Beloved illustrator and BAFTA-winning television creator Daniel Postgate spent his life bringing warmth and imagination to children’s screens. In June, that gentle, creative life came to a tragic end when the 61-year-old was found dead in a shed at his home in Whitstable, England. In the months since, an inquest has revealed that a letter he received just one day earlier weighed heavily on his already fragile state of mind.
Postgate, who had recently separated from his partner of 35 years, had been facing serious health challenges. According to reports, he was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome, a form of blood cancer, not long after the breakup. It wasn’t his first major health battle. The inquest heard that he had already undergone gruelling treatment for aplastic anaemia in 2019, enduring cycles of therapy that had taken a significant toll on him.
Shortly before his death, Daniel received a letter from the National Health Service (NHS) about his condition. In a note he left for his family, he mentioned the correspondence, indicating that its contents had deeply affected him. His relatives told officers that Daniel was the kind of person who would have “researched every word” in that letter, turning each line over in his mind. They believed it played a role in his decision to end his life, calling it “the straw that broke the camel’s back.”
By the time of his death, he had already gone through one cycle of chemotherapy. In his handwritten note, he confided to his loved ones that he was frightened his illness might not be curable. He also shared a final, simple wish for them: “I hope you all have wonderful lives, and remember to love each other.”
Two days before he died, Daniel’s brother Simon spoke with him. Simon later told the court that while Daniel seemed able to talk and appeared relatively relaxed, there was always something difficult to read beneath the surface. He explained that Daniel had lived with underlying depression for about 40 years, which made it hard to know what state of mind he was truly in at any given moment. Simon suspected his brother “had something in mind,” but couldn’t say for certain.
Coroner Sarah Clarke concluded that Daniel had taken his own life. Speaking about her findings, she emphasized how difficult it is for families to truly understand the “why” behind such a loss. She noted that, in his note, Daniel clearly indicated he was carrying out a deliberate act and did not want to endure ongoing treatment. “I would be wrong to find another reason,” she said.
Professionally, Daniel Postgate had carried forward a remarkable legacy. In 2008, after his father’s death, he took over Smallfilms, the production company based in Blean, near Canterbury. Smallfilms was behind some of Britain’s most beloved children’s television programs, including the iconic Bagpuss. In 2015, Bagpuss won a BAFTA British Academy Children’s Award, and Daniel himself was nominated for Best Writer the following year.
More recently, he had been working on bringing Bagpuss to the big screen, with a film planned for release in 2027. Following the news of his death, Smallfilms paid an emotional tribute:
“I am absolutely heartbroken to have to inform you of the passing of my dear friend and custodian of all things Smallfilms, Daniel Postgate. He was a lovely, kind man and will be hugely missed by everyone who knew him. Our thoughts are with his family at this difficult time.”
Daniel Postgate leaves behind not only a body of work that touched generations of viewers, but also a family and community mourning the loss of a gentle, talented man who gave so much of himself to storytelling and children’s imagination.
May he rest in peace.
