David Tennant to headline animated Christmas special 'The Highway Rat'

Oct. 14 (UPI) -- Doctor Who, Jessica Jones and Broadchurch alum David Tennant has been tapped to lend his voice to the title character in the animated TV special The Highway Rat.

The vocal cast for the half-hour, Magic Light Pictures production will also include Rob Brydon as the narrator, Nina Sosanya as the Duck, Tom Hollander as the Squirrel and Frances de le Tour as the Rabbit. The Christmas special airing this year is based on the children's picture book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler.

"I am delighted that we will be bringing another of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler's much loved stories to life on the BBC. Magic Light Pictures have, yet again, woven their wonderful magic to animate the story of The Highway Rat with warmth and wit -- and some very recognizable voices!" Elizabeth Kilgarriff, senior commissioning editor of BBC Drama, said in a statement.

Michael Rose and Martin Pope, co-founders of Magic Light Pictures, added: "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."