# Clangers (1969)

> A family of knitted aliens lives a melancholy yet funny life beneath the surface of a cold little planet in space.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/245

## Facts

- Seasons: 2
- Episodes: 26
- Episode runtime: 9 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: animation, family
- Created by: Oliver Postgate
- Network: BBC One
- Cast: Oliver Postgate
- TMDB rating: 7.4/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0065282/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: slow
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: none
- Tone: melancholic, whimsical, gentle, wistful, comforting

## What critics say

Clangers is widely remembered as a charming, distinctive piece of British children's television, admired for its handmade craft and gentle, quietly funny storytelling.

## Synopsis

Clangers (1969-1972) is a British stop motion children's animation series created by Oliver Postgate for BBC One, produced by Smallfilms across two seasons and 26 short episodes of roughly nine minutes each. Narrated by Oliver Postgate, it follows a flutey-voiced family of woolen, knitted aliens who live beneath the surface of a knobbly little planet far out in space. The engine of each episode is a small misadventure: the Clangers venture out to meet unlikely neighbours such as the Soup Dragon, the Froglets, the Iron Chicken and the Glow Buzzers, and every encounter is a gentle problem solved with inventive ingenuity. The tone is melancholic whimsy, a wistful and bleak-edged cosiness in which a threadbare existence on a cold world is treated with warmth and quiet humour. Its handmade look, with knitted figures moving through soft miniature landscapes, gives the show a tactile, intimate charm. Fans of Bagpuss, The Magic Roundabout and Postman Pat will find the same handcrafted gentleness and nostalgic British children's television sensibility. Its short runtime and simple structure make it an easy, soothing watch for young children and adults who remember it fondly.

## Shows like Clangers

- [Creature Comforts (2003)](https://ember.film/tv/32094)
- [Pat & Mat (1979)](https://ember.film/tv/18897)
- [The Herculoids (1967)](https://ember.film/tv/3403)
- [In the Night Garden (2007)](https://ember.film/tv/2899)
- [Alien TV (2020)](https://ember.film/tv/89706)
- [The Borrowers (1992)](https://ember.film/tv/36957)
- [Barbapapa (1974)](https://ember.film/tv/57573)
- [Elliott from Earth (2021)](https://ember.film/tv/99796)
- [The Storyteller (1988)](https://ember.film/tv/5030)
- [Pingu (1986)](https://ember.film/tv/8585)

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