Living legend,
Living legend,
In the rat race he comes number one.
I'm talking 'bout a,
Living legend,
Living legend,
Don't stop, I'm having fun,
Don't stop, there's more to come.
Roland Rat: The Series was a spoof talk show hosted by puppet character Roland Rat, broadcast on BBC 1. Initially broadcast just before Doctor Who on Saturdays, the second season was moved to the CBBC block on Mondays.
Coming live from the Ratcave (Roland's Elaborate Underground Base under King's Cross Station) this had a format similar to The Muppet Show, interspersing the sketches and celebrity interviews of Roland's in-universe show with a storyline set behind the scenes. In keeping with, initially, being in a "family" slot rather than a children's one, the show had more Parental Bonuses than the cartoon linking material Roland had previously appeared in.
As well as Roland's previously established friends of Kevin the Gerbil, Errol the Hamster, his kid brother Little Reggie, and human con-man D'Arcy de Farcey (James Saxon), the show would introduce another human regular with Maureen, the dopey receptionist (Anna Karen) and additional puppet characters Eric the Eagle, Reggie's psychotic pet; Colin the Flea, Roland's favourite parasite; Iris and Freddy Rat, Roland's parents (previously mentioned but not seen); and completing the tour of regional accents, the Glaswegian Fergie the Ferret, a psychotic handyman, and (in season 2) the Liverpudlian Roxanne Rat, a Distaff Counterpart of Roland with a refreshingly sceptical attitude to his superstardom. (She arrived at the Ratcave looking for a job. His!)
There was not a third series, and after a brief experiment with putting Roland in spoof dramas, the BBC lost interest in the character until he was aquired by Channel 5.
This show contains examples of:
- Affirmative Action Girl: Adding Roxanne to the roster appears to have been a conscious realisation that the show needed to avert The Smurfette Principle. Unfortunately, the cancellation of the series, and subequent drop in Roland Rat spin-off material, meant she never gained as much attention as other characters, not even appearing in The Christmas Annual.
- All Love Is Unrequited: Glenis loves Roland, who isn't interested; Roland loves Roxanne, who views him with derison.
- Elaborate Underground Base: It was in this series that the Ratcave became a multi-level media centre, accessed from a workman's tent outside King's Cross Station, having previously been implied to just be an area of Absurdly Spacious Sewer with some furniture in it.
- Logo Joke: In keeping with the previously established conceit that Roland had been lured to the BBC by being offered his own channel, each episode opened with a BBC Three Continuity Announcement, featuring a version of the then-current BBC Two "TWO
" logo that, of course, said "THREE". This was despite the fact the show aired on BBC One. - Man in a Kilt: Fergie the Ferret wears full Highland dress, and also claims that his reason for moving to London is because, as a ferret, he loves running up trouser legs, and there just aren't enough trouser legs in Scotland.
- My Little Phony: A spoof advert for My Little Warthog, with the tagline "To have, to hold, and to smell."
- Parody Commercial: Despite being on the BBC, the show had a regular fake ad break in the middle.
- Percussive Maintenance: Fergie the Ferret is supposedly the Ratcave's handyman, but his "repairs" consist of hitting everything with a hammer.
- Tomboy and Girly Girl: The no-nonsense and ambitious Roxanne and the pampered and unworldly Glenis.
- Violent Glaswegian: Fergie the Ferret is from Glasgow and solves everything by hitting it with a hammer. Including people.
