1
00:00:00,500 --> 00:00:02,820
Let's raise a glass.

2
00:00:04,900 --> 00:00:10,460
To us, to these sacred years,
and the future.

3
00:00:10,460 --> 00:00:11,740
Cheers.

4
00:00:11,740 --> 00:00:14,140
ALL: Sacred years.

5
00:00:14,140 --> 00:00:15,940
ALL: Geia mas.

6
00:00:17,700 --> 00:00:21,700
For the last four years, I've been
leading something of a double life.

7
00:00:23,420 --> 00:00:26,900
Every summer, I've said goodbye
to my family back home

8
00:00:26,900 --> 00:00:30,420
and run away to Corfu to hang out
with my other family.

9
00:00:30,420 --> 00:00:31,740
The Durrells.

10
00:00:31,740 --> 00:00:33,100
I try not to compare the two,

11
00:00:33,100 --> 00:00:35,740
but The Durrells
are eccentric and chaotic

12
00:00:35,740 --> 00:00:38,180
and, frankly, it's been hell.

13
00:00:38,180 --> 00:00:40,700
But the sun has shone
most of the time,

14
00:00:40,700 --> 00:00:44,420
and as their mother Louisa, I've
gradually licked them into shape.

15
00:00:44,420 --> 00:00:47,300
But now we've packed up
our high-waisted trousers

16
00:00:47,300 --> 00:00:50,020
and our floppy hats,
and it's time to leave.

17
00:00:52,420 --> 00:00:55,300
But what happened
to the real Durrells?

18
00:00:58,100 --> 00:01:02,340
'This extraordinary family
of eccentrics left Corfu

19
00:01:02,340 --> 00:01:06,100
'and became some of the most
influential people of their times.

20
00:01:08,300 --> 00:01:10,500
'Animal-mad Gerry...'
Hello.

21
00:01:10,500 --> 00:01:13,460
'..grew up to be a pioneering
conservationist.'

22
00:01:13,460 --> 00:01:18,940
Gerry Durrell was,
to use the modern idiom, magic.

23
00:01:18,940 --> 00:01:21,940
'While sex-crazed Larry...'

24
00:01:21,940 --> 00:01:23,340
Please be my girlfriend.

25
00:01:23,340 --> 00:01:25,700
'..became a world-renowned writer.'

26
00:01:25,700 --> 00:01:28,340
My next guest is one of Britain's
leading authors.

27
00:01:28,340 --> 00:01:31,100
He was nominated
for the Nobel Prize For Literature.

28
00:01:31,100 --> 00:01:33,860
'And sister Margo...'

29
00:01:33,860 --> 00:01:36,780
ALL GASP

30
00:01:36,780 --> 00:01:40,460
'..lived life to the full
and defied conventions.'

31
00:01:40,460 --> 00:01:44,780
She was a real free spirit.
An amazing woman.

32
00:01:44,780 --> 00:01:47,100
She also did like the boys.

33
00:01:48,300 --> 00:01:53,060
'The Durrells rubbed shoulders with
movie stars and won over royalty.'

34
00:01:53,060 --> 00:01:54,620
He was always original.

35
00:01:54,620 --> 00:01:57,540
He was somebody who never
stopped asking questions.

36
00:01:58,660 --> 00:02:02,300
'Through the eyes of family members
and those who knew them,

37
00:02:02,300 --> 00:02:07,220
'we'll discover how Corfu shaped
this remarkable family forever.'

38
00:02:07,220 --> 00:02:10,420
I've never met a family
like the Durrells.

39
00:02:11,500 --> 00:02:12,900
I think they just...

40
00:02:12,900 --> 00:02:15,100
They broke the mould
when they made the Durrells.

41
00:02:24,020 --> 00:02:28,100
Back when the Durrells lived
on Corfu over 80 years ago,

42
00:02:28,100 --> 00:02:30,620
the island felt like
an abandoned paradise,

43
00:02:30,620 --> 00:02:33,700
and very different to the Britain
they'd left behind.

44
00:02:33,700 --> 00:02:37,060
A world of stifling convention,
electricity,

45
00:02:37,060 --> 00:02:39,740
and, admittedly, proper toilets.

46
00:02:39,740 --> 00:02:40,900
But as we know,

47
00:02:40,900 --> 00:02:45,660
the family threw themselves into
Corfu life with manic enthusiasm.

48
00:02:45,660 --> 00:02:49,460
Margo pursuing,
or being pursued by, boys.

49
00:02:49,460 --> 00:02:52,060
Larry searching for literary
inspiration.

50
00:02:52,060 --> 00:02:54,460
Gerry saving the local wildlife.

51
00:02:54,460 --> 00:02:56,060
And Leslie killing it.

52
00:02:57,620 --> 00:03:01,180
And Louisa just trying to keep her
family alive and well.

53
00:03:04,060 --> 00:03:08,300
'The Durrells set out for Corfu
in 1935,

54
00:03:08,300 --> 00:03:11,820
'seven years after the tragic death
of Louisa's husband Lawrence.

55
00:03:14,980 --> 00:03:18,180
'The family's money was running out,
and Greece offered a cheaper life.'

56
00:03:19,420 --> 00:03:23,060
To move a family to a place
where you don't know

57
00:03:23,060 --> 00:03:25,700
what's going to be greeting you
when you get off the ferry,

58
00:03:25,700 --> 00:03:27,780
to do that in the 1930s

59
00:03:27,780 --> 00:03:30,060
just because you cared about
your family's happiness

60
00:03:30,060 --> 00:03:34,340
and you wanted them to be happy
is just mind-boggling.

61
00:03:35,860 --> 00:03:38,260
'The Durrells did what
we've all dreamed of.

62
00:03:38,260 --> 00:03:41,460
'They dropped everything
and moved to paradise.'

63
00:03:43,220 --> 00:03:45,220
Mrs Durrell, what are you doing?

64
00:03:45,220 --> 00:03:46,820
I'm living for the moment.

65
00:03:51,060 --> 00:03:54,860
'Corfu opened up new experiences
for the whole family.

66
00:03:54,860 --> 00:03:57,980
'For Louisa, seven years a widow,

67
00:03:57,980 --> 00:04:01,260
'the island offered romantic
possibilities.

68
00:04:03,220 --> 00:04:07,220
'Speculation continues on Corfu
about the nature of her relationship

69
00:04:07,220 --> 00:04:09,660
'with local taxi driver Spiro.'

70
00:04:10,900 --> 00:04:13,820
In Corfu, it was known

71
00:04:13,820 --> 00:04:20,100
that Spiro Amerikanos did have
a very strong feeling about Louisa.

72
00:04:20,100 --> 00:04:24,060
You can call it love if you like,
you can call it affection.

73
00:04:24,060 --> 00:04:29,460
My great grandfather, he was
a very benevolent and kind man.

74
00:04:29,460 --> 00:04:33,340
He was a protector of the Durrells
when they came here.

75
00:04:34,900 --> 00:04:39,220
What I believe, and from what
I've heard, there was a sparkle,

76
00:04:39,220 --> 00:04:42,660
like, something platonic,
but that was it.

77
00:04:44,500 --> 00:04:47,660
'Louisa gave each of her children
extraordinary freedom.

78
00:04:49,260 --> 00:04:51,620
'Gerry, the youngest,
was left to roam the island,

79
00:04:51,620 --> 00:04:54,060
'studying its wildlife.'

80
00:04:54,060 --> 00:04:55,660
Mum!

81
00:04:55,660 --> 00:04:59,860
Gerry, you have a spider, two
dormice, a tortoise and a family.

82
00:04:59,860 --> 00:05:01,900
You do not need a pelican.

83
00:05:01,900 --> 00:05:04,140
'But far from leading him astray,

84
00:05:04,140 --> 00:05:07,060
'this unusual start to life
was the making of him.'

85
00:05:07,060 --> 00:05:09,540
SQUAWKS

86
00:05:11,820 --> 00:05:15,140
'Gerry grew up to be
a world-famous zoologist,

87
00:05:15,140 --> 00:05:18,620
'who established a unique zoo
on the island of Jersey,

88
00:05:18,620 --> 00:05:21,900
'dedicated to saving
endangered species.'

89
00:05:21,900 --> 00:05:25,460
How do you sum up the contribution
to conservation

90
00:05:25,460 --> 00:05:28,660
of someone like Gerald Durrell?

91
00:05:28,660 --> 00:05:32,420
He was truly a man before his time.

92
00:05:35,020 --> 00:05:37,380
'Gerry's zoo and conservation trust

93
00:05:37,380 --> 00:05:42,580
'work to protect nearly 200 species
across the world.

94
00:05:42,580 --> 00:05:49,260
'From its Jersey HQ, it is actively
breeding 36 endangered species.

95
00:05:49,260 --> 00:05:52,660
'It truly is a modern-day
Noah's Ark.'

96
00:05:53,740 --> 00:05:55,180
There are species on this planet

97
00:05:55,180 --> 00:05:57,820
that wouldn't be here
if it wasn't for Gerald Durrell.

