First published in 2011, The Highway Rat is about a ravenous rat who craves buns, biscuits and all sweet things. Tearing along the highway, he searches for sugary treats to steal, until his sweet tooth leads him to a sticky end. “Give me your pastries and puddings! Give me your chocolate and cake! For I am the Rat of the Highway, and whatever I want I take.” A swashbuckling tale of bandits and biscuits the whole family will enjoy!

The Highway Rat marks the fifth adaptation by Magic Light Pictures of a Donaldson/Scheffler title. The most recent, Stick Man, premiered on BBC One on Christmas Day 2015 to achieve record ratings of 9.3 million viewers, with an overall 41 percent audience share, the fourth highest rated programme of the day. The film also won critical praise and a raft of global industry awards including the Annecy Crystal and a Bafta nomination. Previous adaptations have also been showered with awards including two Oscar nominations, a Bafta, an International Emmy and the Prix Jeunesse.

Michael Rose and Martin Pope, co-founders, Magic Light Pictures, say: “It’s been a privilege adapting Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s wonderful book for the screen. They create worlds rich in story, character and charm, ideal for families to watch together, and huge fun for us to make.”

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