Jodie Whittaker To Voice BBC’s Christmas 2023 Special 'Tabby McTat'
The U.K. is big into Christian holidays, despite not being a very religious country. Christmas specials (which have in recent years started to be referred to as "Festive specials") are a staple of the end of the year on the BBC, with ITV and Channel 4 following suit. Most of these specials are bonus episodes of p[popular shows already watched by millions, whether it's Doctor Who, All Creatures Great & Small, or Call The Midwife. However, the season also gets one-off specials, usually animated as holiday-focused family fare, like last year's The Boy, The Mole, the Fox and the Horse. For 2023, the big special will star the beloved British children's character, Tabby McTat.
For those unfamiliar with the story, it's one of the more popular rhyming children's books from Julia Donaldson, who was the U.K.'s Children's Laureate in the early 2010s. Published in 2009, the story is about the titular Tabby, a cat with a strong meow, who spends his days yowling along with his human, Fred the Busker. Now Tabby will get a animated version of his story for Christmas, narrated by Doctor Who's Jodie Whittaker, who is no stranger to holiday specials. Moreover, Whittaker co-stars with Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísú, of Gangs of London fame, who will provide the voice of the feline hero.
The original book comes complete with a little song that has been covered by several folk artists and other singers with albums aimed at children. However, at the request of parents, Donaldson did release a definitive version. One assumes the new special will stick with her tune.
