Could Roland Rat make a comeback? The astonishing link between Birmingham and the 80s children’s character

Children’s TV from the 80s is incomplete without Roland Rat - a rapping, singing, cheeky puppet who apparently lived under the King’s Cross railway station in The Ratcave.

The mouthy character was created by Brummie David Claridge, who grew up in West Heath with an ambition to become a puppeteer and create a famous TV character from the age of six.

When he was twelve, David attended classes in mime, puppetry and acting at the MAC (Midlands Arts Centre) in Cannon Hill Park.

It was at the MAC theatre where he honed the skills that would enable him to create Roland Rat. He trained as an actor, puppeteer, and designer, and eventually, moved to London.

Roland Rat wasn’t David’s first creation that achieved TV stardom. He started off with Mooncat - a puppet in the Children’s ITV television programme Get Up and Go!

David inspired television writer Rick Vanes and producer Lesley Joseph to feature Mooncat - which was literally a cat from the moon - on the programme, and between 1981 and 1983  the puppet featured in 56 episodes.

But who is Roland Rat?

Roland Rat is celebrating his 40th birthday this year. He is largely credited with saving TV-am - a TV company that broadcast the ITV franchise for breakfast television in the United Kingdom from 1 February 1983 until 31 December 1992. The TV company was the first national operator of a commercial breakfast television franchise.

The company’s children’s editor Anne Wood wanted a show to entertain children during the Easter holidays and that’s how The Shedvision Show was created.

David Claridge’s Roland Rat character was introduced as living in a shed above the TV-am studios. He went on to become a regular and TV-am’s ratings went up from 100,000 to 1.8 million.

David operated the puppet which first appeared as the host of The Shedvision Show on April 1, 1983 - and turned 40 in 2023. Between 1983 to 1985, Roland and friends featured in half-hour episodes broadcast on school holiday weekdays on TV-am from 9.00am.

He last appeared on TV-am in 1985 and moved on to BBC the same year. From Roland Rat the Series, a chat show, to Roland’s Rat Race, David featured as Roland Rat entertaining children.

Eventually, he moved to California and in the 1990s he appeared on a series for Channel 5, called L.A. RAT, which featured Roland and friends living in Los Angeles.

During this time, from music to merchandise - his popularity sold it all. The 70-year-old creator told the Mirror in April 2023 that he gives interviews as Roland because “It spoils the magic if it becomes all about me.”

He added: “Fans love the fact I put TV presenters in their place if they’re pompous. I’m currently thinking of selling meself to Netflix or Hulu.” The creator also said that he is working on an autobiography called Rat’s Life.