Shirley reviews a TV series from our DVD collection

Starring Keeley Hawes, Milo Parker, Josh O'Connor, Daisy Waterstone, Callum Woodhouse, Alexis Georgoulis, Anna Sawa, and Yorgos Karamihos.

Set in the 1930s, this family comedy-drama centres on Louisa Durrell, played by a brilliant Keeley Hawes, and her four children Laurence (Larry), Leslie, Margo, and Gerald (Gerry). The family had spent some time in India under the British Raj and when her husband dies, Louisa Durrell moves back to England to try to survive on a widow’s pension. To live more cheaply, she moves her family to the gorgeous Greek Island of Corfu where they live in a large crumbling house by the sea. Here they try to get by in a foreign land with the help of local man Spiro and Greek doctor, scientist, poet, and philosopher Theodore Stephanides.

You will be transported to a magical, heartwarming, and sometimes amusing world with a backdrop of fantastic scenery. The acting is very good, and the range of exotic animals studied by Gerry gives a quirky flavour to the story.

The series is based on naturalist Gerald Durrell’s books about his experiences of life on Corfu as a boy. Series 4 will be the last to be filmed, and I’m already waiting with excitement to join the family again.

Series 1, 2, and 3 available in DVD format. Other titles by Gerald Durrell are available in book and electronic formats, including My Family and Other Animals; Birds, Beasts and Relatives; and Garden of the Gods, which make up the Corfu Trilogy.

You can also check out The Durrells on our catalogue.

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