My Family and Other Animals [DVD]

A warm, magical and nostalgic adaptation of Gerald Durrell's renowned autobiography. Escaping the dreary weather of 1930s England, the eccentric Durrell family uproot and ship themselves off to the sun-drenched Greek island of Corfu. With the help of larger-than-life local taxi-driver Spiro, the family, headed by the Oscar-nominated Imelda Staunton, move to a succession of different, fantastically coloured villas dotted across the landscape. While Margo fights off the advances of would-be suitors, gun-crazy Leslie blasts the island's bird life to smithereens and overbearing intellectual Larry invites a stream of artistic types to stay, young Gerald explores the glorious scenery and the wildlife it has to offer. Watching one sort of the animal kingdom in their natural habitat allows Gerald to learn more incisively about the habits of an altogether different group: his own family. Adapted by Simon Nye (Pride, Men Behaving Badly, The Savages), from the book by Gerald Durrell.