The former Doctor Who star Jodie Whittaker will lend her voice to the animated film Tabby McTat, which will be broadcast over Christmas on the BBC.
Whittaker, 40, will be narrating the adaptation, which is based on the picture book written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler.
Whittaker is joined by Gavin and Stacey star and comedian Rob Brydon (who also starred in Donaldson’s The Smeds and The Smoos) as Fred, and Gangs of London star Sope Dirisu as Tabby McTat.
The film will see busker Fred and musical cat Tabby enjoy their life singing to audiences in London streets before tragedy strikes.
In the story Fred breaks his leg while chasing a thief, and his cat is left alone.
“I used to love busking with my husband, Malcolm, when we were living in Bristol, and also in Paris,” Donaldson said. “We also both love cats – in fact, we’ve just acquired two new kittens named Tabitha and McTat.
“So this story is really close to my heart and combines two of my passions: singing and cats.”
Also among the cast is Peep Show’s Cariad Lloyd, The Thick of It’s Joanna Scanlan and Enola Holmes’s Susan Wokoma.
The film is directed by Sarah Scrimgeour and Jac Hamman, who both previously worked on Donaldson and Scheffler adaptation Superworm, and is written by Max Lang and Suzanne Lang.
It is produced by Barney Goodland and Michael Rose of Magic Light Pictures, which has adapted other works from the children’s picture book duo including Oscar-nominated short film The Gruffalo.
“Julia and Axel’s book is a beautiful, heartwarming story that we’re delighted to be adapting for BBC viewers this Christmas,” Goodland said.
“The friendship between Fred and Tabby is a truly special one and the film explores how their relationship changes unexpectedly as their lives move forward, and ultimately, how they learn to embrace that change.”
Tabby McTat will air on the BBC over the Christmas period.
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