Percy Edwards Showdown

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04/03/2009

BBC Radio 4 Extra - Percy Edwards Showdown

David Attenborough hosts a documentary game-show about bird impersonator Percy Edwards.

David Attenborough celebrates the life of bird impersonator Percy Edwards. With Philippa Forrester and Bill Oddie. From 2009.

David Attenborough stars in a new role: radio quizmaster - in a show all about Percy Edwards, who enjoyed a 70 year career impersonating birds and beasts.

That was a first, and so is this programme - a documentary game-show, combining the strange story of Percy's life, with archive of his impersonations, interviews with those who knew him, and a quiz. 

Contestants include: Bill Oddie and Alex Horne.

Sir David will play bird calls for the teams to identify, some of which will be Percy's impressions, so can they tell the difference? They will also be asked to identity circumstances - a cry of distress, alarm or a sexy song? 

Woven into the rounds will be snippets about Percy’s life and impact.

Percy discovered his talent for talking like animals aged seven. Eventually he could produce the sound of over 600 birds, and some other beasts (his was the voice of the killer whale in Orca, the alien in Alien and he provided sheep noises for Kate Bush's song The Dreaming). 

Percy Edwards died aged 88 in 1996.

Producers: Emma Legg and Julian May

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2009.

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