A little boy found wandering the streets is taken in by Bob and Joan, a kindly couple. The boy is cold, wet and desperate for shelter, but Bob and Joan are perplexed by his claims that he was once a rat. Meanwhile, rumours are rife at the newspaper about the prince’s new love: a girl who captivated everyone at the palace ball. Get enchanted with this twist on the classic Cinderella story – a magical weaving of humor, fairy tale and adventure.
From BBC Children’s Drama and based on the novel by Philip Pullman. It was adapted by Richard Carpenter, who won a BAFTA award for the work. Originally this was aired in the Sunday tea-time slot which traditionally accommodates a children’s drama series in the run-up to Christmas.
The series is set in the early 1920s.
On a dark, rainy night, an elderly couple finds a shivering little boy on their doorstep who proclaims, “I was a rat.” They take the boy in, but because of his odd rat-like behavior, people in the town declare the boy a monster. To save him, the couple must discover the truth of who he is, before it’s too late. “I was a rat!” So insists a scruffy boy named Roger. Maybe it’s true. But what is he now? A terrifying monster running wild in the sewers? The Daily Scourge newspaper is sure of it. A lucrative fairground freak? He is to Mr. Tapscrew. A championship wriggler and a budding thief? That’s the hope of Billy and his gang. A victim of “Rodent Delusion”? So says the hospital doctor or just an ordinary small boy, though a little ratty in his habits? Only three people believe this version of the story. And it may take a royal intervention – and a bit of magic – to convince the rest of the world.
Starring Tom Conti, Brenda Fricker, Katie Blake, Don McKellar, Calum Worthy.
Not rated but part of the Feature FIlms for Families series.