Top Cat: BBC broadcasts, 1962-2007

Top Cat

Begins Wednesday 16 May 1962 at 17.10. Billing in RT is Top Cat until 13 June when it changes to Boss Cat. Episodes are shown in this timeslot until 8 August. Episode order:

A Visit from Mother

Rafeefleas

Choo Choo’s Romance

The Million Dollar Derby

The Unscratchables

Naked Town

The Violin Player

All That Jazz

Sergeant Top Cat (RT billing is ‘Sergeant T.C.’)

Space Monkey

The Maharajah of Pookajee

The Long, Hot Winter

T.C. Minds the Baby (last ep in Wednesday slot, 8 August)

As of Wednesday 13 June 1962, RT billing changes to The Boss Cat. The description changes from ‘the ever resourceful and formidable Top Cat’ to ‘the ever resourceful and formidable Boss Cat’ as if the character’s name had somehow been altered in the programme itself (it hadn’t).

Sat 15 December 17.00

The Golden Fleecing

The Case of the Absent Ant-eater (RT billing hyphenates title)

The Late T.C.

Dibble Sings Again

Dibble’s Double

King for a Day

Farewell Mr. Dibble

Dibble’s Birthday

The Con Men

Griswold

The Missing Heir

Hawaii Here We Come

Dibble Breaks the Record

26 episodes shown (this is, presumably, the original run of 26 before ABC ordered four addtional episodes in December 1961, bringing the run up to 30. Episodes not included in original BBC run: Top Cat Falls in Love/ The Tycoon/ The Grand Tour/ Choo-Choo Goes Ga-Ga/

(begins repeat run Thursday 3 October 1963, 17.35)

A Visit from Mother

Rafeefleas

Choo Choo’s Romance

The Million Dollar Derby

The Unscratchables

Naked Town

The Violin Player

All That Jazz

Sergeant Top Cat

Space Monkey

The Maharajah of Pookajee

T.C. Minds the Baby*

The Long, Hot Winter*

The Golden Fleecing

The Case of the Absent ant-eater

The Late T.C.

Dibble Sings Again

Dibble’s Double

King for a Day

Farewell Mr. Dibble

Dibble’s Birthday

The Con Men

Griswold

The Missing Heir

Hawaii Here We Come

Dibble Breaks the Record

(* order reversed from original listing – back in original order for third repeat in 1967)

1967, from Wednesday 22 Feb

episodes follow original order until 18 July:

The Missing Heir

Griswold

The Con Men

Hawaii Here We Come

Dibble Breaks the Record (Tuesday 15 August)

No further episodes until:

Friday 6 August 1971

Hawaii Here We Come

Dibble Breaks the Record

The Missing Heir

No title in RT

No title

A Visit from Mother

The Long Hot Winter

No title

Space Monkey

Rafeefleas

All That Jazz

Dibble’s Birthday

King for a Day

The Con Men

Grand Tour (* first broadcast – 03.12.71)

The Golden Fleecing

Farewell Mr. Dibble

Break until Thursday 16 March 1972, 17.20. Somewhat ludicrously, the RT listings refer to the character as 'T.C' but insist on Boss Cat as the full form of his name.

‘Boss Cat Falls in Love’ (First verifiable BBC broadcast: my diary actually gives the correct title)

Sergeant Top Cat ('Sergeant TC' in RT listing)

Griswold

Hawaii Here We Come (referred to as Boss Cat in diary)

Dibble Breaks the Record

The Missing Heir

The Million Dollar Derby (title in diary)

A Visit from Mother

The Long Hot Winter *

The Violin Player *

Dibble’s Double *

Dibble Sings Again

The Late Top Cat

The Unscratchables

The Case of the Missing Ant Eater (no hyphen in RT)

The Maharajah of Pookajee

Naked Town (16.55)

T.C. Minds the Baby (RT gives title as Top Cat Minds the Baby!)*

Space Monkey * (17.00)

Rafeefleas (Thurs 27 Jul – diary entry says ‘last Top Cat’)

(* Titles in diary)

Back on Thursday 14 Sept, 17.25

TC Falls in Love (Radio Times billing)

One week only

Then

Weds 21 March 1973 16.50

Dibble’s Birthday

King for a Day

The Con Men

Grand Tour (second time around)

