Our tame otter, Rudi, appearing in 'The Durrells' on ITV

Blink and you will miss him on this trailer, but Rudi-the-Otter has been appearing in the new ITV series 'The Durrells' starring Keeley Hawes, Josh O'Connor, Callum Hughes and Daisy Waterstone with Milo Parker as Gerald Durrell. He appeared in quite a few sequences in the first episode and was seen playing both himself and his mate in the second episode and finally produced two babies in the last episode.

Milo Parker behind-the-scenes with Rudi-the-Otter and Daphne Neville

 Author Sophie Neville, who is a Patron of the UK Wild Otter Trust, gave a talk about her book ‘Funnily Enough’ at the Tavistock Festival, which made it to the front page of the Tavistock newspaper:

Her talk included a little about living with otters. Rudi came along to meet the press who joined festival goers at the glorious Bedford Hotel.

Those living in the UK can watch series two of 'The Durrells' on ITV  hub
It is available in the USA on MASTERPIECE on PBS (Season Two)

You can watch a short taster scene here:

Keeley Hawes, as Louisa Durell with Callum Hughes as Leslie

Mum as a Model

Modelling or working as a model, sounds synonymous with glitz and glamour. My mother doesn't care if this is not, exactly, the case.

It has ever been thus. No one can constrain her. She flew to the Netherlands to appear in this advertisement:

Mum loves being in front of the camera and loves being paid for it.Here she is appearing as a cross person in the magazine Take a Break:

This was a commercial for Estrella Crisps. She looks dangerous.

At one time she kept popping up as a psalmist on a TV advert. Did you ever see it?

I do like this photo taken on a shoot advertising a new kind of Mars Bar. It's the one that rings true as honest and natural.

Mum on German television

Daphne Neville (left) appearing as Emma in 'Die Rose von Kerrymore'

Angela Howard-Bent, CEO of Dashwood Film Productions, became well known for her enthusiasm to adapt Rosamunde Pilcher's bestselling romantic novels. In the year 2000 she co-produced The Rose of Kerrymore as a dual language production with German television. To the delight of the cast and crew this was shot on location in Dorset, featuring some of the most beautiful scenery in England .

My mother played Emma the housekeeper, enjoying the opportunity to see around the historic churches and interesting country estate where the story was set. She was the only member of the cast who was not German.

Matthias Zahlbaum, (above) known for Drunter und Druber, Das Schlob meins Vaters and Zwei Manner am Herd played Dr Tom Winter. Jenny Jurgens played Sally, the girl who fell in love with him, while Dietmar Schonherr had the role of grumpy old Lord Kerrymore. Mum was thrilled to be acting as his housekeeper.

When the series was broadcast in 2001, Matthias Zahlbaum wrote enthusiastically from Hamburg, saying that 6 million people had watched the ninety minute drama. He was very pleased with the viewing figures. We rang to congratulate Angela Howard-Bent, who had worked so hard on the project.

While Die Rose von Kerrymore was directed by Axel de Roche, who only had time to direct one further episode, the screenplay was written by Marlies Ewald, who went on to adapt many more well-loved Rosamunde Pilcher novels for the screen. It proved a hugely successful series, running for years. ZDF produced more than 100 of her stories for German television viewers.

Distributed by ZDF Enterprises, Die Rose von Kerrymore was a co-production with Steamship Films, FFP Media Entertainment, Zweiters Deutsches Fernsehen, Osterreichischer Rundfunk, MediaTrade, Videx International and Mainostelvisio (MTV3)

Daphne Neville is a leading character in Funnily Enough, the true story, recently serialised in eleven issues of iBelieve magazine.

• 
  

Author Sophie Neville in Richard Kay's column in the Daily Mail

Sophie's magical Swallows tales

Forty years after she enchanted film-goers as Titty in Swallows And Amazons, Sophie Neville has found a new audience with an ebook telling the behind-the-scenes secrets of the film of Arthur Ransome classic children’s novel.

‘After all these years, I’ve gently lifted the lid on the antics of the adult cast and crew,’ she tells me. 

‘And I’m thrilled because it has outsold Julian Clary and Stephen Fry in Amazon’s bestsellers list!’ 

The Secrets Of Filming Swallows And Amazons is based on diaries, letters and old photographs which Sophie has turned into a heart-warming account of making the movie

The Secrets Of Filming Swallows & Amazons is based on diaries, letters and old photographs which Sophie has turned into a heart-warming account of making the movie, which starred Virginia McKenna and Ronald Fraser and was set in the Lake District.

‘Looking back, it was an interesting experience promoting a major film as a child star, adds Sophie, now 53.

‘There were also some funny experiences, too, such as being with Ronald Fraser, who played the pirate and was a truly  drunken sailor!’

To read more please click here: 

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2511596/RICHARD-KAY-Widow-whos-haunted-losing-Britains-celebrity-chef-Langan.html#ixzz2lN6fkTeX
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook