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54-512: Four bears were originally released in 1983. The bears were named Grizzler, Howler, Fang, and Gums. Each bear came with a story tape narrated by Oliver Postgate of Bagpuss fame, with one side explaining how the WereBears came to be and the other telling the individual bear's own adventure. In 1986, another line of teddies called the TerrorTeds were created. A fifth WereBear named Growler was released

108-623: A municipal borough council between 1933 and 1965. The area is now part of the London Borough of Barnet . From 1959 to 1992 the Finchley constituency was represented in Parliament by Margaret Thatcher , UK Prime Minister from 1979 to 1990. Finchley is now included in the new constituency of Finchley and Golders Green . In February 2010, the Green Party held its spring party conference at

162-468: A stop motion animation table in his bedroom, he wrote the Chinese story The Journey of Master Ho . This was intended for deaf children, a distinct advantage in that the production required no soundtrack which reduced the production costs. He engaged an honorary Chinese painter to produce the backgrounds, but as the painter was classical Chinese-trained he produced them in three-quarters view , rather than in

216-569: A badge which, when pressed, played a howling noise. TerrorTeds Snapper - A green bear with mismatched eyes and a large number of teeth. Chomp - A red bear with a pitchfork tail and a large lower jaw. Munch - A purple bear with a strong brow and flat head. Grunt - A shaggy black bear with a red stomach. A comic book was published in 1990 by Clearmark Productions/London Editions Magazines and lasted seven issues. Four artists, George Nicholas as creator, along with Nigel Parkinson and Julie Evans hand wrote and inked each issue before submitting to

270-630: A first step to call up, and then reported for duty with the Army in Windsor , but refused to put on the uniform. He was court-martialled and sentenced to three months in Feltham Prison . This qualified him to return to the Appellate Tribunal, where he was granted exemption conditional upon working on the land or in social service, the unserved portion of his sentence being remitted. He worked on farms until

324-687: A progressive private boarding school in Devon . Postgate joined the Home Guard in 1942 while studying at the Kingston School of Art , but when he became liable for military service during the Second World War the following year, he declared himself a conscientious objector , as his father had done during the First World War . He was initially refused recognition; he accepted a medical examination as

378-586: A small museum, the Stephens Collection, which covers the history of the Stephens family, the Stephens Ink company and the history of writing materials. The bequest also included Avenue House Grounds , designed by the leading nineteenth-century landscape gardener Robert Marnock . This has a tearoom, a children's playground, a walled garden and building called The Bothy, a pond and rare trees. A recent attraction

432-694: A station on Long Lane. The artsdepot , a community arts centre including a gallery, studio and theatre, opened in 2004, at Tally Ho Corner, North Finchley. Finchley Film Makers was founded as the Finchley Amateur Cine Society in 1930, making it one of the oldest clubs in the Country. It meets at the Quaker Meeting House in Alexandra Grove, North Finchley. Victoria Park is off Ballards Lane between North Finchley and Finchley Central. It

486-538: Is a bronze statue of Spike Milligan sitting on a bench. William Hogarth painted his satirical March of the Guards to Finchley in 1750. It is a depiction of a fictional mustering of troops on London's Tottenham Court Road to march north to Finchley to defend the capital from the second Jacobite rebellion of 1745 . A number of fictional characters have been associated with the area, including: The Monty Python's Flying Circus comedy sketch " The Funniest Joke in

540-529: Is a Jewish cultural centre. It was founded to facilitate Reform and Liberal Jewish institutions, attached to the Movement for Reform Judaism. The Archer , on East Finchley tube station, is a 10-foot-tall (3.0 m) statue by Eric Aumonier of a kneeling archer having just released an arrow. The statue La Délivrance depicts a naked woman holding a sword (and is informally known as the Naked Lady); it stands at

594-478: Is on boulder clay or glacial moraine, skirted by a layer of gravel, then the underlying layer of London clay . This roughly triangular gravel line was the most fertile area; hamlets which grew at the three corners evolved into Finchley's early population centres corresponding to the three town centres in the area: The residential areas of West Finchley, in postcode district N3, and Woodside Park , in postcode district N12, centre on their respective tube stations to

