The Rat Catchers

1h

The Rat Catchers is a 1960s British television series about a top secret British Intelligence Unit who receive orders from the Prime Minister and without questions battles enemy spies, saboteurs, and other criminals in order to protect the security of Great Britain and the Western Alliance. The show centred around three major characters: Peregrine Pascale Smith, the Oxford University-educated managing director with 12 years' experience under his belt, Brigadier H. St. J. Davidson, the emotionless analytical brains behind the group, and newly-recruited Richard William Hurst, formerly a superintendent at Scotland Yard who though he was said to have gone by the book in the police force, seems to have some problems with authority now. Part of the problem is that the Brigadier refuses to tell him more than the minimum that he needs to know about the organisation. Officially he works for Smith's company: Transworld Electronics and in episode 3, he is not sure whether Smith or the Brigadier is his boss. The organisation was based at Whitehall but officially didn't exist, being denied at the highest level as they worked with the greatest secrecy. The show began with the arrival of Hurst who is out of step with the other two. Raymond Francis was originally picked for the Hurst role but changed his mind at the last minute. Many of the stories were continued, sometimes with cliff-hanger endings.

Episodes

Cast

Ticket to Madrid

1. Ticket to Madrid

1h

2nd Feb 1966

The Captain Morales Story

2. The Captain Morales Story

1h

9th Feb 1966

The Unwitting Coroner

3. The Unwitting Coroner

1h

16th Feb 1966

Madrid Delivery

4. Madrid Delivery

1h

23rd Feb 1966

The Missing Agent

5. The Missing Agent

1h

2nd Mar 1966

The Baited Hook

6. The Baited Hook

1h

9th Mar 1966

The Umbrella

7. The Umbrella

1h

16th Mar 1966

Thieves' Market

8. Thieves' Market

1h

23rd Mar 1966

Return of Evil

9. Return of Evil

1h

30th Mar 1966

The Edge of Disaster

10. The Edge of Disaster

1h

6th Apr 1966

Operation Lost Souls

11. Operation Lost Souls

1h

13th Apr 1966

Operation Irish Triangle

12. Operation Irish Triangle

1h

20th Apr 1966

Operation Big Finish

13. Operation Big Finish

1h

27th Apr 1966

First air date

2nd Feb 1966

Last air date

9th Mar 1967

Status

Ended

Type

Scripted

Original language

en

Networks