This film is part of Free

Strangers
Who needs to talk to strangers when you're the only one who can understand the garbled mewling of your best buddy cat, Charley?
Overview
"Do you want to see some puppies?" There can be few phrases so outwardly innocuous that set off more alarm bells than this one, and this film is why. Charley cat is the dream companion not just of children but also every parent, keeping their kids honest, innocent and safe. The somewhat uncanny movement of the flat cardboard puppets, particularly the dark stranger, helped engrain them into the brains of a generation of children.
The series was produced in cut-out animation so it could be produced quickly and on a limited budget, but such lo-fi techniques were familiar to children from a variety of their favourite TV programmes of the time. These new HD transfers reveal the quality of the original artwork, and the clever detailed shading achieved with nothing more sophisticated than felt-tip markers.
Related

London Line Colour No. 16 London Line Colour No. 16
Cinemagazine 1968 14 mins Silent Location: Surbiton
What do "I'm Backing Britain", electronic music and nuclear lighthouses have in common? Nothing at all, but they're all here in this 60s TV magazine show.

Nurse and Martyr Nurse and Martyr
Biopic 1915 11 mins Silent
The moving true story of wartime heroine Nurse Edith Cavell, recreated in the aftermath of her execution.

Spare Time Spare Time
Documentary 1939 14 mins Location: Sheffield
A rare glimpse into the leisure pursuits of ordinary people in pre-war Britain.

Battle Front in Britain Battle Front in Britain
Documentary 1918 24 mins Silent
Growing potatoes in Green Park plus some handy uses for your old tin cans – it’s all part of the war effort on the home front.

The Queen's State Visit to Iran The Queen's State Visit to Iran
Documentary 1961 14 mins
2-6 March 1961 saw the Queen and Prince Philip make their first and only state visit to Iran. Their host was Mohammed Reza Pahlavi (1919-80), the Shah of Iran, who had already made an official visit to Britain in 1959.

Zandra Rhodes Zandra Rhodes
Government sponsored film 1981 15 mins
Early 1980s portrait of fashion designer Zandra Rhodes, by fellow avant-garde creator, Peter Greenaway.

Alexandre Desplat (Masterclass) Alexandre Desplat (Masterclass)
Inside Film 2011 33 mins
Over 30 years and 150 projects, the composer shares, with humour and passion, the intricacies of making film music.

Ian Neil (Masterclass) Ian Neil (Masterclass)
Inside Film 2012 74 mins
Neil selected soundtracks for 127 Hours, Shame, Kick Ass, Control and many more. He discusses the job and its complexities, referencing his own work.

Screenwriters' Lecture: Peter Straughan Screenwriters' Lecture: Peter Straughan
Inside Film 2012 mins
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy's adapter reveals his quest for "the poem of the book" and the importance of simplicity: 'Drain the pond to find the fish'.

Gabriel Yared on composing for film Gabriel Yared on composing for film
Inside Film 2013 11 mins
Composer of The Lives of Others, The English Patient and Betty Blue on intimacy and experimentation.

Lois Burwell on movie makeup Lois Burwell on movie makeup
Inside Film 2013 17 mins
Lincoln, Braveheart and Magnolia make-up artist Lois Burwell explains how she created some of her most iconic looks, as part of a BAFTA Masterclass.

Barry Ackroyd (Masterclass) Barry Ackroyd (Masterclass)
2013 61 mins
British cinematographer of The Hurt Locker, Captain Phillips, Hillsborough and Riff Raff reviews the art of the moving image.