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Ratfans.com
were able to get a sneak peak at Roland's new DVD - Rat On The Road.
Released on November 15th 2010, it charts Roland's first outside
broadcasts for TV-am. Here's what we think of it!
DVD Synopsis
Roland Rat Superstar is back! Roland and his friends have been busy
travelling the world and spreading the rodent word. Rat on the Road
first hit UK television screens in the 1980s and became an important
part of breakfast rituals all over the nation. Now, its back by
popular demand!
Rat On The Road sees Roland travelling around the UK in his pink
Ford Anglia, also known as the Ratmobile. His furry colleagues Kevin
the Gerbil and Errol the Hamster are at his side for the adventures,
disasters and hilarity!
Main Feature
Rat On The Road featured Roland and Kevin travelling around the
country for six weeks during the summer of 1983, in the now famous
Ratmobile. Roland takes us through his diary of those weeks on the road,
with him, Kevin and Errol - who didn't actually make it on screen in
that series - picking some of their favourite clips.
The highlights of those six cities include:-
Cardiff - Roland and Kevin visit Cardiff castle;
London - Roland moves to the Hilton hotel after trying to camp out in
Trafalgar Square;
Edinburgh - Kevin visits Greyfriars Bobby, and Roland meets Billy
Connolly;
Oxford - Roland and Kevin play cricket, then upset an Oxford Don;
Newcastle - Off to Beamish Museum and a trip on a steam train;
York - Their final week on the road where they harass the local
police and get the Ratmobile impounded.
They also bump into many characters along the way, including
Scottish lunatic Rory McPherson and famous film director Sam Speigelbeigel. Roland and Kevin also
get to chat to
several ratfans too.
Incidentally, on the Main Menu screen, don't pick an option straight
away - you'll hear Roland getting more annoyed if you leave it a few
minutes!
Extras
There are several extras here - the main one being "The Making Of
The Making Of The Making of Rat On The Road" documentary, in which
Roland, Kevin and Errol take you through the process of DVD making from
graphics to sound and vision editing. Other extras include Kevin's
Stills Gallery, a sketch of Roland and Kevin in Australia, plus the Summer
Holiday video, filmed exclusively in exotic Minehead.
Commentary
A brand new extra on the DVD is the commentary. A fascinating insight into Roland's six weeks on the road,
including how filming took longer as the series went on, as Roland was
getting more famous with every passing day! There are also
a few inane ramblings thrown in for good measure. Well worth a listen!
Other Reviews
"How good
was Rat On The Road?!? Absolutely love Roland Rat! What is the rodent
equivalent of a knighthood? He should have that" -
80's
Nostalgia.com
Overall
At last, the first in hopefully a long line of Rodent DVD releases!
Rat On The Road gets
the series off to a cracking start. There are plenty of clips from every
city to keep every Ratfan across the country happy. The only downside of
it is that it only lasts 79 minutes - most Ratfans will feel the need to
hit the "menu" button and watch it again!
Our RATing:-
11/10 (Roland forced us to put that, otherwise he wanted his preview
copy back)
Released - 15 November 2010
Label - Digital Classics
Catalogue Number -
1093DC
Region - 2
Discs - 1
Running Time:- 79 minutes
Back to Rat On The Road Features Page |