The Golden Fleecing

Farewell Mr. Dibble

Sergeant Top Cat (RT gives full and correct title) – Wed 2 May

Griswold

No title

Dibble Breaks the Record

The Missing Heir

The Million Dollar Derby

A Visit from Mother

Long Hot Winter

The Violin Player

Dibble’s Double (Wed 04.07.73)

No further episodes until Friday 9 November 16.50 no titles in RT

Then Wed 3 April 1974

The Late TC

‘Case of the Missing Anteater’

‘The Maharajah of Pockarjee’

Naked Town

No title

The Unscratchables

No title

‘Top Cat Minds the Baby’

No titles from here onwards. Screening ends Thursday 16 May

Back on Wed 18 December 16.45 No title

Then a run in the mornings at various times (9.55, 9.15) from 23.12.74

No titles until Space Monkey (30.12.74)

One off episode Sat 3 May 1975 (diary entry, no title)

Then on Saturday mornings., 9.10am beginning 02.08.75. 

No mentions in diary. No titles apart from All That Jazz (23.08.75)

Move to Tuesday from 26.08.75

No Title

The Golden Fleecing

Farewell Mr. Dibble

No titles thereafter. Run ends Tues 23 Sept

Friday 7 November 16.50 (no title). Until 19.12.75

26.12.75 at 9.20am

Thursdays from 8 April 1976 at 17.20. No title. 

Episodes run right through to Thurs 22 July

Next episode is Tuesday 31 May 1977, with a few weeks of evening repeats; then mornings during the school holiday, episodes commence Monday 15, no titles in RT: Diary entries give the following titles for this run (official titles in brackets):

Monday 15 August Iron Man Dibble (‘Dibble Breaks the Record’)

Tuesday 16 August The Missing Heir

Wednesday 17 August Mayor of New York (‘A Visit from Mother’)

Thursday 18 August The Long Hot Winter

Friday 19 August ‘Lazlo Lazlo’ (‘The Violin Player’)

Wednesday 24 August (no title)

Thursday 25 August (Anteater: ‘The Case of the Absent Anteater’)

Friday 26 August The Unscratchables

No further episodes

The series now tends to be used as holiday filler, reverting to a brief run in evenings, 17.10 from 14 June – 20 September 1978, with a couple of weeks gaps. No titles in RT (diary entries for many of these):

14 June (no title)

28 June (no title)

5 July The Grand Tour

12 July Space Monkey

19 July TC Minds the Baby

26 July The Golden Fleecing

2 August Griswold 

10 August (change day: Thursday) Rafeefleas

17 August Sergeant Top Cat

24 August Naked Town

31 August The Case of the Absent Anteater

(missing week)

13 September (change to Wednesday) The Late TC

20 September Dibble Breaks the Record

From Saturday 25 November, the series is stripped into the Multi-Coloured Swap Shop. One title given, The Missing Heir, thereafter no titles.

Back in the evening from Thursday 5 April 1979 at 16.20, a run ending on 14 June (some diary entries), thereafter moving to Saturday mornings. Last of these is 22 September 1979 at 9.10am. One random Saturday in April 1980 (though others may have been shown unbilled). RT billings still Boss Cat.

5 April Farewell Mr Dibble

12 April No title (The Con Men)

19 April Dibble's Birthday

26 April Dibble Sings Again

3 May Dibble's Double

10 May King for a Day

17 May Top Cat Falls in Love (billed correctly in RT)

24 May Rafeeefleas

31 May Sgt Top Cat (billed correctly in RT)

7 June Naked Town

14 June The Case of the Missing Anteater (RT billing, not 'absent')

Move to Saturday mornings, 9.10, 9.15 from 30 June:

30 June The Unscratchables

7 Jul No title (All That Jazz - diary)

14 Jul A Visit from Mother

21 Jul T.C. Minds the Baby

28 Jul The Golden Fleecing

4 Aug Farewell Mr Dibble

11 Aug No title (The Late T.C. - diary)

18 Aug Dibble Breaks the Record

25 Aug The Con Men

1 Sept Dibble's Birthday

8 Sept Dibble Sings Again

15 Sept Griswold

22 Sept Dibble's Double

Random episode Sat 5 April 1980, 9.05 no title

Wednesday evenings 16.20 from 6 April 1983. Titles as printed in RT:

