The DJ Kat Show
Encyclopedia
The DJ Kat show was a children's television programme presented by the puppet DJ Kat and his friend Linda de Mol
Linda de Mol
Linda Margaretha de Mol , known as Linda de Mol, is a Dutch actress and television presenter in the Netherlands and in Germany. She is the sister of Endemol founder John de Mol...

, the sister of Endemol
Endemol
Endemol is an international television production and distribution company based in the Netherlands, with subsidiaries and joint ventures in 23 countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Mexico, Spain, Italy, Germany, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Dominican Republic, Poland,...

 founder John de Mol, which ran from 1986 to 1995. The show was first broadcast to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

 on satellite and cable channel Sky Channel
Sky Channel
Sky Channel can refer to any of the following.* In Europe, Sky Channel was a satellite television channel that was broadcast in the 1980s, it went on to become Sky1....

 and later on Sky One
Sky One
Sky1 is the flagship BSkyB entertainment channel available in the United Kingdom and Ireland.The channel first launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, and is the fourth-oldest TV channel in the United Kingdom, behind BBC One , ITV and BBC Two...

 and Sky Europe. The show was aired every weekday morning and afternoon (and in later years, at weekends), and throughout its life was home to a particularly large number of imported animated series. A separate version of The DJ Kat Show was later created for the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 where it was aired on stations affiliated with the Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...

. This article focuses primarily on the original European version.

History

The original European version was produced by John de Mol's production house John de Mol Produkties, which later became the world-famous Endemol
Endemol
Endemol is an international television production and distribution company based in the Netherlands, with subsidiaries and joint ventures in 23 countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Mexico, Spain, Italy, Germany, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Dominican Republic, Poland,...

. Linda de Mol
Linda de Mol
Linda Margaretha de Mol , known as Linda de Mol, is a Dutch actress and television presenter in the Netherlands and in Germany. She is the sister of Endemol founder John de Mol...

 is John de Mol's sister. All the linking material between the various cartoons was filmed in Hilversum, the Netherlands and written by Joost Timp

DJ Kat

DJ Kat was a puppet with a black leather jacket who loved spinning his records. He also liked to eat junk from the trashcans. His favorite dish was actually a jar of peas and carrots mashed together and his favorite drink was milk in a dirty glass. In the intro of the show DJ Kat would say the following line: "This is the DJ Kat show and I am DJ Kat...that's my name. Its a D and a J and a Kat with a K."
The reason it is spelled with a K is because the Dutch spell cat with a k and Linda de Mol is Dutch. DJ Kat was originally performed by puppeteer Robert 'Robbie' Hahn
Robert Hahn
Robert Conrad Hahn is an American lawyer and politician who was a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1961 to 1965 and served as chairman of the Massachusetts Republican State Committee from 1971 to 1972.Hahn represented the 5th Norfolk District in the Massachusetts House of...

. DJ Kat often claimed to be on a project for Millhouse. The Millhouse character is never shown on the show.

British puppeteer Don Austen
Don Austen
British puppeteer Don Austen joined the Jim Henson Creature Shop in 1986 for the movie Labyrinth.He was a puppeteer for other blockbuster movies including Santa Claus: The Movie , The Little Shop of Horrors , Who Framed Roger Rabbit , The Bear , The Witches , and Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom...

 took over the character for a further 5 years (1989–95) for more than 2000 episodes on Sky One. The show picked up the PACE Satellite Award.

The Linda de Mol/Steffanie Pitt/Catrina Hylton-Hull years (1986-1992)

Linda de Mol
Linda de Mol
Linda Margaretha de Mol , known as Linda de Mol, is a Dutch actress and television presenter in the Netherlands and in Germany. She is the sister of Endemol founder John de Mol...

 was DJ Kat's side-kick when the series began in September 1986. De Mol was already a familiar face on Sky Channel as well as Dutch TV, where she had her own Talkshow simply called 'Linda'. In addition to her native language Dutch, she speaks fluent English and German. In later years she also branched out into German TV and hosted more of Endemol
Endemol
Endemol is an international television production and distribution company based in the Netherlands, with subsidiaries and joint ventures in 23 countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Mexico, Spain, Italy, Germany, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Dominican Republic, Poland,...

's programmes, including the original Dutch version of Deal or No Deal
Deal or No Deal
Deal or No Deal is the name of several closely related television game shows, the first of which was the Dutch Miljoenenjacht produced by Dutch producer Endemol. It is played with up to 26 cases with certain sums of money...

.

