The Durrells
It was a great privilege to be the photographer on board with The Durrells - a six-part ITV television series based on Gerald Durrell's three autobiographical books about his family's four years on Corfu.
Produced by Sid Gentle Films, the series begins in 1935, when Louisa Durrell (played by Keeley Hawes) suddenly announces that she and her four children will move from Bournemouth to the Greek island of Corfu. Her husband has died some years earlier and the family is experiencing financial problems. A Homeric battle ensues as the family adapts to life on the island which, despite a lack of electricity, is cheap and an earthly paradise.
The Daily Mail critic Christoper Stevens hailed it with praise, gifting it five stars and naming Keeley Hawes "magnificent as the indomitable, gin-sozzled widow Louisa Durrell."
The opening episode averaged just under 6.4 million people and was the biggest drama launch of any channel so far in 2016. Following a seven-day catch-up period, the figure aggregated to just under 8.2 million people. Citing the show being "ITV's best rating new drama of the year and its highest rating new show since September 2014", ITV recommissioned the show for a second series on April 15, 2016.