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Cat (Red Dwarf)
Encyclopedia
The Cat is a character
in the British
science fiction
sitcom
Red Dwarf
. He is played by Danny John-Jules
.
, the character of Cat is based on a combination of Little Richard
's look, James Brown
's moves and Richard Pryor
's facial expressions.
descendant of a modern domestic cat called Frankenstein who had been Dave Lister
's pregnant pet cat. He may be the last remaining member of his species, Felis sapiens. His species expanded and evolved
into a humanoid form over 3,000,000 years while sealed in the cargo hold of Red Dwarf while Dave Lister
was in suspended animation
. They formed a religion based on the saviour of Frankenstein: "Cloister the Stupid", the father of their race according to their legends (actually Lister), and "Fuchal", their promised land (actually the Fiji
Islands, a place Lister held in high regard and planned to retire to). The race eventually splits and descends into civil war, over what colour the hats at the hot dog and doughnut stand Lister planned to open on Fiji were going to be (in the later-published novelization "Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers" the cause of the cat civil war is whether their god was named Cloister or Clister). Ironically the two factions claimed they were going to be red or blue, whilst Lister had wanted them to be green. Eventually the two factions formed a truce and built two great space arks to go and search for Lister and the promised land. One of the two arks, following a set of sacred directions (Lister's laundry list, which he lined Frankenstein's basket with), promptly crashed into an asteroid; it is not known what happened to the other, though it may have been visited by the Holoship
, whose scout party immediately recognizes the Cat as belonging to this species. The assorted lame, sick and "stupid" were left behind. Over time, they all eventually died off, but a crippled female and a retarded male ("The Cripple and the Idiot") produced The Cat before dying. It appears that The Cat was mainly raised by a blind Cat Priest, though a brief mention is made to The Cat's mother in the novelization.
He has an alternate version of himself in an opposite universe called The Dog. Among his other alter egos is the "Duke of Dork", Duane Dibbley, a stereotypical 'nerd
' and the Cat's idea of a meaningless existence—deprived of any grace or style. In the episode "Demons and Angels
", The Cat's good and bad side are seen, his good side being a religious type wearing a hooded robe and sandals, who explains to the normal Cat that he is his higher self, his spiritual side, extrapolated from his being (the normal Cat replies "Extrapa-what-elated? Buddy, there is no way you are a part of me. No part of me would ever be seen alive in sandals!"). This version is eventually shot at and blown up with the "divine" Kryten when they believe that a bomb thrown from the "Low" versions of the crew is a greetings gift. The other half is more savage and gangster-like than either of the other cats; notably he has no fashion sense, being nearly dressed in nothing but rags, furs and black leather. His teeth have grown way out of proportion making him more like a Saber-toothed cat
; this version was destroyed when the two new Red Dwarfs regenerate into the old one. An alternative Cat is briefly encountered when the Dwarfers meet themselves from an alternative timeline and are joined by Kristine Kochanski
; this Cat seems more refined and subdued in appearance, in line with Kochanski's nature, and also has a much deeper voice. Cat's mirror opposite is also encountered in the mirror universe (Series VIII episode "Only the Good...
"), a wise professor who finds it ridiculously easy to pronounce profoundly long words, e.g., Caesiumfrankolithicmixialubidiumrixidixidoxidexidroxide. This version of The Cat is more intelligent than both the original Cat and Duane Dibbley. In 'Ace' Rimmer's universe (series IV episode "Dimension Jump
) the West Indian priest stationed on the Mimas test flight base bears a striking resemblance to Cat. The Padre smokes a pipe and congratulates Ace Rimmer on helping a sick boy recover.
", the crew encounter a female despair squid that Cat had smuggled aboard Red Dwarf many years ago during a trip to an ocean planet. It escaped and found its way into a water tank where it grew to adult size. Whilst attempting to capture the squid, they were covered in hallucinogenic ink and Cat, along with the rest of the crew, hallucinate
an alternate reality in which they are fictional characters and that their lives are just a TV show from which they have somehow escaped.
Over the next three seasons, the Cat began wearing flashier outfits (like a tartan three-piece suit) and more leather and vinyl outfits (with boots). He also began wearing brightly colored hats and coats- such as his zebra-print coat (later revamped to yellow and black). He began sporting more jewelry and earrings. This was part of an effort by the wardrobe department to update his look. At one point in series 5, he even sported a silver streak in his hair.
