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. 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. Mystical India: Bani Moukerjee, the elephant keeper, wears a turban and speaks with a stereotypical Indian accent. This ended up getting the book series banned thanks to political correctness authorities getting worried about offending ethnic minorities. Six story books were also published in the 1970s, along with an Ivor The Engine annual in 1978 and several audio recordings. The Ivor revival Ivor is the steam locomotive of the Merioneth and Llantisilly Rail Traction Company Limited. Unlike real ones, he has a mind of his own. Ivor can drive himself and use his whistle to communicate. His fondest dream is to sing with the Grumbly and District Choral Society, a dream that is realised when his whistle is replaced with three pipes from an old fairground organ. He becomes the first bass of the choir, as well as providing them with a means of getting from place to place. Juggernaut is a diesel railway engine made out of bits and bobs, resembling a road lorry on flanged wheels. Juggernaut falls into the lake soon after starting service, nearly killing Idris.

The Dragons have nearly run out of Half-Crowns for their gas meter at Smoke Hill. Jones and Ivor find some in one of the most unlikely places. Jones and Dai are relaxing when they spot some strange objects in the sky. The source appears to be Mr Dinwiddy's goldmine. Cool Old Lady: Mrs. Porty, a wealthy eccentric who lives in a mansion besides the railway may seem like she has more money than sense at times, but, at heart, she is a refined, kind-hearted woman who ultimately buys the railway wholesale to save it from being merged with the Welsh National Railway, which would have meant unwelcome changes all around.Postgate, Oliver; Firmin, Peter (2006). Ivor the Engine: The dragon (2nded.). London: Severnside. ISBN 0-9552417-3-1. In 1984, a single 57-minute compiled video called Ivor the Engine and the Dragons with 13 stories joined up together as an omnibus. The series was written, animated and narrated by Oliver Postgate. Peter Firmin provided the artwork. The sound effects were endearingly low-tech, with the sound of Ivor's puffing made vocally by Postgate himself. The music was composed by Vernon Elliott and predominantly featured a solo bassoon, to reflect the three notes of Ivor's whistle. In 2000, a video called The Complete Ivor The Engine containing all 26 colour episodes was released by Universal. Wales is where you have little railways going along the tops of hills, which is much less boring that hurtling up the slumbering Midlands plain in the middle of the night," he told science fiction enthusiast Clive Banks, "so we decided it would be nice to set it in Wales."

Lemony Narrator: Oliver Postgate, the Series Creator, serves as this, generally breaking the fourth wall to explain Welsh culture or to comment on the action. Sometimes, he will even react in surprise to events as they unfold. The local fish-and-chip shop owner. A plump woman with a big voice, she is kind and cheerful and serves the choir with food after their sessions. colour episodes were made, each lasting just five minutes. They were shown often by the BBC until the mid 1980s.

As this episode takes place when decimalisation occurs, Jones must inform Idris and Co. that there are no more half-crowns in Wales and that "you have had the lot". They go and find in a small shop, an old tin teapot full to the brim with half-crowns. "Smoke-Hill" is gas fired for the final time until the dragons go to Mr Dinwiddy and his geothermal heated cave. Parents Know Their Children: Jones the Steam and Ivor have a very close bond after so many years working together, but Jones usually acts as a sort of parental figure for Ivor, who is good hearted if sometimes a little disobedient, like a child. Jones can usually guess at Ivor's moods quite easily.

allow her bad foot to be washed with boiling water by Jones and Evans. The only person allowed to do that is Bani True Companions: Ivor and Jones the Steam – their bond is very much like a parent fussing over a child at times, but Jones trusts Ivor implicitly, and is always looking out for his beloved engine's happiness. Evans the Song convinces both the choir committee and the railway bosses, and Ivor joins the choir. One morning Jones and Ivor spot some smoke beside the railway line. It turns out to be Idris the Dragon. They rescue him and he explains that Smoke Hill is now extinct.Going past Smoke Hill, an extinct volcano, Jones and Ivor spot smoke coming from the top. Jones discovers a fire inside the hill and a strange egg. He puts it in Ivor's firebox to keep it warm. Mr Dinwiddy doesn't have any idea what it is so they go off to choir practice. During the practice there seems to be a voice coming from inside Ivor. Unfazed Everyman: Jones the Steam, who accepts wholesale the idea that his steam engine is alive and dragons exist. In fact, most of the characters accept Ivor's sentience without question (save Mrs. Griffiths of the Antiquarian Society), but, given the general unusual events that tend to occur, Jones rarely loses his tranquility. A rich and eccentric aristocratic lady who enjoys the occasional glass of port and has new hats sent from London every week. She is also technically the owner of the railway, having bought it when the line was threatened with nationalisation. However, she does not bother much with the day-to-day running and things remained much the same after she bought it. Postgate, Oliver; Firmin, Peter (2006). Ivor the Engine: The elephant. London: Severnside. ISBN 0-9552417-2-3.

They started in 1959 with Ivor the Engine, a series for ITV about a Welsh steam locomotive who wanted to sing in a choir. 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 the UK. The Clangers and Bagpuss, perhaps their most popular works, followed in the early 1970s. Ivor has gone off on his own again. Dai gets quite cross about it, while Jones finds Ivor at Mr Pugh's farm along with some guests. Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: The narrator states at the climax of "Retirement" that the dragons could be heard inside Ivor singing at the choir, but you can't be sure, can you?

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Idris is still missing when the representative of the antiquarian society arrives to interview Jones about him. After a few embarrassments, Jones and Ivor find Idris in the most obvious place.