When Sky Channel decided to focus solely on broadcasting in the United Kingdom
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...

 instead of Europe in early 1989, the production of the DJ Kat show moved from Hilversum to Blackbird Productions in London. Linda de Mol was unceremoniously dropped without much of an explanation. Her last episode (which was shot on location in Austria) was shown on Friday 3 February 1989.

The next Monday, February 6, Steffanie Pitt (aka "Steffie"), daughter of Hammer Horror star Ingrid Pitt
Ingrid Pitt
Ingrid Pitt was an actress best known for her work in horror films of the 1960s and 1970s.-Background:Pitt was born Ingoushka Petrov in Warsaw, Poland to a German father of Russian descent and a Polish Jewish mother. During World War II she and her family were imprisoned in a concentration camp...

, introduced herself as Linda's replacement. Another puppet character, a scouse mouse called 'Yummy Tickle Mouse' was also added to the programme. Steffie left on 8 September of the same year, ostensibly to join the fictional all girl band 'The Sweet Patatoes'. At this time, Robbie Hahn handed over the DJ Kat puppet to British puppeteer Don Austen
Don Austen
British puppeteer Don Austen joined the Jim Henson Creature Shop in 1986 for the movie Labyrinth.He was a puppeteer for other blockbuster movies including Santa Claus: The Movie , The Little Shop of Horrors , Who Framed Roger Rabbit , The Bear , The Witches , and Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom...

 (who was already employed by Sky as Wally Blubb The Walrus on their Fun Factory
Fun Factory
-History:The group was founded in 1993 with four members: Balja, Steve, Rod D., and Smooth T. They released their first CD, NonStop! The Album in 1994. Their second CD Close To You was released in 1995. Before its release, lead singer Balja was replaced with Marie-Anett Mey. Balja can still be seen...

 weekend morning show).

Hahn swiftly rejoined Linda de Mol back in the Netherlands for the very similar TROS
TROS
TROS is a Dutch television and radio organization part of the Netherlands Public Broadcasting...

 television programme 'De Billy Hotdog Show'. The main differences being that the title character was a dog and the show broadcast only once a week.

Katrina Hylton-Hull (aka "Treen"), daughter of the late Rod Hull
Rod Hull
Rodney Stephen Hull , better known as Rod Hull, was a popular entertainer on British television in the 1970s and 1980s. He rarely appeared without Emu, a mute, highly aggressive arm-length puppet of the flightless emu bird...

 of Emu
Emu
The Emu Dromaius novaehollandiae) is the largest bird native to Australia and the only extant member of the genus Dromaius. It is the second-largest extant bird in the world by height, after its ratite relative, the ostrich. There are three subspecies of Emus in Australia...

 fame, after numerous auditions, made her first appearance on 11 September 1989. The DJ Kat show did sketches around this time in an attempt to save the flagging format of the series - one of which was 'Jurassic Patio' which was obviously based on Jurassic Park
Jurassic Park (film)
Jurassic Park is a 1993 American science fiction adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Michael Crichton. It stars Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough, Martin Ferrero, and Bob Peck...

 but with toy dinosaurs and dolls. Another was a spoof of Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...

 called 'Star Truck' which saw DJ Kat and Catrina traveling the universe in a baby's pram collecting junk. Perhaps most memorable was the Aliens
Aliens (film)
Aliens is a 1986 science fiction action film directed by James Cameron and starring Sigourney Weaver, Carrie Henn, Michael Biehn, Lance Henriksen, William Hope, and Bill Paxton...

 parody 'Teddys', featuring a stuffed teddy bear
Teddy bear
The teddy bear is a stuffed toy bear. They are usually stuffed with soft, white cotton and have smooth and soft fur. It is an enduring form of a stuffed animal in many countries, often serving the purpose of entertaining children. In recent times, some teddy bears have become collector's items...

 'bursting' through DJ's chest.

Katrina Hylton-Hull lasted three years and proved quite popular with fans of the series initially, but with viewing figures falling Sky One came close to pulling the plug on the series. The acclaimed UK production/direction team of Patricia Mordecai, John Northover and Gale Claydon (who produced many series on ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...

 in the 1980s and 90s) were tasked with the job of creating a new look for the series, intended to begin in 1992. Katrina was initially contracted to continue as presenter with a "rotating" guest cast, but disagreements between her and the new production team about the direction of the new format saw her eventually opt to resign as presenter in mid-June 1992.

Second incarnation (1992-1995)

After Katrina Hylton-Hull left the show in 1992, the series was totally revamped, and an all-new studio set, theme tune and titles came into being. The revamped show aired for the first time on 13 July 1992 after a three-week gap (the show's cartoon line-up carried on as normal, but continuity was changed to a simple card reading "DJ Kat - on hols, back in ... weeks" at each advert break during this time).