Starting with series 6 and on through 7, The Cat's wardrobe was drastically simplified (John-Jules joking speculated that this was done as a cost-saving measure). He wore a black pvc jumpsuit (often with gloves) with a limited number of coats or suits worn over it. Ironically, he spent most of series 8 either in his prison jumpsuit or his CANARY battle fatigues.
He rarely calls his crewmates by name, often using the term "bud" or "buddy", but also refers to them by nicknames/pet names:
In early episodes, The Cat exhibits typical feline
behaviours such as licking anyone who gives him food, playing with 'shiny things' and marking his territory, for which purpose he carries a small spray-can, the contents of which are unknown, in his pocket. While scent-marking, he repeats, "This is mine, this is mine, and all of this is mine." His extreme self-confidence results in him thinking himself to be irresistible to women. He is originally very self-centred, acting purely without concern when his old mentor the "Cat Priest" dies, giving Kryten an earring which he hates on the day before his automatic self-destruct and choosing to finish his lunch rather than carry Lister to the medical bay when he collapses. This behavior grows gradually less prevalent as the series goes on. In the episode Stasis Leak
, the crew discover a portal, referred to as a "Magic door" by Cat, which allows them to go back before the crew are wiped out, he sees actual human females, and remarks "They make me want to do something. I don't know what it is! Whatever it is, I wanna do it a lot of it!" By Series IV, the Cat becomes less obsessed with mating, and begins to develop a friendship with Dave Lister
and Kryten. He maintains a particularly strong dislike for Rimmer, taking any opportunity to insult him and disregarding Lister's attempts to spare his feelings.
As he learns to relate to the crew, he eventually stops licking them and marking his territory, and even begins to show genuine concern for others on several occasions. He becomes a skilled pilot of Starbug and develops an ability to "smell" dangererous phenomena, even in space—although he does not grasp scientific terms, describing anomalies as either "wibbly thing" or "swirly thing". Also, when a complicated issue arises or a strange anomaly is encountered, he is commonly known to pose the question, "What is it?", usually until the various explanations he is given make sense to him. His escape plans are almost always fashioned out of fantasy, and are generally reliant on objects that the crew either do not possess or are non-existent anyway. For example, he suggested that they "drop the defensive shields" when they had none, and in another situation, to don their "rocket pants", which Kryten promptly pointed out they didn't have and which didn't even exist. When the crew finally does go with one of his plans, the Cat questions their sanity for heeding his own advice, remarking, "What if we all get killed? I'll never hear the last of it!".
He takes particular pleasure in using the food synthesiser to get fish dinners, at one point standing in front of it repeating the word "fish" six times as the machine cranks out meal after meal, much to his obvious delight.
In the episode "Parallel Universe", The Cat performs the song "Tongue Tied", which appears as a dream sequence on a "dream monitor". The song was later released as a single in 1993, and reached number 17 in the UK charts. The artist was listed simply as "The Cat".
In the first and second pilot episodes of an American version of the television series, the Cat was played by Hinton Battle
and Terry Farrell
respectively. (Farrell's version was more outwardly catlike in appearance.)
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
sitcom
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
Red Dwarf
Red Dwarf
Red Dwarf is a British comedy franchise which primarily comprises eight series of a television science fiction sitcom that aired on BBC Two between 1988 and 1999 and Dave from 2009–present. It gained cult following. It was created by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, who also wrote the first six series...
. He is played by Danny John-Jules
Danny John-Jules
Daniel "Danny" John-Jules is a British actor, singer and dancer. John-Jules attended Rutherford Comprehensive School, Penfold Street, Marylebone, from 1972 to 1977. He is best known for portraying Cat in the television programme Red Dwarf.-Dance and song:John-Jules is a baritone...
.
Character development
According to Danny John-JulesDanny John-Jules
Daniel "Danny" John-Jules is a British actor, singer and dancer. John-Jules attended Rutherford Comprehensive School, Penfold Street, Marylebone, from 1972 to 1977. He is best known for portraying Cat in the television programme Red Dwarf.-Dance and song:John-Jules is a baritone...
, the character of Cat is based on a combination of Little Richard
Little Richard
Richard Wayne Penniman , known by the stage name Little Richard, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, recording artist, and actor, considered key in the transition from rhythm and blues to rock and roll in the 1950s. He was also the first artist to put the funk in the rock and roll beat and...
