The High Way Rat

The Highway Rat (BBC One) tells the tale of a greedy, cake-obsessed rat who gallops along the highway on horseback, stealing food from every creature he meets. Whether it’s clover from rabbits, nuts from squirrels, or biscuits from mice, the Highway Rat takes it all—because “the Highway Rat steals food from travellers!”

But his selfishness catches up with him when a clever duck decides to teach him a lesson. She leads the rat on a wild chase across the countryside and into a dark cave where he becomes lost and hungry, with nothing left to steal. Eventually, he’s forced to give up his thieving ways and takes on honest work in a bakery.

The film—based on the beloved book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler—is a charming fable about greed, consequences, and the power of kindness and cleverness, wrapped in playful rhymes and warm, whimsical animation.