The DJ Kat Show
The DJ Kat Show was a children’s TV program that featured a puppet named DJ Kat and his friend Linda de Mol. It ran in Europe on Sky channels from 1 September 1986 to 31 December 1995, airing on weekday mornings and afternoons and later on weekends. The European version focused on a mix of cartoons and live segments, and a separate American version aired on Fox-affiliated stations.
The European show was produced by John de Mol Produkties, which later became Endemol. Linda de Mol is John de Mol’s sister. All linking material between the cartoons was filmed in Hilversum, Netherlands, and written by Joost Timp. DJ Kat was a puppet wearing a black leather jacket who loved spinning records and sometimes ate junk from trash cans. His favorite food was mashed peas and carrots, and he liked milk in a dirty glass. In the intro he would say, “This is the DJ Kat show and I am DJ Kat...that’s my name. It’s a D and a J and a Kat with a K.” The spelling with a K reflects Dutch spelling of cat, and Linda de Mol is Dutch.
DJ Kat was originally performed by puppeteer Robert “Robbie” Hahn. In 1989 British puppeteer Don Austen took over the role for more than 2,000 episodes on Sky One, keeping the character on screen for several years. Linda de Mol remained the co-presenter at the start, and she later worked on other Endemol programs, including the original Dutch version of Deal or No Deal.
When Sky Channel shifted its focus to the United Kingdom in early 1989, the show’s production moved from Hilversum to Blackbird Productions in London. Linda’s last European episode aired on 3 February 1989. She was briefly replaced by Steffanie “Steffie” Pitt, daughter of Ingrid Pitt, who appeared from February to September 1989 and introduced a new character, Yummy Tickle Mouse. Robbie Hahn briefly returned to the Netherlands, then left to work on a related show. Catrina Hylton-Hull (Stepparent of the late Rod Hull’s Emu) joined on 11 September 1989 and stayed for about three years, helping to keep the show going as ratings began to drop.
In 1992 the series got a major revamp with a new look, a new studio, and a new theme. Catrina left, and new co-presenters came in: Simon Jermond and Marcelle Duprey (Marcie), with Joe Greco as a stand-in and later as a full presenter. New games like Katz Alley and Joke Machine were added for viewer interaction with prizes. The changes helped briefly, but the show’s audience continued to fall.
A Saturday spin-off, KTV, started in September 1994, focusing more on documentary-style features and sketch parodies, including a General Hospital spoof and an EastEnders parody called Arthur Square. A quieter Sunday version of DJ Kat with Joe Greco also aired. In 1995, Sky One decided not to renew the program, and the final episode aired on 31 December 1995. It was replaced in January 1996 by Boiled Egg & Soldiers, a short-lived breakfast show.
An American version of The DJ Kat Show began on WNYW in New York City on 28 November 1987. Set in a small clubhouse basement, it followed DJ Kat and his assistant Elizabeth Rose presenting mail segments and skits between cartoons. The American version eventually focused more on live action and different hosts, ending in 1988, with later wraparound appearances on weekdays until Fox Kids launched in 1991.
After DJ Kat ended in Europe, Sky One introduced a new kids block called Sky One Undun, running from 1 November 1995 to 18 October 1996, until most of Sky’s kids programs moved to Fox Kids in October 1996.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 06:28 (CET).