Strange as it may seem, Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin made only 13 episodes of Bagpuss, but they've captured the imaginations of children for over a quarter of a century.

Bagpuss is a cat who spends his time slumbering in a shop owned by Emily. The shop itself doesn't sell anything, and Emily seems a little young to be a shopkeeper - it is a most unusual shop, after all.

Each week Emily brings Bagpuss objects to mend and repair. Bagpuss will wake up and examine them, in the company of his friends - including Madeleine the rag doll, and the mice from the Marvellous Mechanical Mouse Organ.

All this happens under the watchful eye of Professor Yaffle, the carved woodpecker book end, who comments scathingly on the toys and the stories they tell. Then at some point, Bagpuss becomes very very tired, and they all go back to sleep. That's basically it, so why did this all happen? Simple - because Emily loved him.