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648-470: Is the enchanted domain of the horrible Witch Hazel, her hideous TerrorTeds, and other assorted nasties! In total, nine characters were produced for this toy line. They are as follows. WereBears Howler - A blue bear with yellow 'trousers'. Grizzler - A yellow bear with a striped shirt. Fang - A red bear with a baseball cap hat and a single tooth. Gums - A dark blue bear with a pompom hat and no teeth. Growler - An orange bear with blue 'trousers' and

702-610: Is the parish church, with parts dating from the 13th century. College Farm is the last farm in Finchley; it was a model dairy farm, then a visitor attraction. The Phoenix Cinema in East Finchley with its 1930s art deco façade is one of the oldest purpose-built cinemas in the United Kingdom. The Sternberg Centre for Judaism in the old Manor House (formerly convent and school of St Mary Auxiliatrice) at 80 East End Road in Finchley

756-625: The BBC from the 1950s to the 1980s. In a 1999 BBC poll Bagpuss was voted the most popular children's television programme of all time. Postgate was born in Hendon , Middlesex , England, into the Postgate family , as the younger son of journalist and writer Raymond Postgate and his wife Daisy (née Lansbury), making him the cousin of actress Angela Lansbury and maternal grandson of Labour politician, and sometime leader, George Lansbury . His other grandfather

810-422: The London Borough of Barnet . Finchley is on high ground, 7 mi (11 km) north of Charing Cross . Nearby districts include: Golders Green , Muswell Hill , Friern Barnet , Whetstone , Mill Hill and Hendon . It is predominantly a residential suburb, with three town centres: North Finchley , East Finchley and Finchley Church End (Finchley Central). Made up of four wards, the population of Finchley

864-569: The North Circular Road and on to Finchley. According to the 2011 UK Census in Finchley Church End ward, 67% of the population was White (47% British, 18% Other, 2% Irish), 8% South Asian and 6% Other Asian. The largest religion was Judaism , claimed by 31% of the population, whereas Christians made up 28%. West Finchley ward was 61% White (40% British, 18% Other, 3% Irish), 13% South Asian and 8% Other Asian. St Mary's at Finchley

918-632: The artsdepot in North Finchley. Finchley is on a plateau, 90 metres (300 ft) above sea level 11 km (6.8 mi) north of Charing Cross and 6 km (3.7 mi) south of Barnet . To the west is the Dollis valley formed by Dollis Brook the natural western boundary of Finchley. Mutton Brook forms the southern boundary, joining the Dollis Brook to become the River Brent . Most of Finchley

972-457: The laws of physics which happened to apply in that part of the world. In the 1970s Postgate and Firmin worked with Michael Rosen on a Teaching to Read series on BBC Schools TV called Sam on Boff's Island . In the 1970s and 1980s Postgate was active in the anti-nuclear campaign , addressing meetings and writing several pamphlets including The Writing on the Sky . In 1986, in collaboration with

1026-406: The 18th century Finchley was well known for the quality of its hay, which was the dominant agricultural activity until the second half of the 19th century. North Finchley only began to develop after the enclosure of the common during the 1820s. It formed an ancient parish in the county of Middlesex , originally within the hundred of Ossulstone and later becoming its own urban district , which

1080-584: The Australian-born writer and academic Coral Lansbury , whose son Malcolm Turnbull became the 29th Prime Minister of Australia . Postgate died at a nursing home in Broadstairs , near his home on the Kent coast, on 8 December 2008, aged 83. After his death there was huge recognition of his influence and effect on British culture, and affection for the role his work had played in many people's lives. His work

1134-649: The Engine , a series for ITV about a Welsh steam locomotive who wanted to sing in a choir, based on Postgate's wartime encounter with Welshman Denzyl Ellis, who used to be the fireman on the Royal Scot . (It was remade in colour for the BBC in 1976 and 1977.) This was followed by Noggin the Nog for the BBC, which established Smallfilms as a reliable source to produce children's entertainment, when there were only two television channels in

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1188-631: The Great Hall of Eliot College on the University of Kent 's Canterbury campus. Postgate narrated the six-part BBC Radio 4 comedy series Elastic Planet in 1995. In his later years, he blogged for the New Statesman . Postgate's voice was heard once more in 2003, as narrator for Alchemists of Sound , a television documentary about the BBC Radiophonic Workshop . On 15 July 2007, he

