Old Tom is a children's animated television series based on a series of books by Leigh Hobbs. The show features the voice of Keith Scott as the titular character.

The animated series follows the adventures of Angela Throgmorton and her mischievous stray cat named Old Tom, who she treats as if he were her son, despite his bad behaviour and his ill-fated antics.

Premise The story begins with Angela Throgmorton, a respectable matron living solely, before she finds a basket on her doorstep who happens to carry Old Tom, an orange one-eyed tomcat with a bandaged leg and a crossed-patch on his chest, indicating his rebellious and outrageous personality. Nevertheless, Angela is instantly drawn to Old Tom's charm and cheeky nature, before his real character quickly becomes noticeable, whilst retaining his good-natured charm. Both Angela and Old Tom are oddball, eccentric characters who create mischief and trouble in their suburb as they get involved in humorous adventures and chaotic situations, in addition to Old Tom's genuine, yet unlucky, attempts to be good after causing trouble.

Recurring characters include Old Tom's best friend Lucy, Angela's snobby, posh-speaking, rich friend Lavinia Winterberry who has a dog that resembles her, and Billy, a troublesome boy who enjoys bothering Old Tom.

Music Guy Gross composed a frenzy jazz soundtrack which expresses the lead character's havoc. Gross worked with composer Clive Harrison to supervise the score production with Sydney's jazz session musicians.

Episodes The series premiered on Wednesday 6 June 2002 on ABC Kids with "Lost & Found" and concluded with "Meteor Madness" on Monday 8 July 2002.

Season 1 (2002) Lost & Found Shopping Spree Friend and Foe Blast Off! Fiddle-De-Dee! Skin Deep Wheel Nuts Mad About the House Tee for Tom Food Feud Tidy Your Room! Rubble Trouble Up, Up, and Away! Surprise! All at Sea www.Old.Tom Picture Perfect Easy Monet Leonardo Da Tom Picnic Panic Happy Camper Too Many Crooks Big Top Tom Rock'N'Roll Tom Green Thumb Fun Eau De Tom

Season 2 (2002) Fangs a Lot Sorcerer's Apprentice Ghost Train Plumber's Mate Flower Power Two to Tango Sailing Away Bird in the Hand The Queen and I Faster Pasta Piece of Cake Good Sports Let's Get Quizzical In a Whirl April Fool! Rainy Daze Whale of a Time Switched-On Tom Seeing Spots Zoo-Loose Aieee! Robot Swings and Roundabouts Tree's a Crowd Tutenkhamen Tom Lights! Camera! Old Tom! Meteor Madness

Production Production on the series was announced in November 1999, when Yoram Gross-EM.TV had collaborated with French animation studio Millimages to adapt Leigh Hobbs' book series Old Tom into an animated television series of the same name with The Australian Broadcasting Corporation and French television network TF1 serving as commissioners with a 2001 delivery date with Yoram Gross-EM.TV and Millimages would produce & handle animation production services while AAC Kids, the kids & family production label of Toronto-based Canadian film & television production/distribution company Alliance Atlantis, had brought worldwide distribution rights to the series except for Asia-Pacific, Eastern Europe, French-speaking territories (including France) and Germany where Yoram Gross-EM.TV and its parent EM.TV & Merchandising would distribute it in those territores,

When the series ended and after Alliance Atlantis had closed its kids & family unit AAC Kids a year later in 2003, Millimages, whom launched its distribution arm in February 2002 and Yoram Gross-EM.TV's parent EM.TV & Merchandising assumed worldwide distribution to the series however, Belgian production group Studio 100 would soon takeover distribution to the series six years later in May 2008 when its German distribution unit Studio 100 International had brought out Australian animation studio Flying Bark Productions and its German kids & family entertainment parent EM.Entertainment from Sport1 Medien.

See also The Adventures of Blinky Bill (1993–2004) Tabaluga (1997–2004) Skippy: Adventures in Bushtown (1998–1999) Flipper & Lopaka (1999–2005)

References

External links

Old Tom on TV.com Old Tom on Yoram Gross Films