Henry's Cat


Henry's Cat is a British animated children's television series, created by Bob Godfrey and Stan Hayward and directed by Godfrey, who was also the producer of Roobarb and Noah and Nelly in... SkylArk. The show stars a yellow cat, known only as Henry's Cat, and his many friends and enemies. In every episode, narration and character voices were provided by Bob Godfrey.
Henry's Cat was first screened by BBC Television in the United Kingdom on September 12, 1983, and aired for 5 series and 51 episodes. The show was re-dubbed for American audiences with the voice of Dom DeLuise.
WWW henryscat.com

Characters

Main

  • Henry's Cat – The main protagonist, a laid-back daydreamer with a great passion for eating and adventure.
  • Chris Rabbit – Henry's Cat's best friend, an ever-enthusiastic, highly energetic blue rabbit.
  • Mosey Mouse – The opposite of Chris Rabbit, Mosey is dour and realistic.
  • Douglas Dog, Sammy Snail, Pansy Pig, Denise Duck, Ted Tortoise, Philippe Frog – miscellaneous friends of Henry's Cat. They all mean well, but often overestimate their own abilities in various ways.

Antagonists

  • Farmer Giles – A crotchety human farmer with a West Country accent who is occasionally inconvenienced by Henry's Cat's antics. He only appears in the first season.
  • Constable Bulldog – A stern but fair policeman who takes a very cynical view of the gang's well-meaning escapades, but is usually willing to negotiate.
  • Rum Baa Baa – The main antagonist: a criminal mastermind sheep who is Henry's Cat's archenemy.

Henry

Henry himself never appeared on screen; the name is thought by some to be an allusion to an earlier one-off Hayward/Godfrey collaboration, Henry 9 'til 5, about a bowler-hatted commuter who escaped his boring everyday life by indulging in daydreams, mostly of a sexual nature. Henry's Cat shared the earlier character's tendency toward wild flights of fancy and laid-back approach to life. Henry's Cat creator Stan Hayward included the official explanation for the character's lack of a name on the official Henry's Cat Special Edition DVD in 2000: Henry was Henry's Cat's original owner, but one day, he moved away, and Henry's Cat had forgotten to go with him. The cat had a terrible memory, and eventually even forgot his own name, and so became known simply as "Henry's Cat".

Episode list

Series 1 (1983)

Each episode in this series is 4–5 minutes long.

Series 2 (1984)

Each episode in this series is 4–5 minutes long.

Series 3 (1986)

Each episode in this series is 14–15 minutes long.

Series 4 (1986–87)

Each episode in this series is 14–15 minutes long.

Series 5 (1992–93)

Each episode in this series is 12 minutes long.

Credits

Series 1

  • Created by: Stan Hayward
  • Script: Stan Hayward
  • Animation: Bob Godfrey, Paul Stone, Kevin Baldwin
  • Music & Sound: Peter Shade
  • Narrated by: Bob Godfrey
  • Camera & Editing: Derek Phillips
  • Production: Mike Hayes
  • Produced & Directed by: Bob Godfrey
Stan Hayward Bob Godfrey Films Ltd. 1983

Series 2

  • Created by: Stan Hayward
  • Script: Stan Hayward
  • Animation: Kevin Baldwin, Bob Godfrey, Malcolm Hartley, Drew Mandigo, Paul Stone
  • Assistant Animator: Malou Bonicos, one episode, series 2, The Hot Day
  • Music: John Hyde / de Wolfe Ltd.
  • Dubbing: John Wood Studios
  • Editing: Sean Lenihan
  • Camera: Derek Phillips
  • Production: Mike Hayes
  • Produced, Directed and Narrated by: Bob Godfrey
Stan Hayward Bob Godfrey Films Ltd. 1984

Series 3

  • Created by: Stan Hayward
  • Script: Stan Hayward
  • Animation: Kevin Baldwin, Bob Godfrey, Malcolm Hartley, Mark Oz, Paul Rosevear
  • Music: John Hyde / de Wolfe Ltd
  • Trace & Paint: Tancy Baran, Beryl Godfrey, Louise Unwin
  • Camera: Derek Phillips
  • Editing: John Daniels
  • Production: Mike Hayes
  • Produced, Directed and Narrated by: Bob Godfrey

Series 4

  • Created by: Stan Hayward
  • Script: Stan Hayward
  • Animation: Kevin Baldwin, Bob Godfrey, Neil Salmon
  • Additional Animation: Steve Roberts
  • Music: Jonathan Hodge
  • Trace and Paint: Beryl Godfrey, Louise Unwin
  • Camera: Julian Holdaway, Heather Reader
  • Editing: Picture Head
  • Production: Mike Hayes
  • Narrated, Directed and Produced by: Bob Godfrey

Series 5

  • Created by: Stan Hayward
  • Script: Stan Hayward, Mike Knowles, Kevin Baldwin, Bob Godfrey
  • Storyboard, Layouts, Animation: Kevin Baldwin
  • Additional Animation: Jeff Goldner, Neil Salmon, Bob Godfrey, Jody Gannon
  • Trace and Paint: Denise Hambry, Lisa Smith, Jazvinda Phull, Beryl Godfrey, Ricky Arnold
  • Music: Rowland Lee
  • Title Music: Jonathan P. Hodge
  • Camera: Jeremy Moorshead
  • Backgrounds: Bob Godfrey
  • Editing: Picturehead
  • Production: Mike Hayes
  • Narrated, Produced and Directed by: Bob Godfrey

Home media

Australian VHS releases

VHS titleRelease dateEpisodes
Henry's Cat and Friends: The Hobby and Other Stories 14 March 2001"The Hobby"; "The Race"; "The Circus"; "The Competition"; "The Moontrip"; "The Film"; "The Holiday"; "The Treasure"; "The Ill Wind"; "The Diet"; "The Fortune Teller"; and "The Explorer".
Henry's Cat and Friends: The Whale and Other Stories 13 June 2001"The Whale"; "The Invention"; "The Dream"; "The Robbery"; "The Christmas Dinner"; "The Hypnotist"; "The Disco Dance"; "The Artist"; "The Magic Tummy Button"; "The Secret Weapon"; "The New Year's Resolution"; and "The Good News Day".
Henry's Cat and Friends: The Cat's Eye Kid and Other Stories 3 September 2001"The Cat's Eye Kid"; "The Hot Day"; "The Merry Men and Women"; "The Actor"; "The Weatherman"; "The Invitation"; "The Ventriloquist"; "The Clever Trick"; "The Hero"; "Caveman Cat"; and "The Abominable Snowman".