Daniel Postgate, the Bafta-winning writer, producer and artist who relaunched The Clangers, has died by suicide at the age of 61. An inquest heard that the 'kind and talented' son of Bagpuss co-creator Oliver Postgate had a long history of depression and anxiety, and that a letter from the NHS regarding his blood cancer diagnosis contributed to his decision to take his own life.
Mr Postgate had been treated for aplastic anaemia in 2019 but was warned it could return. In the year before his death, he separated from his partner of 35 years and was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome, a form of blood cancer. On 26 June, the day before he died, he received a letter from the NHS about his diagnosis. His family said he would have 'researched every word' and that it was 'the straw that broke the camel's back'.
In a handwritten note, Mr Postgate wrote: 'I am afraid my illness can’t be cured. I hope you all have wonderful lives, and remember to love each other.' His brother Simon Postgate told the inquest that Daniel had been 'able to communicate and was quite chatty and fairly relaxed' two days before his death, but had suffered from underlying depression for about 40 years. The medical cause of death was recorded as consistent with suicide, and coroner Sarah Clarke ruled he had taken his own life.
Mr Postgate took over Smallfilms, the production company behind Bagpuss and other beloved children’s shows, following his father’s death in 2008. Alongside Bagpuss co-creator Peter Firmin, he relaunched The Clangers for CBeebies (2015-2020), which won a British Academy Children’s Award for Best Pre-School Animation. He was later nominated for Best Writer. More recently, he worked on plans to bring Bagpuss to the big screen in 2027.
Speaking last year, Mr Postgate reflected on why the 1974 show still resonated: 'It may seem quite rudimentary but kids found it kind of bewitching because, in some respects, it took a certain amount of their imaginations to be engaged in it.' A tribute posted by Smallfilms described him as 'a lovely, kind man' who would be 'hugely missed'.
