Roland Rat was the unlikely idol of UK breakfast television in the 1980s. The "cheeky chappie" rodent, who spoke with a broad Birmingham accent, was a presenter on TV-AM. He rose to fame and later became a pop star too! He even went on a national "Rat on the Road" tour and was best friends with Kevin the Gerbil.
The odd thing was that Roland, an elaborate puppet, wasn't for children's television, but rather a character created for a mainstream, current affairs, breakfast TV show. Although he was brought in to breathe new life into the ailing show by attracting a younger audience, adults enjoyed his antics too.
Show debut
Children's editor Anne Wood originally commissioned Roland to join the show in 1983 to provide Easter entertainment for kids. At the time, TV-AM had dipped in popularity and Roland was jokingly referred to as "the only rat to join a sinking ship".
Amazingly, viewing figures for the show, which had steadily dropped, went up from 100,000 to 1.8 million after just eight weeks!
Roland was created and operated by famous puppeteer David Claridge, who also provided the rat's voice. Claridge had previously designed and operated a puppet called Mooncat, star of the Children's ITV programme, Get Up and Go. Roland Rat was by far his most famous creation.
Roland's world
A whole world was created around Roland. He lived underneath King's Cross Railway Station, with a second home in Los Angeles, Ratcave 2, underneath the "Hollywood" sign. Apart from Kevin (the "number one rat fan"), Roland's entourage included his brother, Little Reggie, Fergie the Ferret, Errol the Hamster and Roland's dad, Freddie.
They travelled round in the Ratmobile (a pink Ford Anglia classic car) and could initially be found hosting the Shedvision Show, which appeared to be broadcast from a wooden hut on the roof of the television studios. However, as Roland's popularity grew, he was given a regular TV-AM slot each day, hosting a cartoon show.
Starting at 9am, Roland and pals had their own half-hour slot every weekday during the school holidays, from the summer of 1983 until summer 1985. Some big-name guests agreed to appear on the show, including the real-life Austrian F1 racing driver, the late Roland Ratzenberger, who had a race against Roland in the Ratmobile.
TV specials
Roland starred in many "specials", perhaps most notably his Rat on the Road summer tour in 1983. Accompanied by TV-AM executives Greg Dyke and Anne Wood, oh, and Kevin the Gerbil, of course, Roland went on a national tour in his trusty Ford Anglia.
They visited Newcastle, York, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Oxford and London. This grabbed the public's attention and ratings soared. In 1983, Roland also had a Christmas special that was filmed in Switzerland, plus numerous other shows - even in Hong Kong in 1984.
Hit records
Roland tried his hand at singing on TV-AM, with a cover version of Elvis Presley's Love Me Tender going down a storm, but it was his Rat Rapping that really grabbed the public's attention! In 1983, it peaked at number 14 in the UK singles chart and the unlikely rapper forged a new career as a pop star, having two further chart hits.
There was also a video game made in his honour by Ocean Software in 1985. Roland's Rat Race (for the Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum consoles) had players guiding Roland through London's sewers, trying to rescue his friends in time to appear on TV-AM.
Career after TV-AM
On 3rd October 1985, Roland transferred to the BBC. Initially, he was signed up for a three-year contract, but he proved so popular that the Beeb extended it to six years!
Even after his BBC television contract finished, Roland remained a popular figure. In the 1990s, he made a Channel 5 series called LA Rat, in which he lived in Los Angeles with his pals. He has also appeared on Big Brother UK several times since 2004, in various tasks for the housemates.
In December 2007, he appeared on a Christmas special edition of the quiz show, Weakest Link, hosted by Anne Robinson. He reached the final round with The Sooty Show's Soo, ultimately losing to his puppet rival. He also appeared in the TV drama show, Ashes to Ashes, during the second series, which was set in the 1980s.
He later recorded a Christmas record, Ding Dong Ding Dong, with Kevin, Reggie and Errol. Chatting with presenters Adrian Chiles and Christine Bleakley about how children's television has changed over the years, he even appeared on BBC's The One Show on 11th February 2010
Roland will always be best remembered as the Rapping Rat during his heyday on TV-AM, when he also had his own range of merchandise that included bedding, toothbrushes, mugs, soft toys and many more souvenirs.
In the real world, rats are perhaps not everyone's idea of a cuddly pal - although, on the contrary, the domestic variety are very intelligent and make great pets.
People will have read news reports of supposed "giant rats" being discovered, but according to studies by Rentokil, although rats in rural areas tend to live near farms, feeding on the animal food intended for livestock, they seldom reach the giant proportions depicted in many "urban myths".
Rentokil suggests not giving them the ideal conditions to thrive - always ensure food waste is thrown away and properly secured. Regardless of how well they are fed, there is no such thing as an "indestructible super rat", according to Rentokil. Perhaps someone wants to tell that to Roland!
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