's look, James Brown
James Brown
James Joseph Brown was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of Funk and is recognized as a major figure in the 20th century popular music for both his vocals and dancing. He has been referred to as "The Godfather of Soul," "Mr...
's moves and Richard Pryor
Richard Pryor
Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor was an American stand-up comedian, actor, social critic, writer and MC. Pryor was known for uncompromising examinations of racism and topical contemporary issues, which employed colorful vulgarities, and profanity, as well as racial epithets...
's facial expressions.
Life
The character has no name other than "The Cat" or simply "Cat". He is the humanoidHumanoid
A humanoid is something that has an appearance resembling a human being. The term first appeared in 1912 to refer to fossils which were morphologically similar to, but not identical with, those of the human skeleton. Although this usage was common in the sciences for much of the 20th century, it...
descendant of a modern domestic cat called Frankenstein who had been Dave Lister
Dave Lister
David "Dave" Lister, commonly referred to simply as Lister, is a fictional character from the British science fiction situation comedy Red Dwarf, portrayed by Craig Charles...
's pregnant pet cat. He may be the last remaining member of his species, Felis sapiens. His species expanded and evolved
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
into a humanoid form over 3,000,000 years while sealed in the cargo hold of Red Dwarf while Dave Lister
Dave Lister
David "Dave" Lister, commonly referred to simply as Lister, is a fictional character from the British science fiction situation comedy Red Dwarf, portrayed by Craig Charles...
was in suspended animation
Suspended animation
Suspended animation is the slowing of life processes by external means without termination. Breathing, heartbeat, and other involuntary functions may still occur, but they can only be detected by artificial means. Extreme cold can be used to precipitate the slowing of an individual's functions; use...
. They formed a religion based on the saviour of Frankenstein: "Cloister the Stupid", the father of their race according to their legends (actually Lister), and "Fuchal", their promised land (actually the Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
Islands, a place Lister held in high regard and planned to retire to). The race eventually splits and descends into civil war, over what colour the hats at the hot dog and doughnut stand Lister planned to open on Fiji were going to be (in the later-published novelization "Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers" the cause of the cat civil war is whether their god was named Cloister or Clister). Ironically the two factions claimed they were going to be red or blue, whilst Lister had wanted them to be green. Eventually the two factions formed a truce and built two great space arks to go and search for Lister and the promised land. One of the two arks, following a set of sacred directions (Lister's laundry list, which he lined Frankenstein's basket with), promptly crashed into an asteroid; it is not known what happened to the other, though it may have been visited by the Holoship
Holoship
"Holoship" is the first episode of series 5 of the science fiction sit-com Red Dwarf Series V and the twenty fifth in the series run. It was first broadcast on the British television channel BBC2 on 20 February 1992. Written by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, and directed by Juliet May...
, whose scout party immediately recognizes the Cat as belonging to this species. The assorted lame, sick and "stupid" were left behind. Over time, they all eventually died off, but a crippled female and a retarded male ("The Cripple and the Idiot") produced The Cat before dying. It appears that The Cat was mainly raised by a blind Cat Priest, though a brief mention is made to The Cat's mother in the novelization.
He has an alternate version of himself in an opposite universe called The Dog. Among his other alter egos is the "Duke of Dork", Duane Dibbley, a stereotypical 'nerd
Nerd
Nerd is a derogatory slang term for an intelligent but socially awkward and obsessive person who spends time on unpopular or obscure pursuits, to the exclusion of more mainstream activities. Nerds are considered to be awkward, shy, and unattractive...
' and the Cat's idea of a meaningless existence—deprived of any grace or style. In the episode "Demons and Angels
Demons and Angels
"Demons and Angels" is the fifth episode of science fiction sit-com Red Dwarf Series V and the twenty ninth in the series run. It was first broadcast on the British television channel BBC2 on 19 March 1992. Written by Rob Grant & Doug Naylor, the episode was the first to be filmed with new director...
", The Cat's good and bad side are seen, his good side being a religious type wearing a hooded robe and sandals, who explains to the normal Cat that he is his higher self, his spiritual side, extrapolated from his being (the normal Cat replies "Extrapa-what-elated? Buddy, there is no way you are a part of me. No part of me would ever be seen alive in sandals!"). This version is eventually shot at and blown up with the "divine" Kryten when they believe that a bomb thrown from the "Low" versions of the crew is a greetings gift. The other half is more savage and gangster-like than either of the other cats; notably he has no fashion sense, being nearly dressed in nothing but rags, furs and black leather. His teeth have grown way out of proportion making him more like a Saber-toothed cat
Saber-toothed cat
Saber-toothed cat or Sabre-toothed cat refers to the extinct subfamilies of Machairodontinae , Barbourofelidae , and Nimravidae as well as two families related to marsupials that were found worldwide from the Eocene Epoch to the end of the Pleistocene Epoch ,...