1242-575: The UK. Postgate later described the "gentlemanly and rather innocent" business thus: We would go to the BBC once a year, show them the films we'd made, and they would say: "Yes, lovely, now what are you going to do next?" We would tell them, and they would say: "That sounds fine, we'll mark it in for eighteen months from now", and we would be given praise and encouragement and some money in advance, and we'd just go away and do it. Postgate had strict views on story-line development, which perhaps resultantly restricted

1296-689: The Underground New Works Programme (1935–1940), to electrify the lines through Finchley, and connect the Northern line from Archway to East Finchley , via a new tunnel was announced. Much of the work was carried out and East Finchley station was rebuilt, but the project was halted by the second world war . All passenger services from Finchley to Edgware ended in September 1939. Nevertheless, Underground trains began running from central London to High Barnet in 1940, and to Mill Hill East , to reach

1350-571: The World " is set in Finchley. In various episodes of the Channel 4 comedy Peep Show Finchley is used as an on-site shooting location. The background of the cover of Iron Maiden 's second studio album, Killers , depicts Etchingham Court, North Finchley, where artist Derek Riggs lived at the time. The 2013 David Bowie song 'Dirty Boys' on The Next Day album makes reference to Finchley Fair. In birth order Finchley Borough had four twin towns ;

1404-522: The approach to Finchley from the south, in a small garden beside Regent's Park Road, just north of Henlys Corner . Transport for London is responsible for transport in Finchley. Finchley has four London Underground stations, all on the High Barnet branch of the Northern line, which serves the West End and City (financial district). Two of London's major roads, the east–west A406 North Circular Road and

1458-468: The area is in the southeast corner of the company's water supply area. EDF Energy Networks is the Distribution network operator licensed to distribute electricity from the transmission grid to homes and businesses in Finchley. Finchley Memorial Hospital, on Granville Road, North Finchley, was a small NHS hospital administered by NHS Barnet, a primary care trust . Built with local donations in 1908 it

1512-466: The army barracks, in 1941. After the war, the introduction of London's Metropolitan Green Belt undermined pre-war plans and the upgrading between Mill Hill East and Edgware (the ' Northern Heights ' project) was abandoned, although the line continued to be used by steam trains for goods traffic through Finchley, until 1964. From around 1547 Finchley had a parish vestry , which became a local board in 1878, an urban district council in 1895, and finally

1566-553: The artwork and built the models, while Postgate wrote the scripts, did the stop motion filming and many of the voices. Smallfilms was therefore able to produce two minutes of film per day, ten times as much as a conventional animation studio, with Postgate moving the cardboard pieces himself, and working his 16 mm camera frame-by-frame with a home-made clicker. As Postgate voiced many of the productions, and also narrated WereBear stories, his distinctive voice became familiar to generations of children. They started in 1959 with Ivor

1620-480: The children's programming section, he thought he could do better with the relatively low budgets of the then black and white television productions. Postgate wrote Alexander the Mouse, a story about a mouse born to be king. Using an Irish-produced magnetic system – on which animated characters were attached to a painted background, and then photographed through a 45-degree mirror – he persuaded Peter Firmin , who

1674-678: The conventional Egyptian full-view manner used for flat animation under a camera. This resulted in the Firmin-produced characters looking as though they were short in one leg, but the success of the production provided the foundation for Postgate with Firmin to start up his own company solely producing animated children's programmes. Setting up their business in a disused cowshed at Firmin's home in Blean near Canterbury , Kent, Postgate and Firmin worked on children's animation programmes. Based on concepts which mostly originated with Postgate, Firmin did

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1728-570: The end of the war, when he went to occupied Germany , working for the Red Cross in social relief work. On return to the UK, from 1948 he attended the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art , but drifted through a number of different jobs, never really finding his niche. In 1957 he was appointed a stage manager with Associated-Rediffusion , which then held the ITV franchise for London. Attached to

1782-512: The four teddy bears... hence they became WereBears. Now the Bears have got themselves hopelessly lost in the forest and the Baron desperately needs to find them before his secret is discovered. The Baron and the Bears may look scary, but they are still innocent and good-hearted inside. However, there are darker forces to be reckoned with... anything might happen in the forest beyond Munchen-Luncheon, because it

