 20 years.
"This commission of POSTMAN PAT by the BBC demonstrates Pat's timeless appeal and reinforces the importance of the message of community spirit for future generations of pre-schoolers, said ER group commercial director Jane Smith. The deal underlines our strong ongoing relationship with the BBC and our ability to create top quality children's and family entertainment. POSTMAN PAT is also proving hugely popular around the globe and has to date sold to over 65 countries worldwide."
Michael Carrington, head of CBBC animation & acquisitions, commented, " POSTMAN PAT has been a stalwart of the CBeebies lineup for many years. There's no doubt that children are delighted by Pat's warmth and charm. I'm thrilled to be continuing the tradition with a new series, which I'm sure, will delight a new generation of CBeebies viewers."
Postman Pat and his faithful companion, Jess the Cat, first appeared as a series on BBC TV in 1981. The original series has been sold into more than 65 countries and there are some 15 million books have been sold to-date worldwide.
POSTMAN PAT cuddly toys and beanies are available from Born to Play along with a friction version of Pat's distinctive red van. Puzzles, card games, memory card games, 2D and 3D games, fuzzy felt sets and hoopla are available from Toy Brokers and Ravensburger. Corgi offers die-cast vehicles of Pat's van, Ted's truck and the Greendale Rocket Train while MV Wheeled Toys features a bike, tricycle and scooter. A range of new POSTMAN PAT storybooks are being launched by Simon & Schuster U.K. and novelty/activity books from Egmont and video and DVD releases from Right Entertainment.
Entertainment Rights Plc (www.entertainmentrights.com) is one of the U.K.'s leading specialist media groups focused on the ownership of high quality children's and family programming, characters and brands. ER owns the rights to many classic characters including Basil Brush, Postman Pat, Little Red Tractor, He Man and Masters of the Universe, Fat Albert, She Ra, Ghostbusters, Zorro and The Lone Ranger. ER's library has grown to more than 1,700 hours of children's and family programming. This includes rights to global brands such as Mattel's Barbie, Scholastic's Clifford, Hasbro's Transformers, Casper the Friendly Ghost and Felix the Cat.
