The Elephant Man

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BBC Radio 4 Extra

The Elephant Man: Episode 1: Endangered Species

Episode 1

Episode 1: Endangered Species

Endangered Species

BBC Radio 4 Extra - The Elephant Man, Endangered Species

As Southwood Zoo faces bankruptcy, what future for assistant head keeper Terry Lyon?

As Southwood Zoo faces bankruptcy, what future for assistant head keeper Terry Lyon? Stars Peter Serafinowicz. From August 1996.

Terry Lyon, assistant head keeper of Southwood Zoo, trusts animals because most people think he's a waste of space. 

But as the zoo lurches towards bankruptcy, his future looks bleak.

DA Barham's eight-part sitcom stars Peter Serafinowicz. 

Terry    ......    Peter Serafinowicz 
Leonard    ......    Chris Emmett
Maureen    ......    Geraldine Fitzgerald
Derek    ......    Wayne Forester
George    ......    Geoff Fitzgerald
Stephanie    ......    Joanna Munro
Adam    ......    Richard Pearce

DA Barham - alias Debbie Ann - used her gently gender-obscured writing name. Aged just 15, she'd sent in comedy scripts to the BBC. She tragically died in 2003 from heart failure due to anorexia, aged just 26. 

In her short, brilliant comedy career, she'd written for The News Huddlines, Spitting Image, The News Quiz, Weekending, Loose Ends, as well as big names like Bob Monkhouse, Graham Norton, Rory Bremner and Clive Anderson. 

Producer: Richard Wilson. 

First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in August 1996.

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Comedy: Sitcoms

Sitcom revolving around the life of Terry, an elephant keeper at his local zoo.

Sitcom revolving around the life of Terry, an elephant keeper at his local zoo. Written by Debbie Barham, starring Peter Serafinowicz, Chris Emmett, Joanna Monro and Richard Pearce.

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