A famous cuddly toy cat with a West Devon village origin as a children’s TV character is to make a live action return after 50 years.

The cult classic pink and white saggy Bagpuss, once voted the most popular children’s series ever, is about a toy cat and his friends coming to life.

‘Magical’ Bagpuss, who is credited with teaching children kindness, care, and imagination, will return in a live action and animation film set in modern-day Britain.

The original series made Horrabridge famous because it featured an old village drapers shop - in which Bagpuss woke up for each of the stories - and part of the scenery.

The film sequel will be the first new Bagpuss production since the original series and include a mixture of live action and animation. The film is being developed with the estates of Bagpuss's original creators, Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin.

Bagpuss will be joined by fellow characters, including a woodpecker called Professor Yaffle and Madeleine the rag doll. They will embark on an adventure after their long sleep,

A section of the photograph of the Horrabridge shop window was used by Firmin and Postgate for one of the opening sequences in Bagpuss.

This was confirmed in 1978 when a Horrabridge resident wrote to the Bagpuss programme and received a reply from Mrs Joan Firmin giving an account of how the picture used came from an old postcard album which now belonged to her.

The other photograph, from a Frithe Collection postcard, also features in the original series which lasted for only 13 episodes in 1974. The postcard shows the original wheelwrights yard on the left. The view is looking south to Station Road taken from the north side of the bridge. This scene has changed little in the last 100 years and is still recognisable today.

In the original series, a girl brought lost and discarded property for Bagpuss to identify.

The film will be made by Birmingham-based Threewise Entertainment, for release next year.