TV SERIES · 2016– · UK
The Durrells
15 archived facts 4 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
All facts (15)
- #001
When production began on the island for each series, most of the background artists were hired locally. Regular visitors to the island often recognise the staff appearing in small roles in hotels, bars and restaurants. It was acknowledged that many of those cast as boat crew in the harbour scenes were real crew members working on inter-island ferries and pleasure cruises operating out of Corfu harbour.
- #002
The series follows the unmarried Lawrence Durrell moving to Corfu with his mother and younger siblings. In reality, he was living on Corfu in 1935 with his first wife, Nancy Myers, and his family moved there to stay with them. Durrell and Myers divorced in 1947.
- #003
Recurring guest star Leslie Caron, who plays Countess Mavrodaki, is the mother of series producer Christopher Hall. Christopher's younger half-brother Edward Hall directed three episodes. Christopher's son, and Leslie Caron's grandson, is Ben Hall, who plays Donald.
- #004
After the war, Gerald Durrell worked as an assistant or keeper at Whipsnade Zoo.
- #005
The series is based on the books written by Gerald Durrell and his childhood memories of Corfu.
- #006
During the original UK broadcast of season 1, the press widely reported a flood of complaints from viewers claiming that one character's sexuality had been changed from the source material. This invention later turned out to be a significant plot point.
- #007
To get to know her character better, Daisy Waterstone met with Margo's real granddaughter several times.
- #008
At Louisa's first birthday picnic in season 2, the guests agree that Louisa must be older than 35, since otherwise she would have been 13 when Larry was born. In real life, there is only a 14-year age difference between Keeley Hawes (Louisa) and Josh O'Connor (Larry).
- #009
In one episode, Mrs Durrell refers to her daughter's swimsuit as a 'bikini'. The series is set in the 1930s, and the term was not used until 1946.
- #010
Countess Mavrodaki's villa is the villa where Prince Philip was born (Mon Repos, Corfu).
- #011
Corfu, Greece, is the birthplace of Prince Philip of the United Kingdom, originally of Greece and Denmark, though his family fled Greece when he was a baby. Josh O'Connor (Larry Durrell) also plays Prince Charles, the eldest son of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, in the Netflix series The Crown.
- #012
The author Gerald Durrell attended Colfe's School in Greenwich, south-east London.
- #013
Callum Woodhouse appeared in two television series adapted from semi-autobiographical books written by real-life animal lovers. 1. The Durrells, adapted from zoologist Gerald Durrell's Corfu trilogy. 2. All Creatures Great and Small, adapted from veterinarian James Herriot's books of the same name. In both productions, Callum's character struggles to be a 'good' brother and to find love. Both are set before or during World War II.
- #014
Henry Lloyd-Hughes (Durant) and Josh O'Connor (Lawrence Durrell) appear as father and son in the mini-series Les Misérables (2018).
- #015
Jeremy Swift plays a spoiled butler in both The Durrells and Downton Abbey.
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