'The Seed' by Oliver Postgate

Small Clanger sees a floating seed like a thistle-down. He tries to catch it but has to wait until it settles. He puts a piece of rock on it to hold it down while he fetches Tiny Clanger. When he has found her and they come back the seed has taken root and a small shoot has grown.

It grows a short way and wilts. They decide it needs watering and persuade the cloud. The plant grows and flowers. Tiny Clanger plucks flowers and sticks them all over the cloud who is very pleased and sails backwards and forwards over them. More flowers grow on the first plant but the petals fall from the flowers on the cloud and the seeds blow.

The small Clangers run indoors and fetch the others. When they return the seeds have sprouted. The plants grow and spread and flower and their seeds grow. The Clangers are more or less driven around their planet by a wall of creeping greenery. They go in under their lids and slam them shut. They are trapped. They must send for help. Tiny Clanger buzzes the iron chicken on her radio and tells her what has happened. She looks at their planet through her telescope. Then she scans the sky to see if there is any planet or creature that might help. She sights a cauliflower-shaped planet which is the home of the sky-moos. She tells the Clangers to shoot off a blue and white signal rocket. They do this. The iron chicken reports that the rocket has been sighted and the moos are on their way.

The Clangers wait in their caves. They hear thumps as the moos land. They hear delighted lowing and a succulent crunching and champing as the sky-moos begin to graze. The Clangers are delighted. They fetch a huge can of soup and take it outside for the sky-moos to wash down the greenery. Soon the greenery is all gone and the sky-moos take their leave. It is nice to have friends.

Original Conception:
Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin

Scenery and Puppets:
Peter Firmin

Music:
Composed by Vernon Elliott

Filming and Editing:
Oliver Postgate

Film Company:
Smallfilms

TX:
6th June 1971 @ 5.00pm

Notes:
*This synopsis is the original outline written by Oliver Postgate for the BBC prior to production, and may differ slightly from the transmitted version.

*The Clangers voices were played on swannee whistles by Oliver Postgate and Stephen Sylvester.