1836-525: The historian Naomi Linnell, Postgate painted a 50-foot-long (15 m) Illumination of the Life and Death of Thomas Becket for a book of the same name, which is now in the archive of the Royal Museum and Art Gallery , Canterbury. In 1990 he painted a similar work on Christopher Columbus for a book entitled The Triumphant Failure. A Canterbury Chronicle, a triptych by Postgate commissioned in 1990 hangs in

1890-461: The length of each particular series development. When asked if the Clangers adventures were quite surreal sometimes, Postgate replied: They're surreal but logical. I have a strong prejudice against fantasy for its own sake. Once one gets to a point beyond where cause and effect mean anything at all, then science fiction becomes science nonsense. Everything that happened was strictly logical according to

1944-536: The merger between Finchley Football Club (est. 1874) and Wingate Football Club (est. 1946). Although the club is sometimes incorrectly perceived to be exclusively Jewish , it is open to people of every religion and ethnic background. Wingate & Finchley play home games at Summers Lane, N12. The local rugby team is Finchley RFC. Finchley Cricket Club (founded 1832), plays in the Middlesex premier league, at Arden Field, East End Road, N3. Finchley golf club on Frith Lane

1998-534: The north–south A1 meet and briefly merge at Henlys Corner at the southern edge of Finchley. North Finchley bus station is a hub with nine bus routes using bus stops around Tally Ho Corner. There are 17 primary schools in the district. There are seven secondary schools : There is also a secondary special school , Oak Lodge Special School in East Finchley . Woodhouse College in North Finchley , on

2052-488: The publisher to print and distribute. The first issue was a retelling of the WereBears' origin, the second issue retold the origin of the TerrorTeds, and the third issue retold the origin of Growler. The following four issues each focused on an adventure of one of the WereBears versus one of the TerrorTeds. Universal Studios was in talks with George Nicholas to make a film about the bears. Oliver Postgate Richard Oliver Postgate (12 April 1925 – 8 December 2008)

2106-472: The same year. The WereBears' adventure begins near the fictional village of Munchen-Luncheon, a tiny place in a remote corner of Bavaria where time seems to have stood still. The Bears were created by kindly old toymaker Baron Egon Baconburger, who lives in Castle Casserole. But the Baron fell victim to an ancient curse on his family that changed him into a werewolf, and somehow he passed on this curse to

2160-617: The site of the old Woodhouse Grammar School, is one of two colleges in the borough. The local football team Old Finchleians (nicknamed the OFs) formed in 1901 who play home games at The Old Finchleians Memorial Ground in Southover and are members of the Southern Amateur League. Wingate & Finchley plays in the premier division of the Isthmian league . The club was formed in 1991 following

2214-419: The son of the inventor of indelible blue-black ink Dr Henry Stephens . On his death in 1918 he bequeathed the house and its grounds for 'Public enjoyment subject to reasonable rules'. The estate, a private garden to which public access is granted, is now known as Stephens House and Gardens and managed from 2002 on a 125-year lease by Avenue House Estate Trust, an independent charity. It has a visitor centre with

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2268-575: The time of the Norman conquest . By the 15th and 16th centuries the woods on the eastern side of the parish had been cleared to form Finchley Common . The medieval Great North Road , which ran through the common, was notorious for highwaymen until the early 19th century. St Mary-at-Finchley Church is first recorded in the 1270s. Near the northern gate to the Bishop of London's park, the hamlet of East End, later East Finchley, had begun to develop by 1365. By

2322-532: The west of the area. Between East Finchley and Finchley Central is Long Lane, which runs parallel to the tube line and is dotted with small shopping parades. The area of London known as 'Finchley Road', around Finchley Road Underground station , is not part of Finchley, but instead refers to a district further south at Swiss Cottage , Camden . The area is named after a section of the A41 road , which runs north to Golders Green and eventually continues to Henlys Corner on

2376-499: Was 65,812 as of 2011. Finchley probably means "Finch's clearing" or "finches' clearing" in late Anglo-Saxon ; the name was first recorded in the early 13th century. Finchley is not recorded in Domesday Book , but by the 11th century its lands were held by the Bishop of London. In the early medieval period the area was sparsely populated woodland, whose inhabitants supplied pigs and fuel to London. Extensive cultivation began about

