Roland Rat
Louise Gold featured as one of the Ratcrew
puppeteering Iris (Roland’s Mother), and Roxanne (a scouse rat) on Roland Rat
The Series (Broadcast on 6, 13, 20 & 27 September, 4, 11, 18 & 25
October, 1, 8, 15, 22, & 29 November 1986, plus a Christmas Special 25
December 1986); and, Roland Rat The Series Two (Broadcast in 1988)
Cast
RatCrew
(puppeteers)
David Claridge – as Roland Rat, Reggie Rat (Roland’s little brother),
Freddy Rat (Roland’s Father), and pretty much all the other male characters
wherever possible
Louise Gold – as Iris Rat (Roland’s Mother), Roxanne (a
scouse rat who was one of Roland’s girlfriends)
Leslie Herbert - Assistant Puppeteer
Ann Prior - ?
Maggie Danylewicz - ?
Darryl Worbey – Assistant Puppeteer
Other male characters include: Fergie The Ferret
(male), Colin The Flea, Eric The Eagle, Errol The Hamster, and, Kevin The
Gerbil
Trying to actually find out concrete information about
the puppetry on this programme seems to be difficult. Much of it appears to be
something of a mystery. And of the six puppeteers on this series, three of them
do not appear to have been heard of much since in television puppetry.
Some sources have given Leslie Herbert as performing
Errol The Hamster, and Darryl Worbey as puppeteering Kevin The Gerbil. However,
it is possible that they puppeteered the characters only whenever those
characters were actually in a shot with Roland Rat himself, and that even then,
David Claridge did their voices; and whenever those characters were alone in
the shot, he would have often puppeteered them himself.
Glenis The Guinea Pig was presumably puppeteered &
voiced by either Ann Prior or Maggie Danylewicz. At any rate, Louise Gold definitely
did not do that character.
It should perhaps be noted that Roxanne only appeared
in Series 2, not Series 1. She did however duet I Got You Babe with Roland.
Which was the only occasion that Louise Gold’s singing abilities were exercised
in the entire two series.
Actors
Starring
James Saxon – as Darcy De Farcy and others
Anna Karen – as Maureen McConkey (The RatCave
Secretary) and others
Special
Gusts
Leslie Ash
(Series 1: Episode 7, and, Episode 9)
Colin Baker
(Series 1: Episode 3) – as Dr Who
Floella Benjamin (Series 1: Episode 11),
Brian Blessed
(Series 1: Episode 1, Episode 13, and, Christmas Special)
Tim Brooke-Taylor (Series 1: Episode 1)
John Challis
(Series 1: Episode 6)
Curiosity Killed The Cat [a pop group](Series 1: Episode 2)
Ross Davidson
(Series 1: Episode 6)
Erasure [a
pop group] (Series 1: Episode 7, and, Episode 9)
Samantha Fox
(Series 1: Episode 1, and, Christmas Special)
Frankie Goes To Hollywood [presumably a pop group] (Series 1: Episode 11)
Guy an Extra
(Series 1: Episode 8)
Aled Jones
(Series 1: Christmas Special)
Nik Kershaw
(Series 1: Episode 6)
Nicholas Parsons (Series 1: Episode 7, Episode 8, and, Episode 9)
Iggy Pop
(Series 1: Christmas Special)
Peter Powell
(Series 1: Episode 7, Episode 8, Episode 9, and, Episode 10)
Mike Read (Series
1: Episode 9) – as voice of announcer & interviewer
Alexi Sayle
(Series 1: Episode 11) - as Game Show Host Maxwell De Farcy (Darcy De Farcy’s brother)
Chris Tarrant
(Series 1: Episode 13, and, Christmas Special) – as the man (busker) collecting
for the poor
A Margaret Thatcher Impersonator [it does not seem to be known who it was]
(Series 1: Episode 3)
Also
Appearing
Angela Curran
Production Team
Conceived by
– David Claridge
Written by –
David Claridge, Colin Bostock-Smith, Carson
& Tomlinson, John Langdon,
and, Steve Punt
Roland Rat
Workshop – John Blundell
Title Music
– Stock, Aitken, and, Waterman
Cameraman – David Gray, Michael G. Haynes
Sound
Recordist – Doug Mawson
Film Editor
– Nick Hutchings
Properties
Buyer – Bob Warrans
Graphic
Designer – Iain Greenway
Visual
Effects Designer – Malcolm Jones
Camera
Supervisor – Spencer Payne, and, Douglas Watson
Technical
Co-Ordinates – Jim Cook, Mike Chislett, and, Terry Wild
Vision
Mixers – Hilary Briegel, and, Barbara Gainsley
Videotape
Editors – Mark Lawrence, Peter Bird, Brian Cutts, Nick Peto,
and, Simon Ashcroft
Make-Up
Designer – Cecile Hay-Arthur
Costume
Designer – Ken Trevor
Production
Team – Simon Spencer, Claire Sharp, Jane Jenkins, Stephen
Garwood, and, Kathleen Reid
Sound – Alan Machin
Lighting – Peter Catlett, Nigel Wright, and, Graham
Rimmington
Production
Manager – Nick Fiveash
Designers – Grenville Horner, and, Donal Woods
Produced,
and, Directed by – Marcus Mortimer
The Series’s best known puppeteers, Louise Gold and David Claridge, had previously both played guests on the same
episode of For 4 Tonight. In fact it was
while making that appearance that David
Claridge asked Louise Gold if
she would be interested in joining his RatCrew.
Sadly James
Saxon went on to conclude his acting career playing Don Alhambra Del Bolero
(the George Grossmith role) in a
production of The Gondoliers. Unfortunately he
died during the run of that show.
Darryl Worbey went on to
work on The Muppet Christmas Carol.
Brian Blessed has previously
appeared on television in BlackAdder, and went on
to appear on A Week In The West End.
Tim
Brooke-Taylor may have gone on to appear in Comedy Tonight.
Angela Curran went on to
appear in Topsy Turvy.
Ross Davidson had previously
appeared in The Pirates Of Penance
(Film).
Nicholas
Parsons went on to appear in the Side By Side By
Sondheim 30th Anniversary Gala, for which Bob Warrens was also purchasing props.
Alexei Sayle went on to
star in Alexei Sayle’s Merrygoround.
Steve Punt was also a
writer on Spitting Image.
Pete Waterman (of Stock, Aitkin & Waterman) went on
to narrate ABBA - The Reunion.
Simon Spencer went on to
work on Mopatop’s Shop.
David Claridge, Louise Gold, and, Nicholas Parsons went on to take part in the television documentary
The Wonderful World Of Puppets.
Erasure appeared in a
clip on the television documentary ABBA
– The Mamma Mia! Story.
Links about Roland
Rat
Ratfans, the
unofficial Roland Rat Fansite: http://www.ratfans.com/index.htm
Official Site: www.rolandrat.tv (This did not
appear to be working when your webmaster tried it last)
MSN Group: http://groups.msn.com/RolandRat20thanniversary (Includes some
incomplete episode guides)
Tibby’s Bowl / Muppet Central Interview with Louise
Gold (where she specifically mentions encountering David Claridge on For 4
Tonight): http://www.muppetcentral.com/articles/interviews/gold.shtml
Internet
Movie Database Entry: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0186772/
Do You
Remember.co.uk’s page for the programme: http://www.doyouremember.co.uk/memory.asp?memID=4181
