James the Cat (partially lost British children's TV show; 1980s-1990s)
The title card for the show.
Status: Partially Lost
James the Cat is a 1984 British preschool series created by Kate Canning and airing on ITV. The series focuses on James, a fat spoiled house cat who is accidentally left behind when his wealthy owners move away from their corner house and takes up residence in the garden, befriending the many wild animals there. The series ran for 26 episodes and was revived for a second 26-episode season in 1998 for the children's channel Milkshake!, where the story followed James became a diplomat traveling the world and meeting important people. This revival aired on Nick Jr. and Sprout throughout the early 2000s, the Sprout run occurring from 2005 to 2006.[1]
Availability
The series is not available on streaming nor has it been rereleased on DVD. The only releases of the series were a set of three VHS tapes in the late 80s- James the Cat and Friends and Out and About with James the Cat were two tapes released by Tempo Video in 1987, each containing eight episodes. James the Cat: Neighbours was released by Screen Entertainment one year later in 1988, containing 10 episodes[2]. All of these episodes, which make up Series 1 of the show, have been uploaded to YouTube.[3]
While Series 1 has been entirely found, Series 2 is almost completely lost, with only one episode fully found and one partially found out of 26. The episode "Memories" was uploaded to YouTube by Blackcatcoffee4 on December 14th, 2020 albeit in poor quality.[4] A higher quality but slightly cropped version was uploaded to the James the Cat Archive YouTube channel on January 9th, 2024.[5] An incomplete version of the episode "Painted Lady" missing the first 1-2 minutes was uploaded by YouTuber MrHammadmossop1988 Ul-Haq on April 8th, 2023[6]- he claims to have more episodes in his collection and plans to upload them soon after repairing his VCR, but as of now this is the only one he's uploaded.
List of Episodes[7]
| Episode Number | Episode Name | Air Date | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Series 1 Episode 1 | Friends | Jan 29th, 1984 | Found | Released on James the Cat and Friends |
| Series 1 Episode 2 | The Rock Garden | Feb 5th, 1984 | Found | Released on James the Cat and Friends |
| Series 1 Episode 3 | The Thunder-Storm | Feb 12th, 1984 | Found | Released on Out and About with James the Cat |
| Series 1 Episode 4 | Neighbours | Feb 19th, 1984 | Found | Released on James the Cat: Neighbours |
| Series 1 Episode 5 | The Seaside | Feb 26th, 1984 | Found | Released on Out and About with James the Cat |
| Series 1 Episode 6 | Tea for Toad | Mar 4th, 1984 | Found | Released on James the Cat: Neighbours |
| Series 1 Episode 7 | Sums | Mar 11th, 1984 | Found | Released on Out and About with James the Cat |
| Series 1 Episode 8 | Kites | Mar 18th, 1984 | Found | Released on Out and About with James the Cat |
| Series 1 Episode 9 | The Cornerhouse | Mar 25th, 1984 | Found | Released on James the Cat and Friends |
| Series 1 Episode 10 | Big Top | Apr 1st, 1984 | Found | Released on Out and About with James the Cat |
| Series 1 Episode 11 | The Confused Goose | Apr 8th, 1984 | Found | Released on James the Cat: Neighbours |
| Series 1 Episode 12 | The Playground | Apr 15th, 1984 | Found | Released on James the Cat: Neighbours |
| Series 1 Episode 13 | James G.P. | Apr 29th, 1984 | Found | Released on Out and About with James the Cat |