6 Apr No title

13 Apr No title

15 June All That Jazz

22 June Million Dollar Derby

29 June Violin Player

6 Jul A Visit from Mother

13 Jul Naked Town

20 Jul Sergeant Top Cat

27 Jul The Unscratchables

3 Aug Rafeefleas

10 Aug Long Hot Winter [First appearance on BBC2 – children's programmes moved to BBC2 because of Athletics coverage on BBC1]

17 Aug The Case of the Missing Anteater

24 Aug T.C. Minds the Baby

31 Aug Farewell Mr Dibble

7 Sept Grand Tour

14 Sept Space Monkey

21 Sept The Case of the Missing Anteater (? earlier broadcast replaced? Cricket earlier in the day, coverage may have been extended)

During late spring, early summer 1984, the series (still known as Boss Cat) becomes an element in a programme called The Saturday Picture Show. No titles in RT. This runs until August. From Dec 85, same thing again in Saturday Superstore.

Interesting entry for 9 Jan 1986:

Blue Peter

with Simon Groom, Janet Ellis and Peter Duncan

Meet the unseen star of Boss Cat - the voice of the king of cartoon felines jets into the studio on a rare visit from the USA. Arnold Stang has been Boss Cat for 25 years - don't miss the secrets of his elastic larynx!

Random episode on Friday 10 January 1986 at 16.30: Griswold. Probably to tie in with the feature the previous day, as the series is reduced to programme filler again in July 1987 as part of 'Children's BBC', a morning 'magazine' programme, going out at 9.05am. Titles in RT:

13 Jul Hawaii Here We Come

17 Jul The Maharajah of Pockarjee (sic)

20 Jul All That Jazz

24 Jul The Million Dollar Derby

27 Jul Violin Player

28 Jul The Missing Heir

30 Jul T.C. Falls in Love

31 Jul A Visit From Mother

3 Aug Naked Town

4 Aug Sergeant Top Cat

6 Aug The Unscratchables

7 Aug Rafeefleas

10 Aug Long Hot Winter

14 Aug The Case of the Missing Anteater

17 Aug T.C. Minds the Baby

21 Aug Farewell Mr Dibble

24 Aug Grand Tour

28 Aug The Golden Fleecing

31 Aug Space Monkey (gets its own billing in RT)

4 Sept The Late T.C.

12 Sept Dibble's Birthday (own billing in RT)

19 Sept King for a Day

Absent until

22 Dec The Con Men 

28 Dec Dibble Breaks the Record

29 Dec Dibble Sings Again

30 Dec Griswold

1 Jan 1988 Dibble's Double

From November 1988, 'Now on Two', a Sunday morning loose portmanteau format, including Boss Cat, occasionally getting a separate billing. Another similar format over Christmas 1988. Part of Now on Two again from Jan 89, although billed separately on 22 Jan (still part of the portmanteau format).

Part of a morning filler format at Easter 1989. The last billing is on Thursday 10 August 1989 with Dibble Breaks the Record at 9.05, as part of 'But First This', another portmanteau format.

From Tuesday 6 April 1999, the BBC finally relents and reverts to billing the series as 'Top Cat' for the first time since June 1962. A run of early morning episodes begins at 7.35 on Tuesday 6 April on weekday mornings BBC2. From 26 April, it is billed beneath the umbrella title 'Children's BBC Breakfast'.

Billings vary through 1999, last billed on Friday 7 May.

One random episode on BBC1 Sunday 2 January 2000 at 7.50.

Back again as part of Children's BBC Breakfast from 6 March 2000. Billings continue until 13 April 2000. Then again from 11 September until Friday 20 October, resuming Tuesday 9 Jan 2001. From 13 Feb 2001, the umbrella billing is CBBC Breakfast.

A standalone run begins from Tuesday 2 August 2005 (diary entry) at 12.35, BBC2. First ep Hawaii Here We Come. This run appears to follow the US screening order, and ends on 15 Sept 2005 with Griswold. Some of these were run as double bills (eg 6 September) and followed a run of Thunderbirds showing on weekday mornings at this time.

Episodes resume with the next in order, Dibble's Double, from 20 Feb 2006 at 11.00. Episodes appear throughout this year in morning/ lunchtime slots, with the most coherent run being through July/ August/ Sept.

Back again on BBC2, mornings, from Monday 19 Feb 2007, with just four episodes, then a break until July, with an unbroken run on weekday mornings until 24 August. Resuming 22 October with the last billed episode on 21 December 2007.