The Rat Catchers

The Rat Catchers is a 1960s British television series about a top secret British Intelligence Unit who receive orders from the Prime Minister and without questions battles enemy spies, saboteurs, and other criminals in order to protect the security of Great Britain and the Western Alliance. The show centred around three major characters: Peregrine Pascale Smith (portrayed by Gerald Flood), the Oxford University-educated managing director with 12 years' experience under his belt, Brigadier H. St. J. Davidson (portrayed by Philip Stone), the emotionless analytical brains behind the group, and newly-recruited Richard William Hurst (portrayed by Glyn Owen), formerly a superintendent at Scotland Yard who though he was said to have gone by the book in the police force, seems to have some problems with authority now. Part of the problem is that the Brigadier refuses to tell him more than the minimum that he needs to know about the organisation. Officially he works for Smith's company: Transworld Electronics and in episode 3, he is not sure whether Smith or the Brigadier is his boss.

The organisation was based at Whitehall but officially didn't exist, being denied at the highest level as they worked with the greatest secrecy. The show began with the arrival of Hurst who is out of step with the other two. Raymond Francis was originally picked for the Hurst role but changed his mind at the last minute. Many of the stories were continued, sometimes with cliff-hanger endings.

The show aired from February 2, 1966 to April 27, 1966 and December 15, 1966 to March 9, 1967 and comprised 25 60-minute episodes. It was a Rediffusion TV Network Production. Producer Cyril Coke. It was in the Monday 8 pm slot. Theme music composed and arranged by Johnny Pearson. Directed by James Ormerod and produced by Cyril Coke.

• Writers:
• Raymond Bowers = 1-4, 18-21.
• Paul Lee = 5, 6, 10.
• Jeremy Paul = 7-9, 14, 22.
• Victor Canning = 11-13, 15-17.
• Stanley Miller = 23-25.

It is believed that the only copies of episodes which have survived are 'Ticket to Madrid' and 'The Unwitting Courier'. Two books were released at the time to accompany the series 'All in a Day's Work' and 'The End of the Fourth Reich' by David Ray.