; this version was destroyed when the two new Red Dwarfs regenerate into the old one. An alternative Cat is briefly encountered when the Dwarfers meet themselves from an alternative timeline and are joined by Kristine Kochanski
Kristine Kochanski
Kristine Z. Kochanski is a fictional character from the British science fiction situation comedy Red Dwarf. Kochanski was the first console officer in the navigation chamber on board the spaceship Red Dwarf...
; this Cat seems more refined and subdued in appearance, in line with Kochanski's nature, and also has a much deeper voice. Cat's mirror opposite is also encountered in the mirror universe (Series VIII episode "Only the Good...
Only The Good...
Only the Good... is the final episode in the eighth series and the original run of the British science fiction series Red Dwarf. It was first shown in the UK on 5 April 1999 in the 9:00pm BBC2 time slot, and was written by Doug Naylor and directed by Ed Bye...
"), a wise professor who finds it ridiculously easy to pronounce profoundly long words, e.g., Caesiumfrankolithicmixialubidiumrixidixidoxidexidroxide. This version of The Cat is more intelligent than both the original Cat and Duane Dibbley. In 'Ace' Rimmer's universe (series IV episode "Dimension Jump
Dimension Jump (Red Dwarf)
"Dimension Jump" is the fifth episode of science fiction sit-com Red Dwarf Series IV and the twenty-third episode in the series run. It was first broadcast on the British television channel BBC2 on 14 March 1991, written by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, and directed by Ed Bye...
) the West Indian priest stationed on the Mimas test flight base bears a striking resemblance to Cat. The Padre smokes a pipe and congratulates Ace Rimmer on helping a sick boy recover.
Back to Earth
In the 2009 special "Red Dwarf: Back to EarthRed Dwarf: Back to Earth
Red Dwarf: Back to Earth is a three part TV miniseries continuation of the science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf, broadcast on the British television channel Dave between 10 April and 12 April 2009 and subsequently released on DVD on 15 June 2009 & on Blu-ray on 31 August 2009. It was the first...
", the crew encounter a female despair squid that Cat had smuggled aboard Red Dwarf many years ago during a trip to an ocean planet. It escaped and found its way into a water tank where it grew to adult size. Whilst attempting to capture the squid, they were covered in hallucinogenic ink and Cat, along with the rest of the crew, hallucinate
Hallucination
A hallucination, in the broadest sense of the word, is a perception in the absence of a stimulus. In a stricter sense, hallucinations are defined as perceptions in a conscious and awake state in the absence of external stimuli which have qualities of real perception, in that they are vivid,...
an alternate reality in which they are fictional characters and that their lives are just a TV show from which they have somehow escaped.
Dress Sense
During the first two season, the cat dresses in various 1940s-era suits (often gray or pink, with big shoulders and pocket handkerchiefs). He would also wear Cuban-heeled shoes with most of his outfits. He would also wear suits with tailed jackets and ruffled shirts (most notably cream-colored or reddish-pink). Some notable exceptions include a shiny red and black outfit and a royal blue two-piece over a white turtleneck.Over the next three seasons, the Cat began wearing flashier outfits (like a tartan three-piece suit) and more leather and vinyl outfits (with boots). He also began wearing brightly colored hats and coats- such as his zebra-print coat (later revamped to yellow and black). He began sporting more jewelry and earrings. This was part of an effort by the wardrobe department to update his look. At one point in series 5, he even sported a silver streak in his hair.
Starting with series 6 and on through 7, The Cat's wardrobe was drastically simplified (John-Jules joking speculated that this was done as a cost-saving measure). He wore a black pvc jumpsuit (often with gloves) with a limited number of coats or suits worn over it. Ironically, he spent most of series 8 either in his prison jumpsuit or his CANARY battle fatigues.