The regular co-presenters of the show's second incarnation were - initially - West End actor Simon Jermond and singer Marcelle Duprey (also known as "Marcie"), with Joe Greco as a stand-in host. Jermond left the series in July 1993 after just one year, having decided that TV presenting was not for him, and Joe Greco replaced him on a full-time basis until the series ended in 1995. Alison Way, Peter Corey, David 'Saint' Rubin and future British soap
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...

 star Jacqueline Pirie
Jacqueline Pirie
Jacqueline Pirie is a Scottish actress best known for appearing in ITV's popular soap operas Emmerdale, as Tina Dingle from 1994–1996....

 were also regularly featured as "guest stars" in various guises. New "game" slots (including 'Katz Alley' and 'Joke Machine') were also introduced for viewers to phone in and compete in, with prizes up for grabs.

The new format initially helped to revive the viewing figures with Don Austen, Joe Greco, and Marcelle Duprey continuing to perform through to 1995 with a now staggering output scriptwise. In September 1994, a Saturday spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...

 show, 'KTV', was added to production, replacing Sky One's Fun Factory
Fun Factory (TV series)
Fun Factory was a children's programme on the satellite television channel Sky Channel that ran from 1985 to 1991. It continued as a programming block without a host up until 1994.-Original Programme:...

 line-up. The new programme placed a greater emphasis on documentary-style features for kids and full-blown sketch parodies - most notably, the General Hospital
General Hospital
General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....

 spoof 'General Accident' and EastEnders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...

 take-off 'Arthur Square', both of which saw a then-unknown Jacqueline Pirie putting her acting talents (and flare for adopting English accents) to good use. A low-key Sunday DJ Kat Show was also eventually produced, featuring DJ Kat and usually just Joe Greco presenting.

Cancellation (1995)

By 1995, viewing figures had begun to fall once again, at which point series editor Michelle Kimber, writers Peter Corey and Dave Arthur, director John Northover and production team Patricia Mordecai, Michael Kerrigan and Gale Claydon reported that they all felt the series had now run its course; in August 1995 chief producers David Drewery and Paul Cole announced that they had decided against both revamping the format for a second time and re-commissioning the series, and Sky One announced that series would be cancelled at the end of the year.

John Northover has since cited that the main reason for the falling viewing figures was largely due to the fact that series writers had simply run out of ideas for new scripts and had begun recycling old ones.

The final episode was aired on 31 December 1995 and replaced in January 1996 by a short-lived new breakfast TV series, Boiled Egg & Soldiers, which sadly struggled to gain a foothold.

American Version

An American TV version of "The DJ Kat Show" debuted on WNYW
WNYW
WNYW, virtual channel 5 , is the flagship television station of the News Corporation-owned Fox Broadcasting Company, located in New York City. The station's transmitter is atop the Empire State Building and its studio facilities are located in the Yorkville section of Manhattan...

 TV Ch.5 In NYC
on Saturday morning November 28, 1987. The series, which was set against the backdrop of a make shift clubhouse in
the basement of an inner city apartment building, had the wisecracking cat puppet and his comedy assistant,
Elizabeth Rose, reading viewers mail and engaging in comedy skits in between reruns of The Hugh Harman/Rudolph
Issling/Tex Avery
Tex Avery
Frederick Bean "Fred/Tex" Avery was an American animator, cartoonist, voice actor and director, famous for producing animated cartoons during The Golden Age of Hollywood animation. He did his most significant work for the Warner Bros...

 MGM Movie cartoons.

Comic actor and puppeteer Jim Martin manipulated and voiced "DJ Kat". Martin and Rose would leave the series
and entertainer/songwriter/scriptwriter and puppeteer Craig Marin and comic actress and mimic Carmen De La
Paz would succeed The previous pair as the series' second and last hosts/performers.

"The DJ Kat Show" would be seen on Saturday mornings until Saturday December 26, 1987. The series would move
to a Sunday morning timeslot starting on January 3, 1988. The cartoons were dropped and the programs focused
on stories that had "DJ" and "Jennifer Davis" (Ms. De La Paz) trying to host the show despite problems created by their
stingy and mean boss "Mr. Midas G. Merkle" and other troublemakers.

"The DJ Kat Show" would remain on WNYW TV's Sunday morning schedule until it was dropped following
the Sunday December 24, 1988 broadcast. "DJ" and the other Flexitoon puppets would be seen hosting
"The Fox Five Kids Club" Weekday afternoons on Ch.5 (Sans Ms.De La Paz' "Jennifer Davis") from Monday
December 25, 1988 to Friday March 15, 1991.

Cartoons aired on the show

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External links

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