Plantiana Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

Claysaba Excellent, Without a doubt!!

AnhartLinkin This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

Nayan Gough A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Laight The show seems to attract two different viewing audiences: those who know little or nothing about the books upon which it is based, and those who adore the books. The former like the show. The latter do not. I belong to the latter group. I grew up with these and all of the other Durrell animal books. They are among the most entertaining of their kind ever written. This series has almost nothing to do with them. It's a kind of weird family drama that acknowledges some of what makes the books so special, but then veers off into your basic family-struggles-in-strange-land-to-survive formulaic pap. It's hard to know what the producers were thinking. The cast handles the poor scripts pretty well, and the direction is good. The scenery is lovely. That's not enough to make a good show. And what's really missing is what made the books so wonderful: Gerry's absolute love of animals. Every episode contains some kind of Gerry and the animals bit, but the screenwriter has no conception of what these creatures really meant to Gerry. Here the character has only a scientific interest in them, he's cold and almost brutal toward them. What made Gerry Durrell so remarkable was that he considered every animal to be as deserving of respect as any human. He didn't just trap them and study them. He fell in love with them. That love, that warmth, that emotion is totally missing.

krocheav I began watching this series before realizing I had seen the earlier (and better) feature: "My Family and Other Animals" that was adapted from Gerald Durrell's writings back in 2005.For this recent series, writer Simon Nye seemed to think his screenplay for these already beloved stories, needed to be updated from the more realistic 1930's Corfu to a more overtly out-of-place 'modern' 1930's Corfu. The characters come across as too liberated for this era and often quite aggressively annoying. No longer are we seeing life unfold from a child's eyes (as the perspective of the books) but from an all too modern 'mothers' perspective. The first three episodes directed by Steve Barron were enjoyably bearable but Episode 4 directed by Roger Goldby falls over its own modernity and, like most made for TV serials, introduces stereo typical characters and situations lifted out of far too many other similar programs. The longer some TV series are allowed to run the more predictable and uninteresting they all too often become. Viewers who just like to watch formulaic stories may not even notice this, but from the string of other reviews posted for this one - it seems I'm definitely not the only one who felt let down. I won't be looking forward to continuing with what would have been better left as a movie (or maybe two) before it killed itself off. The locations are good and some will enjoy this version but, purists might not persist.

townsendalison What a beautiful crafted drama, 10/10 at last something worth watching.. the cast were beautiful and a credit to their profession.Just watched last episode and it brought me to tears... loved it... now longing for its return... well done writers, actors, and all involved... x superb

Dave This is an ITV drama series about a real-life English family living in Corfu in the 1930s.This is a slow, boring drama - it could and should have been a lively comedy.None of the characters are likable or interesting.Keeley Hawes is severely miscast as the mother. She's far too young for the role.