The Durrells in Corfu: Animals on Set!
From the exotic paradise of a set, to the witty banter between family members–there’s a lot to love about The Durrells in Corfu. But one of the shows most endearing qualities is its non-human cast, reflective of Gerald Durrell’s real-life work in wildlife conservation. Any given episode of the show includes everything from turtles, to snakes, to gulls, to goats. But do you ever wonder what it takes to make a pelican behave? Or how to keep a puppy comfortable in the Greek heat?
For a behind-the-scenes take, MASTERPIECE interviewed Liz Thornton of A1 Animals to discuss the feathered and furry members of the Durrells in Corfu cast.
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Coco in Corfu!
Meet Coco! The little donkey was among those sourced locally from a riding school for the production, along with her colleagues Cleo and Victoria.
Child Actor & Ringmaster
Liz was quick to praise young actor Milo Parker, who plays Gerry Durrell, and spent the most time filming with the animals on set. "We're so lucky with Milo Parker the young actor that plays Gerry because he's brilliant with all the animals. We've really put him in some strange situations, if you can imagine walking along with two pelicans, and the dog, and the seagull!"
Actors of a Feather
Although Liz Thornton of A1 Animals said all of the animals were a delight to work with, she admits that the most difficult scenes involved the pelicans--which compared in size to actor Milo Parker (Gerry)! "This was their first job. They're very prehistoric, they've got great these big beaks; they've only got to turn round and they're going to knock [Milo] over because they are really quite big. Basically [Milo] had to go where the pelican went."
Meet Mossup
Mossup the dog, who plays the Durrell's family dog "Roger," actually belongs to Liz and her partner Alan. Now 8 years old, Mossup has had an extensive career as an actor--starring in everything from the period drama The Tudors to UK commercials, and even traveling with the World Shakespeare Company. But despite Mossup's learned professionalism, owner Liz confirms that there's a secret to Mossup's transformation from pup to performer. "I have to be honest, she's very food driven. She loves her food which makes her fantastic to work with different actors on set. But if there's no food involved she really is quite stuck up. She's quite a diva in that respect."
Creepy-Crawly Cast
Although the actors had to work with everything from snakes to scorpions, Liz was happy to report that all went smoothly on set, "Everything was absolutely fine. The key is talking it all through and making sure the animals know what they're doing."
Action Hero
"Alecko" the gull's real name hints at a daring side: Steven Seagull!
Puppy Love
In Season 1, we see Gerry save a family of puppies; as it turns out, that wasn't entirely fictional! The puppies used in production were homeless when the show began filming, but Liz was happy to report that they all found homes because of the production. Actor Josh O'Connor (Larry) reported that he came close to adopting one himself, "But I called my housemate and he said, 'Don't bring it home. We can't look after a dog. We can't look after ourselves!"
Frequent Flyers
The animals used in production were either local or shipped in from the UK, depending on their natural habitats. The production team was careful to form their shooting schedule around the needs of each individual cast member, furry or otherwise. Liz said, "We try to schedule any of Mossup's action, if you like, in the morning and then in the evening when it's that little bit cooler. That's the same with a lot of the other animals that we've done, but the farm animals obviously are used to the climate over here. They do try to schedule round the weather for the animals."
Coco in Corfu!
Meet Coco! The little donkey was among those sourced locally from a riding school for the production, along with her colleagues Cleo and Victoria.
Child Actor & Ringmaster
Liz was quick to praise young actor Milo Parker, who plays Gerry Durrell, and spent the most time filming with the animals on set. "We're so lucky with Milo Parker the young actor that plays Gerry because he's brilliant with all the animals. We've really put him in some strange situations, if you can imagine walking along with two pelicans, and the dog, and the seagull!"
Actors of a Feather
Although Liz Thornton of A1 Animals said all of the animals were a delight to work with, she admits that the most difficult scenes involved the pelicans--which compared in size to actor Milo Parker (Gerry)! "This was their first job. They're very prehistoric, they've got great these big beaks; they've only got to turn round and they're going to knock [Milo] over because they are really quite big. Basically [Milo] had to go where the pelican went."
Meet Mossup
Mossup the dog, who plays the Durrell's family dog "Roger," actually belongs to Liz and her partner Alan. Now 8 years old, Mossup has had an extensive career as an actor--starring in everything from the period drama The Tudors to UK commercials, and even traveling with the World Shakespeare Company. But despite Mossup's learned professionalism, owner Liz confirms that there's a secret to Mossup's transformation from pup to performer. "I have to be honest, she's very food driven. She loves her food which makes her fantastic to work with different actors on set. But if there's no food involved she really is quite stuck up. She's quite a diva in that respect."
