After completing the pilot programme, CBC turned down the production and so Dave Ellison travelled to the BBC in London to show it.

A later remake was produced by Canada's YTV and Channel 4 in 1995 which ran for three years, and a feature-length film was made in 2008 using puppets rather than live animals.

The programme had human voices in sync with the actions of the live animals, to give the impression that the creatures were performing activities.

They lived in a place called "The Riverbank" and operated various artefacts including toy sailboats, cars, and even a diving bell.

In the United States, Once Upon A Hamster was broadcast in a late-night slot, which helped the programme transcend its intended audience and develop a cult status among US viewers.

Directed by John Henderson, produced by Handmade Pictures and starring Stephen Fry as Owl, Ardal O'Hanlon as Hammy, Steve Coogan as Roderick and Jim Broadbent as G. P., the story follows three friends who live in a riverbank.

A publicity image by David Ellison of Hammy Hamster holding a clapperboard[nb 1] made an unexpected appearance on a January 2009 news broadcast regarding the disappearance of a young girl named Molly Bish.