Personality
He acts similar to a domesticated cat. As a humanoid cat, he exhibits the qualities of coolness, vanity, and aloofness. He loves to dress well in extravagant clothing, and to dance and scream like the soul artist James Brown. He often carries a mirror and is meticulous about his appearance. His first words in Episode 1 are: "How am I looking? I'm looking nice!".He rarely calls his crewmates by name, often using the term "bud" or "buddy", but also refers to them by nicknames/pet names:
- Kryten "Novelty Condom Head" or "Half-Eaten Lollipop Head"
- Rimmer "Goalpost Head", "Alphabet Head", "Grand CanyonGrand CanyonThe Grand Canyon is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in the United States in the state of Arizona. It is largely contained within the Grand Canyon National Park, the 15th national park in the United States...
Nostrils" or "Trans-Am Wheel Arch Nostrils" - Lister "Monkey (primarily used in series one)", "Dormouse Cheeks" or "Gerbil-Face" Note: Cat has only referred to him as "Lister" twice—once in Parallel Universe and once in The Inquisitor.
- Kochanski "Officer Bud-Babe" ("Officer B-B" for short).
In early episodes, The Cat exhibits typical feline
Felidae
Felidae is the biological family of the cats; a member of this family is called a felid. Felids are the strictest carnivores of the thirteen terrestrial families in the order Carnivora, although the three families of marine mammals comprising the superfamily pinnipedia are as carnivorous as the...
behaviours such as licking anyone who gives him food, playing with 'shiny things' and marking his territory, for which purpose he carries a small spray-can, the contents of which are unknown, in his pocket. While scent-marking, he repeats, "This is mine, this is mine, and all of this is mine." His extreme self-confidence results in him thinking himself to be irresistible to women. He is originally very self-centred, acting purely without concern when his old mentor the "Cat Priest" dies, giving Kryten an earring which he hates on the day before his automatic self-destruct and choosing to finish his lunch rather than carry Lister to the medical bay when he collapses. This behavior grows gradually less prevalent as the series goes on. In the episode Stasis Leak
Stasis Leak
"Stasis Leak" is the fourth episode of the science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf series two and tenth in the series run. It premiered on the British television channel BBC2 on 27 September 1988. Written by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, and directed by Ed Bye, the crew travelling back in time, before the...
, the crew discover a portal, referred to as a "Magic door" by Cat, which allows them to go back before the crew are wiped out, he sees actual human females, and remarks "They make me want to do something. I don't know what it is! Whatever it is, I wanna do it a lot of it!" By Series IV, the Cat becomes less obsessed with mating, and begins to develop a friendship with Dave Lister
Dave Lister
David "Dave" Lister, commonly referred to simply as Lister, is a fictional character from the British science fiction situation comedy Red Dwarf, portrayed by Craig Charles...
and Kryten. He maintains a particularly strong dislike for Rimmer, taking any opportunity to insult him and disregarding Lister's attempts to spare his feelings.
As he learns to relate to the crew, he eventually stops licking them and marking his territory, and even begins to show genuine concern for others on several occasions. He becomes a skilled pilot of Starbug and develops an ability to "smell" dangererous phenomena, even in space—although he does not grasp scientific terms, describing anomalies as either "wibbly thing" or "swirly thing". Also, when a complicated issue arises or a strange anomaly is encountered, he is commonly known to pose the question, "What is it?", usually until the various explanations he is given make sense to him. His escape plans are almost always fashioned out of fantasy, and are generally reliant on objects that the crew either do not possess or are non-existent anyway. For example, he suggested that they "drop the defensive shields" when they had none, and in another situation, to don their "rocket pants", which Kryten promptly pointed out they didn't have and which didn't even exist. When the crew finally does go with one of his plans, the Cat questions their sanity for heeding his own advice, remarking, "What if we all get killed? I'll never hear the last of it!".
He takes particular pleasure in using the food synthesiser to get fish dinners, at one point standing in front of it repeating the word "fish" six times as the machine cranks out meal after meal, much to his obvious delight.
In the episode "Parallel Universe", The Cat performs the song "Tongue Tied", which appears as a dream sequence on a "dream monitor". The song was later released as a single in 1993, and reached number 17 in the UK charts. The artist was listed simply as "The Cat".
In the first and second pilot episodes of an American version of the television series, the Cat was played by Hinton Battle
Hinton Battle
Hinton Battle is an American actor, dancer, and dance instructor. He has won three Tony Awards, all in the category of Featured Actor in a Musical...
and Terry Farrell
Terry Farrell (actress)
Theresa Lee "Terry" Farrell is an American actress and former fashion model. She is perhaps best known for her performances in the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Becker.-Early life:...
respectively. (Farrell's version was more outwardly catlike in appearance.)