The true story of prominent naturalist Gerald Durrell's stay on the Greek island of Corfu in the 1930's when he was a child. Gerry (Darren Redmayne) is the youngest member of his eccentric family, and at the time the story starts already a keen nature enthusiast. So it's a dream come true when his very English family emigrate to the beautiful Greek island, which is teeming with bird and animal life for him to investigate. But there's small chance of being left to pursue his vocation in peace - also present are his intelligent but highly temperamental brother Larry, the other writer of the family, his romantic if scatty sister Margo, practical Leslie, who is also a keen marksman and rifleman and only slightly less volatile than Larry, and his long-suffering and endlessly patient Mother, who attempts to keep her wilful and unruly offspring within the bounds of reason and sanity. Also present are various friends, servants, tutors and the people of Corfu, not to mention Gerry's ever growing menagerie of animals and birds. Mix all this together and some truly crazy situations arise - Gerry's scorpion escaping at the breakfast table, Margo and Mother's disastrous date at the cinema, Larry setting his room on fire, Leslie finding snakes in the bath, Gerry's tortoise meeting an unfortunate end, Leslie's burglar alarm prompting a near riot, Larry's room being torn asunder by magpies, musical pigeons, hysterical dogs, and Spiro's (the Tutor) determination to make sure Gerry gets educated.
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