Peter Firman has died at the ripe old age of eighty nine. He was the most imaginative of story tellers and his fertile creations have truly enriched the lives of millions, with a guileless clarity of vision that made it all seem so easy, which of course the creative process is generally not. More than just liked they were loved and what a host of characters he and his partner in creation Oliver Postgate introduced us to. Over the years, indeed over the decades we got to meet The Clangers, Bagpuss, Emily and friends, Ivor The Engine and Noggin The Nog and off course one of the few ginger immortals; Basil Brush himself. He brought so much love to his creations it could not help but be infectious. Charming stories with delightful characters all set in worlds of Peter and Oliver's making. Sometimes with animation so basic it was little more than a camera moving across a piece of artwork. But hey, that is more animation than anything hanging in the Louvre gets, and we are told they are the work of masters.(There is off course only one Master, and he must be obeyed; Roger Delgado.)
The Basil Brush annuals contained stories and art by Peter himself, all well set in the world of the foxiest fox nature ever pinned a tail on, or a tale for that matter. Peter Firman was a gentle visionary and in this world it takes great strength to create something so kind and giving. To me, that makes him a giant. and while some giants have great broad supportive shoulders only one has a comfy cardigan with roomy pockets to keep great stuff in;The Lovely Peter Firman.