2430-411: Was an English animator , puppeteer , and writer. He was the creator and writer of some of Britain's most popular children's television programmes. Bagpuss , Pingwings , Noggin the Nog , Ivor the Engine , Clangers and Pogles' Wood , were all made by Smallfilms , the company he set up with collaborator, artist and puppet maker Peter Firmin . The programmes were originally broadcast by

2484-546: Was designed by five-times Open Champion James Braid. Ken Brown, Ryder Cup player and BBC presenter, described it as "The best presented golf course for club play that I have seen in years". Finchley Victoria Bowls and Croquet Club, with two greens and a modern clubhouse in Victoria Park , offers lawn bowls , croquet and pétanque facilities in the summer and year-round social activities. Veolia Water Central Limited , formerly Three Valleys Water , supplies Finchley's water;

2538-732: Was guest on BBC Radio 4 's Desert Island Discs . He was also a guest on The Russell Brand Show on 19 January 2008 where he discussed the making of Bagpuss and his subsequent work in TV and Film. In 1987 the University of Kent at Canterbury awarded an honorary degree to Postgate, who stated that the degree was really intended for Bagpuss , who was subsequently displayed in academic dress. Postgate married Prudence "Prue" Myers in 1957, becoming stepfather to her three children. The couple had twins in 1959 (Stephen and Simon), and another son in 1964 ( Daniel Postgate ). Prue died of cancer in 1982. Naomi Linnell

2592-402: Was his partner for the last twenty-three years of his life. Postgate's autobiography, Seeing Things , was published in 2000, and after Oliver died in 2008 his son Daniel wrote an afterword which was added at the end of the book. His grandfather was Labour Party leader (1932-1935) George Lansbury and he was cousin to English born American actress Angela Lansbury . He is distantly related to

2646-500: Was originally Finchley Cottage Hospital, renamed and expanded after the First World War as a war memorial. A modern new hospital on adjacent land opened in September 2012; the old hospital buildings were demolished. London Ambulance Service responds to medical emergencies in Finchley. Policing in Finchley is by the Metropolitan Police Service . Statutory emergency fire service is by London Fire Brigade , which has

2700-486: Was proposed in 1887 to mark Queen Victoria's golden jubilee and opened in 1902 to be Finchley's first public park. It is home to tennis courts and Finchley Victoria Bowling and Croquet Club. There is also a small nature reserve adjacent to the North Circular Road known as Long Lane Pasture . Avenue House in East End Road was built in 1859. In 1874 it was acquired by Henry Charles Stephens , known as "Inky" Stephens,

2754-530: Was the Latin classicist John Percival Postgate . His brother was the microbiologist and writer John Postgate FRS . Another aunt was Margaret Cole , the socialist politician. Postgate was educated at the private Woodstock School on Golders Green Road in Finchley in north-west London and Woodhouse Secondary School, formerly known from 1923 onwards as Woodhouse Grammar School, also in Finchley (and now renamed Woodhouse College ), followed by Dartington Hall School ,

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2808-549: Was then incorporated as a municipal borough in 1933 . It has been part of Greater London since 1965. The Edgware, Highgate and London Railway (later the Great Northern Railway ) reached Finchley in 1867. It ran from Finsbury Park via Finchley to Edgware . The branch from Finchley to High Barnet opened in 1872. In 1905 tram services were established in Finchley, and extended shortly afterwards to Barnet. They were eventually replaced by trolleybuses . In 1933,

2862-476: Was then teaching at the Central School of Art , to create the background scenes. Postgate later recalled they undertook around 26 of these programmes live-to-air, which were made harder by the production problems encountered by the use and restrictions of using magnets. After the success of Alexander the Mouse , Postgate agreed a deal to make the next series on film, for a budget of £175 per programme. Making

2916-423: Was widely discussed in the UK media and many tributes were paid to him and his work across the internet. Charlie Brooker dedicated a portion of his Screenwipe show to Oliver Postgate, and the way he influenced Brooker's own childhood, in an episode that was broadcast the day after Postgate's death. Finchley Finchley ( / ˈ f ɪ n tʃ l i / ) is a large district of north London, England, in

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