David Tennant to star in BBC1 animated Christmas special The Highway Rat

Tennant will be voicing the rat bandit, a character created in the bestselling children's book of the same name, written by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. He’ll be joined by Rob Brydon (as the narrator), The Night Manager’s Tom Hollander (Squirrel), Love Actually’s Nina Sosanya (Duck), and Harry Potter’s Frances de le Tour (Rabbit).

The half-hour animated special will follow the ravenous rat who craves buns, biscuits and all sweet things. He demands them from passersby with the shout, “Give me your pastries and puddings! Give me your chocolate and cake! For I am the Rat of the Highway, and whatever I want I take!” – a line you should definitely use around the office when feeling peckish.

The one-off animation is produced by Magic Light Pictures, the same people who produced Stick Man – adapted from another Donaldson/Scheffler book – in Christmas 2015.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DikJ45aVxFY

Of course, this isn’t only David Tennant’s recent animation role: he’ll also be voicing Disney's Scrooge McDuck in the DuckTales reboot, a role that’s reunited him with fellow Doctor Who star Catherine Tate.

https://twitter.com/DuckTales/status/917906640317440000

Tennant also recently voiced an alien hunter in the Fireman Sam movie Alien Alert. Watch him record his part in the studio below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSuCrPP_Ayc

The Highway Rat will air on BBC1 this Christmas