James the Cat was a children's series created by Kate Canning and produced by Jan Clayton with Grampian Television. It chronicles the many events which take place at the Cornerhouse (number 104) between James and his new friends. Fellow characters include: Mrs. Lavender, a snail, Frida, a kangaroo, Citroen, a French frog, Rocky, a dimwitted rabbit, and Dennis, a pink fire-breathing Welsh-accented Chinese dragon. There is also a beehive in the garden at the Cornerhouse. Next door are Ma and Pa Rat, and their rat children.
The show changes quite a bit between the two seasons. In the first, James is a newcomer to the garden at the Cornerhouse, and must learn to live with the other animals there. In the first episode of the second season, James becomes a diplomat (though sometimes he is referred to as a VIP). In subsequent episodes, he and the others travel to distant lands or receive important visitors. Despite the fact that he can't spell, James is a perfect choice for a diplomat, as he is a tuxedo cat, and quite pompous.
Each episode runs for about 5 minutes.
It is erroneously believed by many that the show was dubbed into Persian and showed on Iranian TV in 1980s as "Khepel" (Fatty in Persian). Some have even praised the dubbers for changing the music. The fact is that they are all actually referring to the British BAFTA winner animated series Flower Stories created by Kate Canning and produced by Terry Harding which aired circa 1975 (since James the Cat was a spinoff of Flower Stories).
This show is also notable as the first show to ever air on the United Kingdom version of Nickelodeon, at 7:01am on 1 September 1993. And it also premiered on PBS Kids Sprout.
Read more about James The Cat: Storytellers, List of Shows in 1984, List of Shows in 1998, Credits
Famous quotes containing the words james and/or cat:
“I hate American simplicity. I glory in the piling up of complications of every sort. If I could pronounce the name James in any different or more elaborate way I should be in favour of doing it.”
—Henry James (1843–1916)
“This morning I threw up at a board meeting. I was sure the cat was out of the bag, but no one seemed to think anything about it; apparently it’s quite common for people to throw up at board meetings.”
—Jane Wagner (b. 1935)