Julia Donaldson’s loveable London cat

At regular intervals I encourage my children to embrace the life-changing magic of tidying up. As part of the process, I suggest that they go through their bookshelves and pick out the stories that they no longer read, because they’re too old for them now. 

Every time, they put their Julia Donaldson picture books on a pile. And, every time, their father and I cry: “Nooo!” and put them straight back. Because there is something so wonderful about Donaldson’s stories and Axel Scheffler’s illustrations, including this year’s BBC One Christmas adaptation, Tabby McTat, and we can’t bear to let them go. 

I imagine many parents and grandparents will feel the same. Doing these stories every Christmas is one of the best ideas the BBC has had in years. Scheffler’s drawings translate brilliantly to animation. The books have great stories (although, if we’re going to nitpick, they should really have done The Smartest Giant in Town or The Scarecrow’s Wedding before the inferior Zog and the Flying Doctors or Superworm). 

Tabby McTat differs from the rest of Donaldson’s stories because it’s set in London, rather than the countryside or a fantastical land. It’s gorgeously rendered here, and somewhat cleaner than the real thing. The animators have left out one of Scheffler’s illustrations, in which Tabby wanders along a grimy canal, past graffiti and an abandoned shopping trolley and a homeless man sleeping under a bridge. Instead, they’ve made things more jolly and festive, all falling snow and cosy fires. 

The story, if you don’t know it, is this: Tabby is a busker’s cat, and the pair sing together happily until one day they’re separated – a thief steals Fred the busker’s money, he gives chase and ends up in hospital, and a lonely Tabby is taken in by a couple called Prunella and Pat (relationship uncertain). But he pines for Fred, and after a quest through the streets of London they’re happily reunited. 

There’s a slightly alarming moment when Tabby speaks to another cat in the human voice of Sope Dirisu, the Gangs of London actor, because he’s hitherto only miaowed. I suppose it has an internal logic, because humans hear cat noises whereas fellow cats understand the conversation. 

The narration is perfectly done by Jodie Whittaker, and when Fred finally speaks it is, of course, Rob Brydon. Scenes are added, because the book itself couldn’t stretch to half an hour, but they bring extra joy: Prunella and Pat welcoming Fred into their home for tea and mince pies. It’s pretty much purrfect (sorry).