My Family and Other Animals
TV series based on the autobiographical novel by Gerald Durrell, the naturalist, explorer, writer and conservationist, which tells the story of his family settling on Corfu island in 1933 after his father's untimely death. They lived there until 1939. His family was rather eccentric and allowed the 8 to 14 year-old Gerald to keep wildlife as pets; he also made friends among the local humans.
- 1987-1987
- 1 season
- Drama
TV series based on the autobiographical novel by Gerald Durrell, the naturalist, explorer, writer and conservationist, which tells the story of his family settling on Corfu island in 1933 after his father's untimely death. They lived there until 1939. His family was rather eccentric and allowed the 8 to 14 year-old Gerald to keep wildlife as pets; he also made friends among the local humans.
Season 1 Episode Guide
10 Episodes 1987
Episode 1
Episode #1.1
30 mins
Tired of grey and rainy England, the somewhat eccentric Durrell family decide to move to the Greek island of Corfu to live. Consisting of widowed mother Louisa and her children - aspiring writer Larry, gun mad Leslie, boy mad Margo and animal mad youngest son Gerry - they are soon befriended by taxi driver Spiro, who finds them a villa to live at. And it is there that Gerry discovers the various wonderful and different creatures that live on the island in what will be a memorable three years living in Corfu.
Episode 2
Episode #1.2
30 mins
The family decide to hire a tutor, George, to teach Gerry after becoming concerned that he spends far too much time absorbed in the various creatures that reside on the island. But it proves a bigger challenge than George anticipated, with Gerry entranced by a passing Rose Beetle Man, who he acquires a tortoise called Achilles and a pigeon called Quasimodo from. And it's not too long before the tortoise goes wandering off.
Episode 3
Episode #1.3
30 mins
Gerry is tutor-less again after George admits defeat in trying to teach him, so the family go swimming instead, making great fun out of mother's old swimming costume. Gerry meets Dr Theodore Stephanides for the first time and discovers a mutual love of nature, and later is given a dead scorpion in a bottle by Yani with a story to tell. The scorpion itself proves an unexpected trouble, but there is also a mystery about Spiro's strange behaviour recently - something he is desperate to tell the family about, but seemingly can't.
Episode 4
Episode #1.4
30 mins
Margo is dating a Turk called Yasha, who she brings to visit the family. But not everybody is happy with her new man - in particular taxi driver Spiro, who seems to have his own soft spot for Margo. And things get farcical when Yasha invites Margo and her mother to the cinema, with Spiro keeping close watch on proceedings. Meanwhile Larry has invited some poet friends over to visit - however, what he has neglected to mention to Mother is that they expect to be staying with them for the week.
Episode 5
Episode #1.5
30 mins
The Durrells have to find another villa after Larry invites his pet friends over to stay, with Spiro proving handy when looking for a new home. They also acquire a housekeeper in the shape of Lugaretzia, who speaks very little English. Unfortunately the furniture is riddled with woodworm, so Spiro takes Mother, Margo and Gerry to shop for new furniture and they end up following a religious fiesta that goes through the street. Later Margo falls ill just as Larry's new poet friends arrive to stay, but the rest of the family are less than impressed with Larry's pretentious pals - least of all Mother.
Episode 6
Episode #1.6
30 mins
After Dr Stephanides takes the family out in a boat one evening, Gerry decides he wants one of his own to study underwater mammals, so Leslie decides to make him one for his upcoming birthday party. Meanwhile Lugaretzia has toothache, but does not take kindly to the family's various offers to remove it for her. And Margo has acquired a new boyfriend, Peter, who she cons her family into taking in on the pretext of being a new tutor for Gerry. Needless to say, neither of her older brothers are keen on her new man, who seems rather too deeply enamoured in Margo than she realizes.
Episode 7
Episode #1.7
30 mins
Margo is despondent when Peter leaves and refuses to eat. Later a letter arrives from Peter, leaving the family undecided what to do with it, but it's contents leave Margo even more fraught than ever and later she ill advisedly takes out Gerry's new boat to get away from things. Meanwhile Gerry acquires a praying mantis and two toads among his menagerie of creatures, but discovers that they are not a good mix with his collection. And Leslie decides to set a trap involving his many guns - for Margo's absent boyfriend and for the latest petty pilfering going on down at the jetty.
Episode 8
Episode #1.8
30 mins
The Durrells have moved again after receiving a letter from two aged aunts threatening to come over to stay with them. Gerry is delighted to discover bats in the roof in his room, but is less enthusiastic when he learns that yet again he is to have a tutor, a Mr Kralefsky. Even worse, he has to travel to his new tutor's home to be taught and finds him a fussy little man with an aged mother upstairs he looks after. Later Gerry finds two baby magpies he brings home, but his brothers are less than happy to have them.
Episode 9
Episode #1.9
30 mins
Mrs Durrell finds a sick stray dog that she takes home and names Dodo, but it soon attracts the attentions of their own collie dog Roger. Meanwhile Gerry finds a couple of snakes while in the swamp waters but while there encounters a stranger there who calls himself Kosti. He befriends the man, but doesn't learn until later the man's dark past - he was sent to prison for murdering his wife.
Episode 10
Episode #1.10
30 mins
Mr Kralefsky, Gerry's tutor, informs his mother that he has taught him all that he can and advises that they send Gerry to a school in England to finish his education. It proves to be a momentous decision for the family, who decide to organize a farewell party and invite the residents to it. Upon hearing that Gerry wants goldfish for the pond for the party, Spiro decides to get him some, but where he acquires them from is less than legal. And as the family prepare for the party, Gerry's menagerie of animals - from a dog on heat, to hydrated snakes and a faulty lock on the birds cages - make sure that the party becomes a memorable one for all the wrong reasons.
