Roland Rat was introduced to the ailing breakfast television network TV-am in 1983 and quickly picked up two million viewers.
Surely it speaks volumes when the best thing about your breakfast show is a mangy rat puppet with an annoying voice and an entourage consisting of a baby rat, a guinea pig, a hamster and a gerbil.
After saving TV-am, Roland and Kevin, Errol, Little Reggie and Glenis transferred to the BBC where they starred in some purpose-made shows, including Roland Rat: The Series.
Roland also released five singles and two albums. And anyone who says that today’s music is rubbish should be forced to listen to Rat Rapping . . .