| Series 1 Episode 14 | Bee Bop | May 6th, 1984 | Found | Released on James the Cat: Neighbours |
| Series 1 Episode 15 | Pa Rat's Problem | May 13th, 1984 | Found | Released on James the Cat: Neighbours |
| Series 1 Episode 16 | Lunch | May 20th, 1984 | Found | Released on Out and About with James the Cat |
| Series 1 Episode 17 | Treasure | May 27th, 1984 | Found | Released on James the Cat and Friends |
| Series 1 Episode 18 | Arfur Mark | Jun 3rd, 1984 | Found | Released on Out and About with James the Cat |
| Series 1 Episode 19 | The Take-over | Jun 10th, 1984 | Found | Released on James the Cat and Friends |
| Series 1 Episode 20 | Art Attack | Jun 17th, 1984 | Found | Released on James the Cat and Friends |
| Series 1 Episode 21 | Water-works | Jun 24th, 1984 | Found | Released on James the Cat: Neighbours |
| Series 1 Episode 22 | The Dentist | Jul 1st, 1984 | Found | Released on James the Cat: Neighbours |
| Series 1 Episode 23 | Slim Chance | Jul 8th, 1984 | Found | Released on James the Cat: Neighbours |
| Series 1 Episode 24 | The Inventor | Jul 22nd, 1984 | Found | Released on James the Cat and Friends |
| Series 1 Episode 25 | The Greedy Catterpillar | Jul 29th, 1984 | Found | Released on James the Cat and Friends |
| Series 1 Episode 26 | The Birthday Party | Aug 5th, 1984 | Found | Released on James the Cat: Neighbours |
| Series 2 Episode 1 | James V.I.P. | May 7th, 1998 | Lost | |
| Series 2 Episode 2 | Little Bluey | May 14th, 1998 | Lost | |
| Series 2 Episode 3 | Memories | May 28th, 1998 | Found | |
| Series 2 Episode 4 | Orange Aid | Jun 4th, 1998 | Lost | |
| Series 2 Episode 5 | Harvey the White Rabbit | Jun 11th, 1998 | Lost | |
| Series 2 Episode 6 | It Ain't Fair | Jun 18th, 1998 | Lost | |
| Series 2 Episode 7 | New Zealand Lamb | Jun 25th, 1998 | Lost | |
| Series 2 Episode 8 | Pyragiro Blues | Jul 2nd, 1998 | Lost | |
| Series 2 Episode 9 | U.S. Capers | Jul 9th, 1998 | Lost | |
| Series 2 Episode 10 | Sweetheart | Jul 23rd, 1998 | Lost | |
| Series 2 Episode 11 | Nepali Puzzle | Jul 30th, 1998 | Lost | |
| Series 2 Episode 12 | Safari | Aug 6th, 1998 | Lost | |
| Series 2 Episode 13 | Fennimore's Friend | Aug 13th, 1998 | Lost | |
| Series 2 Episode 14 | Painted Lady | Aug 27th, 1998 | Partially Lost | First 1-2 minutes missing |
| Series 2 Episode 15 | Le Fireworks | Sep 10th, 1998 | Lost | |
| Series 2 Episode 16 | Indian Summer | Sep 17th, 1998 | Lost | |
| Series 2 Episode 17 | Legal Beagle | Sep 24th, 1998 | Lost | |
| Series 2 Episode 18 | Spring Time | Oct 29th, 1998 | Lost | |
| Series 2 Episode 19 | Dido the Dolphin | Nov 5th, 1998 | Lost | |
| Series 2 Episode 20 | Betsy Purplebottom | Nov 12th, 1998 | Lost | |
| Series 2 Episode 21 | Ups & Downs | Nov 19th, 1998 | Lost | |
| Series 2 Episode 22 | The Wish | Nov 26th, 1998 | Lost | |
| Series 2 Episode 23 | Caramba | Dec 3rd, 1998 | Lost | |
| Series 2 Episode 24 | Catwalk | Dec 10th, 1998 | Lost | |
| Series 2 Episode 25 | China Tease | Dec 17th, 1998 | Lost | |
| Series 2 Episode 26 | Higgy Pop | Dec 24th, 1998 | Lost |
- ↑ https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/james-the-cat
- ↑ https://youtu.be/Hjyo2fM1YZc?si=X9Xk0DTzhPsN1MXn
- ↑ https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLohd5UVV10lzj7hDfSmEjo9kVHoEqE_zU&si=gfU3vNkbKmIAtYss
- ↑ https://youtu.be/cj89CAirS14?si=GWvOJar7Se23uNcC
- ↑ https://youtu.be/rTmdloFxCvw?si=CStCM0TK4J7K6Qo9
- ↑ https://youtu.be/QsrnHYxjRMA?si=wwxssq6eJAbCqHJu
- ↑ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0813723/episodes