La Folle Aventure des Durrell

This seies get better with each new season. I love the crazy characters and the scenery! I have laughed out loud so many times, I can't wait to see every new episode. I hope there are many more seasons to come! What a gem, bravo! Or as the greeks say "siharitiria".

I find it hard to believe that some of the reviewers can be so harsh on this series, I find it so watchable, light and easy viewing, but somehow totally engrossing. The second series has built on the success of the first, and managed to build and develop the series further. Who hasn't thought about upping sticks and moving to the sun?

I love how the series has managed to show the family's move as turbulent and wonderful at the same time. The production truly makes the most of the glorious location, it's pure escapism.

Keeley Hawes is an actress of supreme talent, and whether she's playing the tough cop Lindsay Denton from Line of Duty, or the Home County's finest here, she adds something to everything she does. The characters are wonderfully observed, each quirky in their own right, and the use of animals is always lovely.

Sad to see it come to an end at Series four, but perhaps time enough.

Heart warming, easy viewing. 8/10

I really enjoyed this first season and am baffled by the bad reviews. A few people actually seem angry. This is a very charming show set in 1935 about a family who move to Corfu from England. A widowed mother with four children, all trying to grow up and find their way not only in new culture but as teenagers discovering themselves. The youngest, Gerry, is a love with his big heart for all kinds of animals, as he tries to rescue, home them, love them and learn from them. It's really a shame that some reviewers find him self centered for he is the least self centered of all the children. The island is beautiful, the characters (including the wonderful Leslie Caron) are quirky and real all at the same time. All of life comes to play in this series. I plan to watch it again and hope for a second season. It's an adventure of life, family, evolving, friendship, love and nature. A bonus for me that Gerry loves the animals and how he tends to them with so much love.

Totally against the grain of the other reviews here I love this. I haven't read the book since school so basically I have forgotten it. That gives me the advantage of watching this as an original work (not an adaptation). And I love it, I love the characters, the actors, the direction and the cinematography. Overall it is just charming, crammed full of dry wit and it's a bit of a page turner as I can't wait for the next episode. Margo's besotted face is a delight, Leslie's imperialist stomping around with guns and suitable opaque wit is a hoot, Larry's fey artist trip just sucks you in and gets you ready for the 'Quartet', Mrs Durrell is like a real Mary Poppins and Gerry (well he, sacrilegiously, is the weak link for me, I don't really care about the animals). I usually hate this kind of family thing but with this I am a convert. So if you are not a stickler for adaptation fidelity and you want a smile on your face for an hour a week then watch this.

There has been substantial criticism of this series' failure to accurately portray the source material about the Durrells. Not having read the books, I cannot use them as a comparison. So I am judging on the series itself, and comparing it to other presentations of more modern material on Masterpiece. In that light, I have thoroughly enjoyed it. The actors, especially those portraying the children bring real spirit to the four quirky kids. The photography captures the brightness of Corfu, the sky and sea are brilliant blue. The countryside captures the rustic life of the 1930's. The animals add a realistic and fun realism to the family's life. Is it the best Masterpiece ever? No, because the story doesn't lend itself to high adventure and suspense. But it is an enjoyable series that kept me interested in the family's story.