98
00:05:57,820 --> 00:06:02,180
He was undoubtedly one of the most
important naturalists of our time.

99
00:06:03,700 --> 00:06:07,540
'Gerald's achievements have been
admired at the highest level.

100
00:06:07,540 --> 00:06:11,780
'The Princess Royal has championed
his ideas on conservation

101
00:06:11,780 --> 00:06:13,660
'for nearly five decades.'

102
00:06:13,660 --> 00:06:17,060
He understood how species fitted in
with each other

103
00:06:17,060 --> 00:06:19,380
and, to some extent,
with the human race.

104
00:06:19,380 --> 00:06:22,500
I think it was that
level of understanding

105
00:06:22,500 --> 00:06:24,740
that made Gerald Durrell
so different.

106
00:06:24,740 --> 00:06:29,260
But he was also sufficiently
articulate and sociable

107
00:06:29,260 --> 00:06:31,540
that he could get that message
across as well.

108
00:06:32,620 --> 00:06:36,900
'Milo Parker, who plays Gerry
in our series, is now an ambassador

109
00:06:36,900 --> 00:06:40,180
'for this internationally-renowned
institution.'

110
00:06:40,180 --> 00:06:45,340
Before I filmed series one, I wasn't
really educated on conservation.

111
00:06:45,340 --> 00:06:47,060
And now I'm absolutely fascinated
by it.

112
00:06:48,420 --> 00:06:50,340
I think I've definitely grown up
being Gerry,

113
00:06:50,340 --> 00:06:53,300
and I think that the fact
I had the opportunity

114
00:06:53,300 --> 00:06:56,260
to tell people about
what this great man did

115
00:06:56,260 --> 00:06:58,460
to help save species from extinction

116
00:06:58,460 --> 00:07:00,660
is really an honour for me.

117
00:07:00,660 --> 00:07:04,500
So, how many of you guys would like
to work in a zoo when you're older?

118
00:07:04,500 --> 00:07:06,100
Yeah. It's a fun job, isn't it?

119
00:07:06,100 --> 00:07:08,260
Are there any animals
you'd like to work with?

120
00:07:08,260 --> 00:07:09,500
'This pioneering zoo

121
00:07:09,500 --> 00:07:12,660
'grew out of Gerry's childhood love
for the natural world,

122
00:07:12,660 --> 00:07:14,380
'which was nurtured on Corfu

123
00:07:14,380 --> 00:07:17,900
'by his friend and mentor
Theodore Stephanides.'

124
00:07:21,820 --> 00:07:26,180
Theo was the person who really
cemented Gerry's love for animals,

125
00:07:26,180 --> 00:07:28,020
because wherever Gerry
had a question

126
00:07:28,020 --> 00:07:31,220
or wanted to know something more,
he would go to Theo.

127
00:07:31,220 --> 00:07:32,940
How are your creatures?

128
00:07:35,940 --> 00:07:37,420
I can't wait to show my family.

129
00:07:37,420 --> 00:07:39,820
'Theo was a notable scientist,

130
00:07:39,820 --> 00:07:42,620
'who revealed to Gerry
the fascination

131
00:07:42,620 --> 00:07:44,500
'of unusual creatures.'

132
00:07:44,500 --> 00:07:46,820
Through the eyes
of Theodore Stephanides,

133
00:07:46,820 --> 00:07:50,660
Gerry is discovering
the significance of these animals.

134
00:07:51,740 --> 00:07:55,220
'Corfu gave the Durrells
four years of joyful adventures.

135
00:07:56,860 --> 00:07:59,500
'But those carefree times
were not to last forever.

136
00:08:03,540 --> 00:08:06,500
'As the war in Europe
reached the shores of Corfu,

137
00:08:06,500 --> 00:08:09,220
'the family was forced
off the island.

138
00:08:12,100 --> 00:08:14,820
'Larry settled
in the Egyptian city of Alexandria,

139
00:08:14,820 --> 00:08:16,300
'where he continued to write.

140
00:08:18,100 --> 00:08:20,980
'Although still a relatively unknown
author,

141
00:08:20,980 --> 00:08:23,340
'this city would inspire the work

142
00:08:23,340 --> 00:08:25,580
'that would eventually make him
world-famous.

143
00:08:28,900 --> 00:08:30,140
'Unlike Larry,

144
00:08:30,140 --> 00:08:33,580
'Louisa had had quite enough
excitement in the Mediterranean,

145
00:08:33,580 --> 00:08:35,860
'and opted for somewhere
rather more secure and familiar.

146
00:08:37,900 --> 00:08:39,740
'By the autumn of 1939,

147
00:08:39,740 --> 00:08:43,940
'she had settled back in England
with Gerry and Leslie.'

148
00:08:43,940 --> 00:08:45,420
After four years away,

149
00:08:45,420 --> 00:08:48,940
they were again in
the polite suburbs of Bournemouth.

150
00:08:48,940 --> 00:08:53,540
A world of twitching net curtains,
sensible knitwear and fog.

151
00:08:54,740 --> 00:08:56,740
After the sun and the freedom
of Corfu,

152
00:08:56,740 --> 00:09:00,220
it must have felt like waking up
with a hangover.

153
00:09:03,500 --> 00:09:06,700
'Louisa bought
a quiet suburban residence.

154
00:09:06,700 --> 00:09:09,660
'Number 52 St Albans Avenue.

155
00:09:09,660 --> 00:09:13,220
'It remained the family home
throughout the '40s.

156
00:09:15,740 --> 00:09:19,260
'Gerry was as determined as ever
to be around animals,

157
00:09:19,260 --> 00:09:23,740
'so soon found a job
as a keeper in Whipsnade Zoo.

158
00:09:25,460 --> 00:09:30,460
'The only Durrell to stay on Corfu
after the war began was Margo.'

159
00:09:30,460 --> 00:09:33,580
My gran Margo
decided that she didn't want

160
00:09:33,580 --> 00:09:36,140
to leave her beautiful island
of Corfu and its people,

161
00:09:36,140 --> 00:09:39,020
and she decided to dress up
as a peasant

162
00:09:39,020 --> 00:09:41,420
and move in with a local family

163
00:09:41,420 --> 00:09:46,180
and try and camouflage herself
in with the locals.

164
00:09:46,180 --> 00:09:47,900
Of course, it wasn't gonna work

165
00:09:47,900 --> 00:09:50,340
cos she was blonde
and didn't look very Greek at all.

166
00:09:52,020 --> 00:09:55,540
'Margo was finally prised away
from her beloved Corfu

167
00:09:55,540 --> 00:09:58,740
'by a handsome flight engineer
called Jack Breeze.

168
00:10:00,180 --> 00:10:01,660
'After a quick marriage,

169
00:10:01,660 --> 00:10:05,380
'they spent the war gallivanting
around East Africa with his work.

170
00:10:06,660 --> 00:10:08,860
'One divorce and two children later,

171
00:10:08,860 --> 00:10:12,260
'Margo was back in Bournemouth
with the rest of the family.

172
00:10:14,140 --> 00:10:17,580
'Shortly after the war, using money
inherited from her father,

173
00:10:17,580 --> 00:10:21,780
'she bought the property opposite
Louisa to run as a boarding house.'

174
00:10:23,580 --> 00:10:25,780
The lodgers included
a variety of people.

175
00:10:25,780 --> 00:10:28,500
There was a painter
who painted nudes

176
00:10:28,500 --> 00:10:32,540
and also would wander around
the place half-naked himself.

177
00:10:32,540 --> 00:10:36,340
Transvestites having drag parties,

178
00:10:36,340 --> 00:10:38,980
young nurses
who were coming and going

179
00:10:38,980 --> 00:10:40,300
all hours of day and night.

180
00:10:41,940 --> 00:10:45,220
And the neighbours had not quite
seen anything like this before,

181
00:10:45,220 --> 00:10:48,580
and so the rumours start that
my grandma's running a brothel.

182
00:10:48,580 --> 00:10:50,220
That's what people read into it.

183
00:10:50,220 --> 00:10:52,460
It was a conservative road,
you have to admit.

184
00:10:54,060 --> 00:10:56,700
From time to time,
in this very quiet suburban street,

185
00:10:56,700 --> 00:10:58,500
the police cars would roar up

186
00:10:58,500 --> 00:11:00,420
because somebody would have escaped

187
00:11:00,420 --> 00:11:03,940
from either the prison
or the mental hospital,

188
00:11:03,940 --> 00:11:07,220
and they thought they might find
them lodging at her boarding house.

189
00:11:12,020 --> 00:11:13,860
'On his 21st birthday,

190
00:11:13,860 --> 00:11:17,340
'Gerry also inherited a lump sum
from his father's estate.

191
00:11:18,860 --> 00:11:20,660
'He quit his job at Whipsnade

192
00:11:20,660 --> 00:11:23,260
'to fulfil an ambition
that began in Corfu.'

193
00:11:24,780 --> 00:11:27,020
Gerry, I know
I complain about your creatures,

194
00:11:27,020 --> 00:11:29,860
but, well, you're serious about
this animal business, aren't you?

195
00:11:29,860 --> 00:11:31,340
Yes, I am.

196
00:11:32,900 --> 00:11:34,300
'He used his windfall

197
00:11:34,300 --> 00:11:37,660
'to fund an animal-collecting
expedition to Cameroon.

198
00:11:39,260 --> 00:11:42,780
'His aim was to bring back animals
to sell on to British zoos,

199
00:11:42,780 --> 00:11:44,900
'as was standard practice
at the time.

200
00:11:46,540 --> 00:11:48,820
'But the lessons he learned
from Theo in Corfu

201
00:11:48,820 --> 00:11:50,860
'were still a strong influence,

202
00:11:50,860 --> 00:11:54,540
'and Gerry was soon determined
to do things differently.'

203
00:11:54,540 --> 00:11:56,940
"It's not about the animals
that will get me

204
00:11:56,940 --> 00:11:59,300
"the most attention
or the most money.

205
00:11:59,300 --> 00:12:02,580
"I'm more fascinated with the very
unusual things, the scarce things,

206
00:12:02,580 --> 00:12:04,740
"the things people probably
didn't even know existed

207
00:12:04,740 --> 00:12:07,180
"that were disappearing."

208
00:12:07,180 --> 00:12:12,780
His broad interests were always
leading him down different paths.

209
00:12:12,780 --> 00:12:16,660
Not just the glamorous animals
like the orangutans,

210
00:12:16,660 --> 00:12:18,220
which everybody enjoyed,

211
00:12:18,220 --> 00:12:23,060
but insects and birds were
just as important to that equation.

212
00:12:23,060 --> 00:12:26,380
'With his unique approach
to animal collecting,

213
00:12:26,380 --> 00:12:29,620
'this determined young rebel
was now on a path

214
00:12:29,620 --> 00:12:32,660
'that would change zoos forever.'

215
00:12:39,570 --> 00:12:43,930
By 1950, Gerald Durrell was
an established animal collector

216
00:12:43,930 --> 00:12:46,490
for some of the biggest zoos
in Britain.

217
00:12:46,490 --> 00:12:48,010
But it was a tough business,

218
00:12:48,010 --> 00:12:51,290
and he came back
from each expedition broke.

219
00:12:53,610 --> 00:12:57,250
'The revenue from selling his
animals barely covered his costs.

220
00:12:58,450 --> 00:12:59,810
'And on top of that,

221
00:12:59,810 --> 00:13:04,050
'he was concerned about how
they would be treated in captivity.

222
00:13:04,050 --> 00:13:06,890
'Many of the animals
from Gerry's early trips

223
00:13:06,890 --> 00:13:09,330
'were put into the care
of London Zoo,

224
00:13:09,330 --> 00:13:12,290
'where conditions were not
to his liking.

225
00:13:14,970 --> 00:13:16,410
'In particular,

226
00:13:16,410 --> 00:13:19,330
'he worried the chimps
were not treated with respect.

227
00:13:20,650 --> 00:13:24,370
'Before long, his favourite,
Cholmondeley, was at the centre

228
00:13:24,370 --> 00:13:28,210
'of a dramatic incident
that made national headlines.'

229
00:13:28,210 --> 00:13:31,370
This is the backdrop
to an incredible scene

230
00:13:31,370 --> 00:13:34,290
that's played out in January 1951.

231
00:13:34,290 --> 00:13:36,770
And the headlines
in the Express read,

232
00:13:36,770 --> 00:13:40,290
"Chumley the Chimp
boards a 53 bus, bites a woman,

233
00:13:40,290 --> 00:13:42,970
"wrestles with a man
and then acts as King Kong."

234
00:13:42,970 --> 00:13:44,450
I mean, it's not going very well.

235
00:13:44,450 --> 00:13:46,290
The story picks up here
and says,

236
00:13:46,290 --> 00:13:49,010
"Cholmondeley legged it
across Regents Park."

237
00:13:49,010 --> 00:13:52,170
He went straight across the parkway,
which is here, turned up there

238
00:13:52,170 --> 00:13:53,930
and right into Albany Street.

239
00:13:56,570 --> 00:14:00,450
So, Cholmondeley headed up
Albany Street, jumped on the bus,

240
00:14:00,450 --> 00:14:01,850
which he stopped.

241
00:14:01,850 --> 00:14:04,730
He then bit a woman on the thigh
and bit a bloke on the wrist,

242
00:14:04,730 --> 00:14:06,410
before leaving the bus again

243
00:14:06,410 --> 00:14:09,490
and then climbing up onto a balcony
like these here.

244
00:14:09,490 --> 00:14:11,810
Eventually, his keeper arrives

245
00:14:11,810 --> 00:14:15,130
and he jumps some 10ft
off the balcony into familiar arms.

246
00:14:15,130 --> 00:14:17,770
And the first part of the story
ends well.

247
00:14:17,770 --> 00:14:19,570
He's returned safely
back to the zoo.

248
00:14:21,050 --> 00:14:24,890
'Cholmondeley made another
bid for freedom 11 months later.

249
00:14:24,890 --> 00:14:29,130
'He once again terrorised
pedestrians and jumped on vehicles.'

250
00:14:29,130 --> 00:14:32,050
Sadly, this story didn't end
quite as well for him.

251
00:14:32,050 --> 00:14:34,850
He was rounded up,
returned to the zoo,

252
00:14:34,850 --> 00:14:38,730
and George Cansdale, who was the
superintendent of the zoo, said,

253
00:14:38,730 --> 00:14:40,170
"He was a moody animal,

254
00:14:40,170 --> 00:14:42,810
"gentle as possible at times,
a positive terror at others.

255
00:14:42,810 --> 00:14:45,730
"Regretfully, I decided the only
thing to do...

256
00:14:45,730 --> 00:14:46,850
"was to shoot him."

257
00:14:50,410 --> 00:14:55,410
'Cholmondeley's death confirmed
Gerry's worst suspicions of zoos.'

258
00:14:55,410 --> 00:14:58,410
ARCHIVE AUDIO:
'In a great many zoos,

259
00:14:58,410 --> 00:15:00,770
'the animal is merely an exhibit
in a cage

260
00:15:00,770 --> 00:15:04,730
'and it's treated as though
it had no personality of its own

261
00:15:04,730 --> 00:15:07,090
'and virtually no likes
and dislikes.'

262
00:15:09,290 --> 00:15:12,930
It wasn't about the animals,
other than keeping them alive.

263
00:15:12,930 --> 00:15:15,090
It was more about just
pure entertainment.

264
00:15:16,250 --> 00:15:18,730
So, this is where the germ
in his head started,

265
00:15:18,730 --> 00:15:21,090
which is zoos
should be about the animals,

266
00:15:21,090 --> 00:15:24,570
they should be effectively arks
for animals that need help.

267
00:15:26,410 --> 00:15:29,090
'Over a decade after he left Corfu,

268
00:15:29,090 --> 00:15:33,090
'Gerry was expanding on the ideas
of his mentor Theo.

269
00:15:34,930 --> 00:15:39,410
'However, his ethos was increasingly
in conflict with zoos of the time.

270
00:15:39,410 --> 00:15:42,570
'He was becoming ever more
disillusioned with his profession.

271
00:15:44,210 --> 00:15:49,130
'But a chance encounter would
breathe new life into his career.'

272
00:15:49,130 --> 00:15:53,970
I was only in my teens,
so to meet somebody like him,

273
00:15:53,970 --> 00:15:56,770
who'd been everywhere
and done everything

274
00:15:56,770 --> 00:15:59,930
and had had that wonderful life
in Corfu...

275
00:16:00,970 --> 00:16:02,570
..it was a bit overpowering.

276
00:16:04,450 --> 00:16:07,570
'Shortly after meeting,
Jacquie and Gerry were married.

277
00:16:08,890 --> 00:16:11,530
'They moved into Margo's
Bournemouth boarding house,

278
00:16:11,530 --> 00:16:15,050
'where Jacquie was initiated
into the Durrell clan.'

279
00:16:16,890 --> 00:16:19,250
They were fun to know,

280
00:16:19,250 --> 00:16:24,210
and quite different
from anybody else I'd ever known.

281
00:16:25,450 --> 00:16:29,370
With the Durrells, it's like
putting on a light switch.

282
00:16:29,370 --> 00:16:32,890
And it comes out
in thousands of volts.

283
00:16:35,890 --> 00:16:38,050
'A few years into their
relationship,

284
00:16:38,050 --> 00:16:39,690
'Jacquie was joining Gerry

285
00:16:39,690 --> 00:16:42,330
'on expeditions
to South America and Africa.

286
00:16:45,570 --> 00:16:47,770
'This is the first time
she's seen this footage

287
00:16:47,770 --> 00:16:51,770
'of their trip to Paraguay
since it was filmed 65 years ago.'

288
00:16:58,050 --> 00:17:00,850
This is Gerry catching
a southern anaconda.

289
00:17:02,130 --> 00:17:03,690
He was a lovely snake.

290
00:17:05,050 --> 00:17:06,810
JACQUIE LAUGHS

291
00:17:06,810 --> 00:17:10,650
I don't know how Gerry could smoke
when he had an animal in his hands.

292
00:17:13,610 --> 00:17:16,930
All the animals reacted to him
immediately.

293
00:17:16,930 --> 00:17:20,010
He spoke to all of them,
he played with them.

294
00:17:21,090 --> 00:17:23,530
It was a totally different way.

295
00:17:25,810 --> 00:17:29,690
When we came back from Africa,
I said to him,

296
00:17:29,690 --> 00:17:35,490
"Look, why give these animals
to zoos that you despise anyway?

297
00:17:35,490 --> 00:17:37,690
"Why not keep them

298
00:17:37,690 --> 00:17:42,410
""and get Bournemouth to give you
a site for a zoo?"

299
00:17:43,570 --> 00:17:48,010
'Unfortunately, setting up a zoo
needed money Gerry didn't have.

300
00:17:48,010 --> 00:17:51,650
'But he knew his family had always
been tolerant

301
00:17:51,650 --> 00:17:52,890
'of creatures in the home.'

302
00:17:52,890 --> 00:17:55,250
They're pissing and crapping.

303
00:17:55,250 --> 00:17:56,450
Stop them.

304
00:17:57,490 --> 00:17:58,930
'So, Gerry and Jacquie

305
00:17:58,930 --> 00:18:02,330
'brought their latest collection
to Margo's garden.'

306
00:18:02,330 --> 00:18:05,010
As you can see,
it's quite a big garden

307
00:18:05,010 --> 00:18:08,130
and it was actually bigger then
cos it went back further.

308
00:18:08,130 --> 00:18:13,570
But this became his first collection
of animals, his first zoo.

309
00:18:13,570 --> 00:18:17,490
We had a whole host of cages
full of animals,

310
00:18:17,490 --> 00:18:20,090
and we had a marquee
full of cages as well.

311
00:18:21,490 --> 00:18:24,570
And then the garage,
which is no longer there, sadly,

312
00:18:24,570 --> 00:18:25,690
they insulated that

313
00:18:25,690 --> 00:18:29,050
and that's where they kept all
the reptiles and the exotic birds.

314
00:18:31,090 --> 00:18:33,410
'But, of all the new arrivals,

315
00:18:33,410 --> 00:18:36,850
'one in particular
became the star of suburbia.

316
00:18:36,850 --> 00:18:41,170
'Gerry and Jacquie had fallen
in love with a baby chimp.'

317
00:18:41,170 --> 00:18:43,050
JACQUIE: That's Cholmondeley.

318
00:18:43,050 --> 00:18:45,970
'It seemed Gerry wasn't
very original with names

319
00:18:45,970 --> 00:18:49,650
'because, as with his last chimp
that was shot by its keepers,

320
00:18:49,650 --> 00:18:52,610
'this one was also called
Cholmondeley.'

321
00:18:52,610 --> 00:18:57,210
We had a little hat, like
a Sherlock Holmes hat, made for him

322
00:18:57,210 --> 00:18:59,250
so his ears wouldn't get cold,

323
00:18:59,250 --> 00:19:01,490
and he had a little overcoat
as well.

324
00:19:02,570 --> 00:19:05,330
And everybody fell madly in love
with him.

325
00:19:05,330 --> 00:19:06,650
Every morning,

326
00:19:06,650 --> 00:19:09,250
Cholmondeley was swinging
from the curtains, wasn't he?

327
00:19:09,250 --> 00:19:11,890
Cos it was a treat to see him
before we went off to school.

328
00:19:11,890 --> 00:19:15,450
On one occasion, there was
Cholmondeley riding a bicycle,

329
00:19:15,450 --> 00:19:18,050
but he was doing quite well,
I think.

330
00:19:20,170 --> 00:19:22,770
Gerry used to take him
up to the golf club.

331
00:19:22,770 --> 00:19:25,850
The golfers were absolutely
fascinated by him.

332
00:19:25,850 --> 00:19:28,170
Everybody used to sort of take it
as natural

333
00:19:28,170 --> 00:19:31,530
that Cholmondeley would be up there
every day, playing in the trees.

334
00:19:32,690 --> 00:19:37,250
He wasn't a chimp, he was a human as
far as the Durrells were concerned,

335
00:19:37,250 --> 00:19:39,770
and he was treated
as part of the family.

336
00:19:41,090 --> 00:19:43,370
'Since the start
of their relationship,

337
00:19:43,370 --> 00:19:45,890
'Jacquie and Gerry
had struggled for money.

338
00:19:46,930 --> 00:19:49,890
'But Jacquie thought she'd spotted
an untapped resource

339
00:19:49,890 --> 00:19:51,650
'in his colourful childhood.'

340
00:19:52,730 --> 00:19:53,770
Bravo.

341
00:19:55,090 --> 00:19:56,090
English?

342
00:19:57,170 --> 00:19:58,610
Yes. Gerry.

343
00:20:00,930 --> 00:20:02,730
Kostis.

344
00:20:02,730 --> 00:20:07,970
As he'd amused me for ages
with the stories of these animals

345
00:20:07,970 --> 00:20:12,370
and the natives and people he'd met,
that's why I nagged him.

346
00:20:13,650 --> 00:20:15,490
'Jacquie hoped he could make
some money

347
00:20:15,490 --> 00:20:18,130
'from writing
about his extraordinary life.

348
00:20:18,130 --> 00:20:21,930
'After all, by the time
the family left Corfu,

349
00:20:21,930 --> 00:20:25,730
'brother Larry had already published
three books.'

350
00:20:25,730 --> 00:20:28,650
My new novel. Just published.

351
00:20:28,650 --> 00:20:33,130
Larry spent much of the war
in the Egyptian city of Alexandria,

352
00:20:33,130 --> 00:20:35,570
where he was too busy
falling in love

353
00:20:35,570 --> 00:20:37,930
and scraping together a living
as a civil servant

354
00:20:37,930 --> 00:20:39,690
to publish much writing.

355
00:20:39,690 --> 00:20:43,090
But somewhere in that
tumultuous city,

356
00:20:43,090 --> 00:20:47,250
he found the inspiration he'd been
looking for his whole life.

357
00:20:48,890 --> 00:20:50,810
'Alexandria in the '40s

358
00:20:50,810 --> 00:20:55,330
'was a cosmopolitan melting pot,
full of temptations.'

359
00:20:55,330 --> 00:20:58,890
In Alexandria, he sees a seedy world

360
00:20:58,890 --> 00:21:02,290
that is going to nourish his
imagination.

361
00:21:02,290 --> 00:21:07,130
So, obviously, here, Durrell
is beginning to discover himself

362
00:21:07,130 --> 00:21:11,410
as the womaniser,
the great seducer he was.

363
00:21:12,570 --> 00:21:14,650
'These years in Alexandria

364
00:21:14,650 --> 00:21:17,450
'became the basis
for Larry's greatest work.

365
00:21:17,450 --> 00:21:19,810
'The Alexandria Quartet.

366
00:21:19,810 --> 00:21:23,970
'Four novels published
between 1957 and 1960.

367
00:21:25,250 --> 00:21:26,650
'This landmark work

368
00:21:26,650 --> 00:21:30,370
'made Larry one of the most
high-profile writers in Britain.'

369
00:21:30,370 --> 00:21:31,610
My next guest is a writer,

370
00:21:31,610 --> 00:21:35,410
one of our best and most successful
novelists, Lawrence Durrell.

371
00:21:35,410 --> 00:21:37,450
He gained an international
reputation

372
00:21:37,450 --> 00:21:40,810
with the publication
of The Alexandria Quartet.

373
00:21:40,810 --> 00:21:43,650
'In 1961 and 1962,

374
00:21:43,650 --> 00:21:48,090
'Larry was being considered
for the Nobel Prize For Literature.

375
00:21:48,090 --> 00:21:51,890
'But the committee disapproved
of his racy subject matter.'

376
00:21:52,930 --> 00:21:54,330
I think they're saying

377
00:21:54,330 --> 00:21:56,530
there's essentially too much sex
in the books.

378
00:21:56,530 --> 00:22:01,130
He's not a nice enough writer,
not proper, not decent enough.

379
00:22:02,250 --> 00:22:04,610
'If only he'd listened
to his mother.'

380
00:22:04,610 --> 00:22:06,930
Why do you have to write about sex
all the time?

381
00:22:06,930 --> 00:22:08,530
Because it's everywhere.

382
00:22:09,890 --> 00:22:12,330
'Although very focused
on his own writing career,

383
00:22:12,330 --> 00:22:16,930
'Larry had seen the potential in his
younger brother at an early age.'

384
00:22:16,930 --> 00:22:19,450
Gerry wrote this
just after we arrived in Corfu.

385
00:22:19,450 --> 00:22:21,610
And this one last week.

386
00:22:21,610 --> 00:22:23,450
They're historical documents.

387
00:22:23,450 --> 00:22:26,250
Gerry's going to be
a really good writer.

388
00:22:26,250 --> 00:22:30,690
'Larry continued to encourage
Gerry's talent as he grew up.'

389
00:22:30,690 --> 00:22:32,890
Whenever he wrote to Gerry,
he used to say,

390
00:22:32,890 --> 00:22:37,290
"For God's sake, dear brother,
write about your adventures."

391
00:22:38,370 --> 00:22:40,690
'With Jacquie and Larry's
encouragement,

392
00:22:40,690 --> 00:22:44,090
'Gerry started publishing books
about his expeditions.

393
00:22:44,090 --> 00:22:46,890
'He wrote five in three years.

394
00:22:48,010 --> 00:22:51,130
'The sixth drew upon the happiest
period of his life,

395
00:22:51,130 --> 00:22:52,810
'his Corfu childhood.'

396
00:22:52,810 --> 00:22:54,090
Wow!

397
00:22:56,330 --> 00:22:59,810
Gerry sat there in his pyjamas
and dressing gown

398
00:22:59,810 --> 00:23:03,050
with cigarettes and a tray of tea

399
00:23:03,050 --> 00:23:05,970
and it would just flow.
He just could not stop.

400
00:23:05,970 --> 00:23:09,570
'The book,
My Family And Other Animals,

401
00:23:09,570 --> 00:23:12,730
'was published in 1956.'

402
00:23:12,730 --> 00:23:16,530
This book,
arguably Gerald Durrell's best,

403
00:23:16,530 --> 00:23:18,490
has been a lifelong favourite
of mine.

404
00:23:18,490 --> 00:23:20,490
I read it when I was 11,

405
00:23:20,490 --> 00:23:23,570
and I've since forced it onto
my children, who also enjoyed it.

406
00:23:23,570 --> 00:23:25,770
It became an instant bestseller,

407
00:23:25,770 --> 00:23:28,970
and brought droves of tourists
to the island.

408
00:23:31,810 --> 00:23:35,570
It was an existence
that everybody had wanted to have.

409
00:23:37,210 --> 00:23:41,530
How many people could uproot
and go to an island

410
00:23:41,530 --> 00:23:44,690
and have that idyllic life?

411
00:23:44,690 --> 00:23:48,570
I was reading My Family
And Other Animals on the train

412
00:23:48,570 --> 00:23:52,210
and, inevitably,
you have to laugh out loud

413
00:23:52,210 --> 00:23:54,410
when you're reading
Gerald Durrell's books,

414
00:23:54,410 --> 00:23:56,610
and it was very obvious that,

415
00:23:56,610 --> 00:24:00,770
on a train, that creates
a certain amount of reaction.

416
00:24:02,850 --> 00:24:05,290
And the other thing
was his ability to observe,

417
00:24:05,290 --> 00:24:09,530
which I now feel is almost the most
important message of that book.

418
00:24:11,450 --> 00:24:13,490
I remember thinking
when I was reading it,

419
00:24:13,490 --> 00:24:16,290
"This boy is like me.
He could be my best mate."

420
00:24:17,690 --> 00:24:19,970
So, whatever I was doing,
I'd be thinking,

421
00:24:19,970 --> 00:24:22,930
"What would Gerald Durrell do
in this situation?"

422
00:24:22,930 --> 00:24:25,050
And to an extent,
I still do to this day.

423
00:24:26,890 --> 00:24:29,730
My Family And Other Animals
was a runaway success

424
00:24:29,730 --> 00:24:32,850
that made Gerald Durrell
a household name across the world.

425
00:24:32,850 --> 00:24:37,130
The only person selling more books
in Britain during the autumn of 1956

426
00:24:37,130 --> 00:24:38,570
was Winston Churchill.

427
00:24:40,170 --> 00:24:42,650
The youngest Durrell was now famous

428
00:24:42,650 --> 00:24:45,810
and, he hoped,
rich enough to set up a zoo

429
00:24:45,810 --> 00:24:49,610
that would specialise
in saving endangered species.

430
00:24:56,650 --> 00:25:00,170
The Durrells had never really
felt at home in Britain,

431
00:25:00,170 --> 00:25:03,970
so it's no surprise that,
20 years after leaving Corfu,

432
00:25:03,970 --> 00:25:06,330
they were spread out
across the globe.

433
00:25:09,530 --> 00:25:12,330
Larry left Egypt after the war

434
00:25:12,330 --> 00:25:16,370
and had stints in Argentina,
Yugoslavia and Cyprus,

435
00:25:16,370 --> 00:25:19,890
before finally settling
in the south of France.

436
00:25:21,050 --> 00:25:23,210
Leslie found his way to Kenya,

437
00:25:23,210 --> 00:25:25,570
where he worked in agriculture.

438
00:25:25,570 --> 00:25:27,450
Reports home were positive.

439
00:25:27,450 --> 00:25:30,450
And the other Durrells hoped
he'd finally shaken off

440
00:25:30,450 --> 00:25:33,050
a lifetime of underachievement.

441
00:25:33,050 --> 00:25:37,490
Gerald had just written the most
successful book of his career.

442
00:25:40,050 --> 00:25:43,370
'But fame and fortune
couldn't help him find a home

443
00:25:43,370 --> 00:25:46,010
'for the animals he'd been keeping
in Margo's garden.

444
00:25:47,050 --> 00:25:49,610
'After two years of searching
around Bournemouth,

445
00:25:49,610 --> 00:25:51,890
'he still had no site for a zoo.

446
00:25:54,130 --> 00:25:56,650
'Then, during a trip to Jersey,

447
00:25:56,650 --> 00:26:00,930
'Gerry and his wife Jacquie came
upon the 15th century manor house

448
00:26:00,930 --> 00:26:03,610
'that would become home
to their zoo.'

449
00:26:03,610 --> 00:26:06,930
I said to Gerry,
"What a lovely place this is."

450
00:26:06,930 --> 00:26:10,410
And within three weeks,
everything was settled.

451
00:26:13,490 --> 00:26:15,890
'The animals were brought over
from Bournemouth,

452
00:26:15,890 --> 00:26:16,970
'the cages built,

453
00:26:16,970 --> 00:26:23,250
'and Gerry's zoo opened in Jersey
on 26 March 1959.

454
00:26:26,690 --> 00:26:28,930
'From the moment its doors opened,

455
00:26:28,930 --> 00:26:31,970
'Jersey Zoo
had a very particular purpose.

456
00:26:31,970 --> 00:26:35,370
'To breed endangered species.

457
00:26:35,370 --> 00:26:37,130
'It was a unique vision

458
00:26:37,130 --> 00:26:40,770
'that had started as a boyhood
obsession on Corfu.

459
00:26:46,170 --> 00:26:50,090
'As always with the Durrells,
the zoo was a family affair.

460
00:26:51,810 --> 00:26:53,850
'Gerry and Jacquie invited Louisa

461
00:26:53,850 --> 00:26:56,970
'to move into their house
in the middle of the grounds.'

462
00:26:56,970 --> 00:27:00,370
She loved being in the zoo.
She really did.

463
00:27:00,370 --> 00:27:03,090
Many times,
we would walk into the flat

464
00:27:03,090 --> 00:27:05,890
and find Gerry's mum sitting
with the chimps,

465
00:27:05,890 --> 00:27:07,250
having tea and cakes.

466
00:27:09,810 --> 00:27:11,250
'Gerry had achieved

467
00:27:11,250 --> 00:27:14,970
'his long-standing ambition
of owning a zoo.

468
00:27:14,970 --> 00:27:18,530
'But for the first time in his life,
he was running a business,

469
00:27:18,530 --> 00:27:20,730
'and the pressure to raise funds
was immense.'

470
00:27:20,730 --> 00:27:26,210
Without Gerry's writing,
the zoo couldn't have gone on.

471
00:27:26,210 --> 00:27:30,450
I mean, I remember an occasion
when I was called into the office

472
00:27:30,450 --> 00:27:34,690
and, "Could you manage
without any pay this week?"

473
00:27:34,690 --> 00:27:39,130
We said we couldn't afford
to pay them for one period,

474
00:27:39,130 --> 00:27:41,570
and they all worked for nothing.

475
00:27:42,730 --> 00:27:46,650
I mean, what greater loyalty
could you get than that?

476
00:27:48,370 --> 00:27:50,250
Gerry was a visionary man.

477
00:27:50,250 --> 00:27:53,890
He was determined to change
the role of a zoo

478
00:27:53,890 --> 00:27:56,970
and to make it something worthwhile
for the animal kingdom.

479
00:27:56,970 --> 00:28:02,570
And we were his disciples, really,
trying to fulfil his mission.

480
00:28:07,810 --> 00:28:10,530
'Life in Jersey was going well...

481
00:28:10,530 --> 00:28:13,210
'but clouds loomed on the horizon.

482
00:28:16,850 --> 00:28:20,250
'Five years after Louisa
had moved in with Gerry,

483
00:28:20,250 --> 00:28:23,610
'she was put in a nursing home
after a heart attack.

484
00:28:24,730 --> 00:28:27,010
'She died a few days later.'

485
00:28:36,290 --> 00:28:38,490
The Durrells were a close family,

486
00:28:38,490 --> 00:28:42,490
and Louisa had always been
the glue that held them together.

487
00:28:44,450 --> 00:28:45,770
When she died, it felt to Gerry

488
00:28:45,770 --> 00:28:49,090
like his idyllic childhood
had died with her.

489
00:28:53,490 --> 00:28:57,930
He identified his mother with
a very important time in his life,

490
00:28:57,930 --> 00:28:59,130
which was Corfu.

491
00:29:00,330 --> 00:29:02,490
I think it's something
he couldn't get over.

492
00:29:02,490 --> 00:29:03,650
He couldn't cope with it.

493
00:29:06,730 --> 00:29:10,130
'For Margo, with Louisa gone
and her brothers abroad,

494
00:29:10,130 --> 00:29:12,410
'life in Britain
had lost its sparkle

495
00:29:12,410 --> 00:29:15,930
'and she once again felt the allure
of sunnier climes.'

496
00:29:17,490 --> 00:29:21,010
None of the Durrells was exactly
crippled by self-doubt,

497
00:29:21,010 --> 00:29:23,610
but Margo was perhaps
the most outgoing.

498
00:29:23,610 --> 00:29:26,010
So it's no surprise
that in her 50s,

499
00:29:26,010 --> 00:29:28,650
after years of genteel Bournemouth,

500
00:29:28,650 --> 00:29:32,170
she embarked on another
very Durrell-y adventure.

501
00:29:35,090 --> 00:29:38,690
'Margo's granddaughter Tracy
found out all about it

502
00:29:38,690 --> 00:29:40,570
'when she made a surprising
discovery.'

503
00:29:43,010 --> 00:29:46,970
I've had this manuscript
in her room in a cardboard box.

504
00:29:46,970 --> 00:29:50,650
And it is a really, really
fun story.

505
00:29:50,650 --> 00:29:55,850
Margo felt very claustrophobic,
living in suburbia, as she put it.

506
00:29:55,850 --> 00:30:00,570
So, when an opportunity arose
for her to work on a Greek ship,

507
00:30:00,570 --> 00:30:02,370
travelling the Caribbean,

508
00:30:02,370 --> 00:30:04,130
within a week, she was gone.

509
00:30:04,130 --> 00:30:06,530
Some of it was, like,

510
00:30:06,530 --> 00:30:08,930
"OK... You know, maybe I shouldn't
be reading this

511
00:30:08,930 --> 00:30:10,610
"because I'm her granddaughter."

512
00:30:14,210 --> 00:30:15,890
She was doing what she loved.

513
00:30:15,890 --> 00:30:19,650
She was with her fellow Greeks
again, travelling across the sea,

514
00:30:19,650 --> 00:30:24,050
entertaining people,
being vivacious, being fun.

515
00:30:24,050 --> 00:30:27,810
She was once again that free spirit
as she was as a young girl.

516
00:30:29,410 --> 00:30:33,650
'While Margo rediscovering the girl
she had been on Corfu...

517
00:30:33,650 --> 00:30:37,210
'back in Britain,
Gerry was becoming a TV star.'

518
00:30:37,210 --> 00:30:39,890
This is a hairy armadillo.
Isn't he sweet?

519
00:30:41,010 --> 00:30:43,490
'He was appearing on the nation's
screens at the same time

520
00:30:43,490 --> 00:30:47,490
'as another young naturalist
called David Attenborough.'

521
00:30:47,490 --> 00:30:50,330
I think there was a friendly
rivalry between the two.

522
00:30:50,330 --> 00:30:53,290
They both were sort of doing
the same thing at the same time.

523
00:30:53,290 --> 00:30:56,130
I think Attenborough maybe had the
edge on the media side of things.

524
00:30:56,130 --> 00:30:59,170
He was coming at it from the BBC,

525
00:30:59,170 --> 00:31:01,570
whereas Gerry was coming to it
from the zoo.

526
00:31:03,450 --> 00:31:06,050
'Gerry's TV series
were ahead of their time.

527
00:31:07,250 --> 00:31:08,530
'In the early 1960s,

528
00:31:08,530 --> 00:31:11,370
'when the modern debate
on climate change and pollution

529
00:31:11,370 --> 00:31:12,810
'had barely begun,

530
00:31:12,810 --> 00:31:17,330
'he revealed man's destruction
of the planet to shocked audiences.'

531
00:31:17,330 --> 00:31:19,890
ARCHIVE AUDIO:
'This is happening all over Malaya.

532
00:31:19,890 --> 00:31:22,370
'Vast areas are being cleared

533
00:31:22,370 --> 00:31:25,250
'and sometimes they leave pockets
of jungle

534
00:31:25,250 --> 00:31:28,730
'not big enough to support
the animals left trapped in them.'

535
00:31:28,730 --> 00:31:29,890
He was angry.

536
00:31:31,090 --> 00:31:33,810
You see, I know what human beings
are like.

537
00:31:33,810 --> 00:31:36,570
I accept them for what they are.

538
00:31:36,570 --> 00:31:39,650
And Gerry still managed
to get angry about it.

539
00:31:39,650 --> 00:31:44,810
'If we can indoctrinate people
as they come through our gates

540
00:31:44,810 --> 00:31:48,490
'that creatures are being killed
all over the world

541
00:31:48,490 --> 00:31:50,450
'in their hundreds of thousands,

542
00:31:50,450 --> 00:31:54,730
'and if we can save one or two
species from extinction,

543
00:31:54,730 --> 00:31:56,610
'then the whole thing will be...'

544
00:31:56,610 --> 00:31:58,290
'Then it will be worth it,
certainly.'

545
00:31:58,290 --> 00:32:01,810
'It's the most incredible,
the most beautiful garden.

546
00:32:01,810 --> 00:32:03,530
'And what have we done?

547
00:32:03,530 --> 00:32:06,250
'We've trampled through it
with our great hobnailed boots.'

548
00:32:08,010 --> 00:32:11,610
Is it me, or is it getting 'otter'?
Oh, yes, no 'stoat' about it.

549
00:32:12,650 --> 00:32:14,050
'As a boy on Corfu,

550
00:32:14,050 --> 00:32:17,010
'Gerry had been encouraged
by his tutor Theo

551
00:32:17,010 --> 00:32:20,410
'to view all animal life as sacred.

552
00:32:20,410 --> 00:32:22,050
'But 30 years later,

553
00:32:22,050 --> 00:32:25,250
'the pristine world
he had grown up with

554
00:32:25,250 --> 00:32:27,890
'was disappearing
before his very eyes.'

555
00:32:29,370 --> 00:32:32,850
He genuinely did feel desperate.

556
00:32:34,810 --> 00:32:39,010
If he could have picked up the world
and given it a good shake,

557
00:32:39,010 --> 00:32:40,610
I think he would have done.

558
00:32:40,610 --> 00:32:42,890
Because we don't learn anything.

559
00:32:44,170 --> 00:32:46,170
We really don't.

560
00:32:46,170 --> 00:32:48,730
This was about the world around you.

561
00:32:48,730 --> 00:32:51,330
You don't need to be an expert
to make a difference.

562
00:32:51,330 --> 00:32:54,610
You need to understand
both your local environment

563
00:32:54,610 --> 00:32:57,010
and how humans have that impact.

564
00:32:58,290 --> 00:33:00,730
'By the start of the 1970s,

565
00:33:00,730 --> 00:33:03,090
'Gerry's ideas on conservation

566
00:33:03,090 --> 00:33:05,930
'had caught the attention
of some rather well-known people.'

567
00:33:07,410 --> 00:33:10,090
We had international figures
from everywhere,

568
00:33:10,090 --> 00:33:14,050
who, by that time, were all admiring
what Gerry was doing.

569
00:33:14,050 --> 00:33:18,210
'The admirers included movie stars
David Niven and James Stewart.

570
00:33:20,410 --> 00:33:25,850
'In 1972, the zoo welcomed its most
high-profile visitor of all.

571
00:33:25,850 --> 00:33:27,450
'Princess Anne.'

572
00:33:27,450 --> 00:33:30,850
I remember the visit
couldn't have been more welcoming

573
00:33:30,850 --> 00:33:33,610
and more informative.

574
00:33:33,610 --> 00:33:36,850
I mean, I was very much
on listening mode.

575
00:33:36,850 --> 00:33:38,450
Everybody's slightly on edge.
We are.

576
00:33:38,450 --> 00:33:41,090
They're getting on
like an absolute house on fire.

577
00:33:42,850 --> 00:33:49,570
And they get round to an enclosure
with a fabulous male mandrill.

578
00:33:50,810 --> 00:33:57,210
Their distinguishing feature is the
most gorgeous electric blue bottom.

579
00:33:57,210 --> 00:34:00,130
He looks at the Princess...

580
00:34:00,130 --> 00:34:01,930
and he says...

581
00:34:01,930 --> 00:34:04,050
"Would you like a bottom like that?"

582
00:34:05,130 --> 00:34:08,730
And you could hear a sharp intake
of breath.

583
00:34:09,930 --> 00:34:11,530
And she looks at him and says...

584
00:34:11,530 --> 00:34:14,010
"No, I don't think I would."

585
00:34:14,010 --> 00:34:16,650
It's not difficult to make
a joke about a mandrill, is it?

586
00:34:17,810 --> 00:34:19,970
But it was very amusing.

587
00:34:19,970 --> 00:34:22,730
'The visit was a great success

588
00:34:22,730 --> 00:34:26,690
'and the Princess has been
a patron of the zoo ever since.

589
00:34:28,210 --> 00:34:31,050
'Jersey Zoo was going
from strength to strength.

590
00:34:31,050 --> 00:34:36,090
'In 1973, a baby gorilla
called Assumbo was born.'

591
00:34:38,610 --> 00:34:40,810
We were all over the moon.

592
00:34:40,810 --> 00:34:45,770
It was a pinnacle because gorillas
weren't being born readily in zoos.

593
00:34:47,370 --> 00:34:50,730
'For Gerry, it was the realisation
of his lifelong goal.

594
00:34:50,730 --> 00:34:55,250
'To prove that zoos could breed
animals in captivity

595
00:34:55,250 --> 00:34:58,210
'and contribute to the conservation
of species.'

596
00:34:58,210 --> 00:35:00,810
I think that is his greatest legacy.

597
00:35:00,810 --> 00:35:04,250
He understood that these things
do not live in isolation,

598
00:35:04,250 --> 00:35:05,330
and neither do we.

599
00:35:08,290 --> 00:35:09,770
'By 1976,

600
00:35:09,770 --> 00:35:14,050
'Gerry seemed to have everything
he'd ever wanted in his work.

601
00:35:14,050 --> 00:35:17,410
'But the toll on his personal
life was considerable.'

602
00:35:17,410 --> 00:35:20,530
It was rather like
Frankenstein's monster.

603
00:35:20,530 --> 00:35:23,770
Suddenly, it was obsessing him.

604
00:35:26,370 --> 00:35:28,810
Animals, animals, animals.

605
00:35:28,810 --> 00:35:31,490
They were more important
than anybody was.

606
00:35:32,690 --> 00:35:35,330
They were more important than me,
I can assure you.

607
00:35:36,930 --> 00:35:39,450
We grew so apart.

608
00:35:39,450 --> 00:35:41,890
Even though he was in the room,
he wasn't there.

609
00:35:44,210 --> 00:35:48,450
'With their marriage suffering,
Jacquie asked Gerry for a divorce.'

610
00:35:48,450 --> 00:35:52,370
When you lose respect
for somebody...

611
00:35:52,370 --> 00:35:54,050
love dies.

612
00:35:56,890 --> 00:36:01,130
Gerald always talked about
having Durrells' luck.

613
00:36:01,130 --> 00:36:05,090
Whenever he needed something,
or someone to drop into his lap,

614
00:36:05,090 --> 00:36:06,210
it happened.

615
00:36:07,290 --> 00:36:09,930
So, after the breakdown
of his marriage, it wasn't long

616
00:36:09,930 --> 00:36:12,570
before someone new
stepped into his life.

617
00:36:16,130 --> 00:36:21,450
'In 1977, during a fundraising tour
of America,

618
00:36:21,450 --> 00:36:25,170
'Gerry met a 27-year-old
zoology student at a party.'

619
00:36:25,170 --> 00:36:27,930
He made a beeline over to me,

620
00:36:27,930 --> 00:36:30,530
and introduced himself.

621
00:36:30,530 --> 00:36:31,970
I said, "Yes, I know who you are."

622
00:36:33,090 --> 00:36:36,130
'Gerry invited Lee to investigate
animal calls

623
00:36:36,130 --> 00:36:38,570
'at his sound laboratory
in Jersey Zoo.'

624
00:36:38,570 --> 00:36:40,690
I said, "Yes, of course,
I'd love to do that."

625
00:36:42,170 --> 00:36:45,650
'Shortly after,
she was on a plane to meet Gerry.'

626
00:36:45,650 --> 00:36:48,250
He met me at the Jersey airport

627
00:36:48,250 --> 00:36:51,490
and he had champagne
in the back of the car,

628
00:36:51,490 --> 00:36:54,090
so I had a feeling that
something else was going on.

629
00:36:55,210 --> 00:36:58,250
'Lee quickly discovered that she
had been brought to Jersey

630
00:36:58,250 --> 00:36:59,970
'under false pretenses.'

631
00:36:59,970 --> 00:37:04,850
There was no sound laboratory, there
was just sort of a blank canvas.

632
00:37:06,170 --> 00:37:09,490
'It was just a ruse to get me
over to see Jersey.'

633
00:37:09,490 --> 00:37:14,010
'Well, I mean, you couldn't say
to a lovely lady like this,

634
00:37:14,010 --> 00:37:16,930
'when you're a carunculated
old wreck like me,

635
00:37:16,930 --> 00:37:18,970
'you couldn't say to her,

636
00:37:18,970 --> 00:37:20,650
'"Look, I'll pay your way over
to Jersey.

637
00:37:20,650 --> 00:37:22,930
'"Come and have a look
and see what you think of it."

638
00:37:22,930 --> 00:37:25,130
'She'd immediately suspect
something.

639
00:37:25,130 --> 00:37:28,250
'So, I had to think of a method
of doing it.

640
00:37:28,250 --> 00:37:31,490
'Anyway, she married me for my zoo.

641
00:37:31,490 --> 00:37:34,490
'I'm the only man in the universe
that's been married for his zoo.'

642
00:37:44,130 --> 00:37:45,610
Since he was young,

643
00:37:45,610 --> 00:37:49,530
Gerald Durrell had wanted
to protect threatened species.

644
00:37:49,530 --> 00:37:51,690
He would say in later life,

645
00:37:51,690 --> 00:37:53,370
"Since I'm big and ugly,

646
00:37:53,370 --> 00:37:55,530
"I try to preserve
the little ones."

647
00:37:55,530 --> 00:37:56,970
Too late for the dodo,

648
00:37:56,970 --> 00:38:01,130
but good news for a host of other
animals on the edge of extinction.

649
00:38:02,090 --> 00:38:06,010
His second wife Lee, as a highly
regarded zoologist in her own right,

650
00:38:06,010 --> 00:38:07,730
was not only a soulmate,

651
00:38:07,730 --> 00:38:12,970
but also the perfect partner in this
ongoing mission of conservation.

652
00:38:14,330 --> 00:38:15,770
'In the early '80s,

653
00:38:15,770 --> 00:38:19,610
'they spent eight months exploring
the wildlife of Soviet Russia.'

654
00:38:21,050 --> 00:38:23,410
'After the youngsters are examined,
they're released,

655
00:38:23,410 --> 00:38:25,330
'and will make their way
to the groups of seals

656
00:38:25,330 --> 00:38:28,010
'that are now gathering
near the cracks in the ice.'

657
00:38:28,010 --> 00:38:32,490
Being married to Gerry, working
alongside him just felt like,

658
00:38:32,490 --> 00:38:35,170
how lucky could I ever possibly be?

659
00:38:36,450 --> 00:38:40,970
'With Lee's help, Gerry was making
a name for himself around the world.

660
00:38:42,050 --> 00:38:47,050
'But in 1986, the world's gaze
turned back to their zoo in Jersey

661
00:38:47,050 --> 00:38:50,730
'after a terrifying incident
at the gorilla enclosure.'

662
00:38:50,730 --> 00:38:56,130
This chap picked his young son up
and sat him on the wall.

663
00:38:58,010 --> 00:39:02,530
The little lad then toppled over
into the enclosure...

664
00:39:06,290 --> 00:39:09,970
..where there was Jambo,
this full-grown male gorilla.

665
00:39:12,130 --> 00:39:15,650
And Jambo came down...

666
00:39:18,770 --> 00:39:22,170
..and stood over the little boy,
who was unconscious.

667
00:39:27,890 --> 00:39:31,810
And drove back
the rest of the gorillas,

668
00:39:31,810 --> 00:39:33,730
who were all for coming
and having a look.

669
00:39:36,050 --> 00:39:39,930
And you see one bit where Jambo
is just touching the boy.

670
00:39:39,930 --> 00:39:42,890
His shirt had come up,
a little bit of bare skin.

671
00:39:46,170 --> 00:39:48,490
You could see him smelling
like this,

672
00:39:48,490 --> 00:39:50,730
and he touched his face
a little bit.

673
00:39:54,610 --> 00:39:57,130
And they opened
the slides in the gorilla house

674
00:39:57,130 --> 00:40:00,210
and all of the rest of them were
tempted inside with some goodies,

675
00:40:00,210 --> 00:40:05,490
and Jambo stayed
until all the rest had gone inside.

676
00:40:05,490 --> 00:40:07,330
And then he went in.

677
00:40:08,810 --> 00:40:10,490
'To the relief of onlookers,

678
00:40:10,490 --> 00:40:13,930
'staff were able to rescue the boy
from the enclosure.

679
00:40:16,330 --> 00:40:19,930
'By the mid-1980s,
Gerry's ideas on conservation

680
00:40:19,930 --> 00:40:22,650
'had been accepted
by the mainstream zoo world.

681
00:40:24,130 --> 00:40:27,370
'The boy raised in the wilds
of Corfu

682
00:40:27,370 --> 00:40:29,290
'was now part
of the British establishment,

683
00:40:29,290 --> 00:40:31,490
'with all the honours that entailed.

684
00:40:33,170 --> 00:40:35,090
'The day he received an OBE,

685
00:40:35,090 --> 00:40:39,370
'he was also ambushed
with a surprise TV appearance.'

686
00:40:39,370 --> 00:40:41,570
I've been avoiding you for years!

687
00:40:41,570 --> 00:40:45,570
Author, broadcaster, internationally
famous wildlife conservationist,

688
00:40:45,570 --> 00:40:49,330
Gerald Durrell, on this great day,
this is your life. Oh, God!

689
00:40:50,730 --> 00:40:55,330
All over the world, we gathered
to come and celebrate Gerry's life.

690
00:40:55,330 --> 00:40:57,210
He was very, very touched.

691
00:40:57,210 --> 00:40:59,210
From her home in Bournemouth,
your sister Margo,

692
00:40:59,210 --> 00:41:00,410
and with her, her son Gerry.

693
00:41:00,410 --> 00:41:02,210
'There was an appearance
from sister Margo...

694
00:41:03,410 --> 00:41:06,010
'..while older brother Larry
sent his regards

695
00:41:06,010 --> 00:41:09,290
'from the south of France,
his home for the last two decades.'

696
00:41:09,290 --> 00:41:13,130
Here's pledging you in our local
brew, Pic Saint-Loup. All the best.

697
00:41:14,250 --> 00:41:17,770
'But the final guest
was the biggest surprise of all.

698
00:41:17,770 --> 00:41:19,650
'Gerry would be reunited

699
00:41:19,650 --> 00:41:22,810
'with one of the most important
figures from his Corfu childhood.'

700
00:41:22,810 --> 00:41:25,810
Theo! Theo, Theo!

701
00:41:27,090 --> 00:41:31,930
Right at the end, Theodore himself
was brought onto the stage,

702
00:41:31,930 --> 00:41:34,210
and Gerry was just over the moon.

703
00:41:34,210 --> 00:41:36,010
What did he say one time?

704
00:41:36,010 --> 00:41:37,930
"If I had a wish to give a child,

705
00:41:37,930 --> 00:41:41,930
"it would have been my life in Corfu
with Theodore,

706
00:41:41,930 --> 00:41:43,490
"who was like Merlin the magician."

707
00:41:44,650 --> 00:41:47,930
'There was one notable absence
from the celebration.

708
00:41:47,930 --> 00:41:48,970
'Brother Leslie.

709
00:41:51,330 --> 00:41:54,770
'The year before Gerry's appearance
on This Is Your Life,

710
00:41:54,770 --> 00:41:57,930
'Leslie sadly died
of a heart attack.

711
00:42:01,010 --> 00:42:04,890
'The rest of the family
had always remained close.

712
00:42:06,090 --> 00:42:09,970
'Every summer, Gerry and Margo would
join Larry in the south of France.'

713
00:42:11,730 --> 00:42:14,530
In a sense, I think they were
harking back

714
00:42:14,530 --> 00:42:17,650
to the paradise they had
in the 1930s in Corfu.

715
00:42:21,290 --> 00:42:22,850
'It was at his home in France

716
00:42:22,850 --> 00:42:26,450
'that Larry passed away unexpectedly
in 1990.'

717
00:42:28,210 --> 00:42:30,250
Gerry just went very quiet.

718
00:42:30,250 --> 00:42:34,210
You know, I never saw him
burst into open grief or anything.

719
00:42:34,210 --> 00:42:38,130
In many ways,
he was a very, very private person.

720
00:42:39,290 --> 00:42:43,050
'By the '90s, Gerald was
the only remaining Durrell son.

721
00:42:45,370 --> 00:42:50,010
'In 1994, a lifetime of indulgence
finally caught up with him

722
00:42:50,010 --> 00:42:51,930
'when he received
a liver transplant.

723
00:42:54,250 --> 00:42:58,730
'After treatment in London,
he was moved to Jersey Hospital.'

724
00:43:00,010 --> 00:43:03,170
On the day he died, I was up there,
just holding his hand.

725
00:43:04,730 --> 00:43:09,530
There's no real way to express
how you feel when it really happens.

726
00:43:09,530 --> 00:43:11,730
You know, someone's just gone.

727
00:43:28,090 --> 00:43:33,010
So, this is really
a memorial stone for Gerry.

728
00:43:33,010 --> 00:43:37,090
We put half of Gerry's ashes
under the stone

729
00:43:37,090 --> 00:43:40,090
and I did take the other half
of Gerry's ashes

730
00:43:40,090 --> 00:43:43,410
and scattered them in the sea
around Mouse Island.

731
00:43:45,890 --> 00:43:48,850
As a boy, Gerry would have seen
Mouse Island

732
00:43:48,850 --> 00:43:52,530
from the first house
that they were in in Corfu.

733
00:43:57,050 --> 00:44:01,250
'In 2007, Margo, the last
of the Durrell children,

734
00:44:01,250 --> 00:44:02,970
'also passed away.

735
00:44:04,490 --> 00:44:08,330
'Her granddaughter Tracy scattered
half her ashes on Mouse Island,

736
00:44:08,330 --> 00:44:11,570
'exactly as Lee did
with Gerry's remains.'

737
00:44:12,970 --> 00:44:16,770
It was really lovely
that we both felt the same way

738
00:44:16,770 --> 00:44:20,570
and we both knew how special this
place was to them in their lives

739
00:44:20,570 --> 00:44:22,170
and how at peace
they would feel there.

740
00:44:24,210 --> 00:44:27,290
I think it's quite fitting
that two of the Durrells, anyway,

741
00:44:27,290 --> 00:44:31,490
are now resting within sight
of their childhood paradise.

742
00:44:37,250 --> 00:44:39,010
It was an enormous loss

743
00:44:39,010 --> 00:44:43,850
because that degree of enthusiasm
and motivation,

744
00:44:43,850 --> 00:44:47,410
knowledge and understanding
is not easy to replace.

745
00:44:50,170 --> 00:44:52,770
ARCHIVE AUDIO: 'Gerry Durrell was,

746
00:44:52,770 --> 00:44:56,810
'to use the modern idiom, magic.

747
00:44:59,210 --> 00:45:02,570
'A tour of Jersey Zoo
conveyed to the visitor

748
00:45:02,570 --> 00:45:05,290
'a new and different zoo experience.

749
00:45:05,290 --> 00:45:08,010
'Animals come first.

750
00:45:09,050 --> 00:45:11,250
'Their keepers second.

751
00:45:11,250 --> 00:45:15,570
'And the public
are privileged paying guests.

752
00:45:16,850 --> 00:45:19,650
'Please don't ever forget

753
00:45:19,650 --> 00:45:23,130
'the magic of Gerald Durrell.'

754
00:45:26,610 --> 00:45:31,330
'Once they left Corfu, the Durrells'
lives were astonishing.

755
00:45:32,730 --> 00:45:35,330
'Larry had nearly won
the Nobel Prize.

756
00:45:35,330 --> 00:45:38,810
'Margo had sailed the seven seas
in his sixth decade.

757
00:45:40,290 --> 00:45:43,930
'While Gerry revolutionised
wildlife conservation.'

758
00:45:45,530 --> 00:45:48,370
It's no surprise to me
that once they left the island,

759
00:45:48,370 --> 00:45:51,210
the rest of the world
fell for the Durrells too.

760
00:45:51,210 --> 00:45:53,050
And long may that continue,

761
00:45:53,050 --> 00:45:56,450
as future generations discover
the family, read their books

762
00:45:56,450 --> 00:46:00,450
and share in Gerry's joyful
obsession with the natural world.

763
00:46:01,490 --> 00:46:02,610
I like to believe

764
00:46:02,610 --> 00:46:05,810
that the Durrells' story will be
enjoyed for many years to come,

765
00:46:05,810 --> 00:46:10,410
so that their extraordinary Corfu
adventure lives on and on.

766
00:46:12,570 --> 00:46:14,530
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