Yorgos Karamihos and Alexis Georgoulis have been chosen for supporting roles in The Durrells, a TV series commissioned by British ITV that will be filmed in the Greek island of Corfu.
The period drama is based on Gerald Durrell’s memoirs in Corfu as a child, a trilogy which includes the book he is best remembered for, My Family and Other Animals.
Focusing on the personal story of Gerald’s mother, Louisa, it follows her true-life adventures back in 1935 when, as a widow, she decides to move with her four children to Corfu.
Louisa (played by Keeley Hawes) and the kids are struggling to overcome their financial problems, the language barrier and the wilderness of the island at a time when there is not even electricity, but also face challenges coming from within the family.
Alexis Georgoulis will play the dependable Spiro Halkiopoulos, a handsome man Louisa meets upon her arrival on the island, while Yorgos Karamihos appears as local Theodore, who welcomes the family and initiates little Gerald into the world of animals.
Gerald was the youngest of Louisa’s sons and the years he spent in Corfu are said to have inspired his life’s work to rescue animals from the brink of extinction and prompted him to become a well-known conservationist and zookeeper as an adult.