Daphne has just been sent this photograph taken about 40 years ago with Bee the Otter. She was thrilled. Do send in any more photos you might have or add a note to the comments below.
Category Archives: Animals
Daphne is still signing books

Although now 86, Daphne is still signing copies of her illustrated children’s book ‘Bee a Particular Otter’.
You can find large hardback first edition copies online here or asked for a personally dedicated and signed copy of the paperback by contacting us via the Comments section below. The paperbacks cost £7.99 + p&p.
Filed under Animals, Cotswolds, Otters, Uncategorized
Hundreds came to meet Rudi the Otter in August & September 2022
Daphne Neville took Rudi the Otter to meet children at the Melplash Show near Bridport in Dorset, An Animal Sanctuary in Devon and at the Frampton on Severn Country Fair when she was interviewed by Miles Warde on ‘Open Country’
One supporter wrote to say, “This morning I was listening to the farming programme on BBC Radio 4 and when they announced that it was on the Frampton Fair, I wondered…. and there she was, I just knew she would be… the fabulous Daphne. I was so thrilled to hear her sounding as passionate as ever about life and the otters… In this mad world, Daphne is still a beacon of hope and caring. “
If you can’t get to the west of England, you can watch Rudi and Belinda the Otter on the movie Scottish Mussell staring Martin Compston, Joe Riley, Harry Enfield and Talulah Riley is currently on BBC iPlayer. You can watch the trailer here
Filed under Animals, Otters, Uncategorized
Daphne Neville appearing in the US magazine ‘All Creatures’
Daphne tells of her years of working with tame otters in the May/June 2020 issue of the US magazine ‘All Creatures – The Animals who share our lives.’

To read about Daphne appearing on ‘Come Dine With Me’ please click here
Daphne Neville profiled in Country Life magazine with her tame otter

Daphne Neville at Bakers Mill near Cirencester in the Cotswolds with Rudi, her tame Asian short-clawed otter
~ Country Life magazine, 11th September 2019 ~
Meet Daphne Neville and Rudi the Otter in Gloucestershire this summer
Daphne Neville and Rudi the Otter, have been answering questions on conservation in the Cotswolds.

02/04/19. Picture: COPYRIGHT John Lawrence 07850 429934
Their last appearance was at the Frampton Country Fair, a traditional event held in September 2019 when there was lots to do and see.

Photo used in the Daily Mail 02/04/19.
COPYRIGHT John Lawrence 07850 429934
Filed under Animals, Cotswolds, Otters, Uncategorized
A talk on Otters at Nature in Art

Picture: Daily Mail – COPYRIGHT John Lawrence 07850 429934

Picture: COPYRIGHT John Lawrence 07850 429934

Nature in Art is 2 miles north of Gloucester on A38 SatNav Postcode: GL2 9PG
To see what else is on a Nature in Art, please click here
Filed under Animals, Cotswolds, Otters, Uncategorized
Baker’s Mill in the Cotswolds

Daphne was interviewed recently about her home in the Cotswolds, which has often been used as a film location. After a number of television advertisements and drama serials such as Dark Secret and House of Elliot used the house, Daphne appeared in Cold Caller, an award-winning short film that made good use of the lake. You can read more about it here.

Rudi-the-Otter who lives in an enclosure above the converted mill, appeared in the movie Scottish Mussel. He played both himself and his mate in series two of The Durrells and featured in BBCTV’s Natural World Series where he was used to show how otters can smell underwater in the documentary entitled ‘Super-charged Otters’. You can see more photos of filming with the tame otters here.

Daphne is campaigning for ‘Animal alert’ whistles to be fitted onto vehicles. They prevent pets and wild animals from being run over. They can be obtained cheaply from Amazon.co here

Filed under Acting, Animals, British Film, Cotswolds, Film and TV, Otters, Uncategorized
Come Dine With Me

Daphne Neville and Rudi the Otter appeared in five episodes of ‘Come Dine With Me’, first broadcast at on Chanel 4 in 2018 and repeated forever more.
By the end of the first episode #comedinewithme was trending on Twitter:
‘#comedinewithme Daphne is what is great about Britain..cute polite nice classy positive welcoming….’
‘Daphne is lovely ‘#comedinewithme’
The only reason I tuned into watch #comedinewithme this week was to watch the delightful and lovable Daphne Neville she is the perfect dinner guest, she’s welcome round mine anytime otter too lol aww she’s just lovely.
‘I’m watching #ComeDineWithMe how cute is that old lady Daphne!! Ahhh’
‘Yes and we love Daphne too!! #comedinewithme
‘#comedinewithme I could not love Daphne anymore than if she was my own Nan!’
‘Aww I do love Daphne!! #comedinewithme’
‘We are only tuning in to watch daphne #ComeDineWithMe
‘Aww isn’t Daphne just the best!! #comedinewithme
‘I love Daphne on #comedinewithme
‘Daphne the perfect dinner guest #comedinewithme
#comedinewithme I totally want to adopt Daphne!!
Oh I LOVE Daphne, I’d score her night a 10 even if the food was crap! #comedinewithme #cdwm
Daphne opened Episode 5, being ‘first off’, with a can of tomatoes.

Daphne was interviewed in her kitchen and we met the guests as they came downstairs.

Every detail had been carefully planned. The wine was chilled, the table looked lovely and there was almost constant laughter. Viewers seemed to be engaged: ‘Go daphne!! #comedinewithme

Daphne prepared tomato and mushroom soup for her four guests, followed by wild salmon, only to find out that two of the guests disliked fish, which was a bit of a pity.
Viewers on Twitter were appalled: ‘So James wouldn’t eat Daphne’s main cause he doesn’t like fish but his starter is lobster? #comedinewithme

One of the guests, who was a stickler for good manners, became irritated by another member of the party and walked out before pudding, which was quite dramatic.

She rather blew her own words out of the water although Daphne said Anne later wrote to apologise.
There was a roar from viewers on Twitter:
#comedinewithme ‘OMG how rude is Anne?! Lecturing the others on manners and then walking out on Daphne?! Bitch!’

Suddenly there was one less. Daphne’s fans on Twitter were in uproar:
#comedinewithme Poor Daphne, completely bemused!!
Daphne kept going and the evening became increasingly enjoyable, especially when Rudi the Otter was brought down to meet everyone.

In the end, Daphne was awarded 28 points by her four dinner guests
The Twitter-atary added their opinion:
‘Everyone needs to protect and look after Daphne, that woman is a legend!! #comedinewithme
‘If Daphne doesn’t win I’m going to kill someone #comedinewithme
‘Anyone see the water sossig on #comedinewithme ? (accompnaied with GIF of an ottter)
‘Daphne is our winner #comedinewithme
#comedinewithme Can we have Daphne on every week please!

You can watch this week’s episode on Channel 4 catch-up here

‘Absolutely love #Daphne on #comedinewithme . . . What a legend! I want to meet her and her otter 
You can! Daphne and Rudi the Otter will be appearing at the Frampton Country Fair in South Gloucestershire on Saturday 8th September 2019. All welcome! You can read about the antics of Daphne and her tame otters in ‘Funnily Enough’ by Sophie Neville available online or to order at your local library.

Daphne Neville appearing on come Dine With Me
Filed under Animals, Cotswolds, Film and TV, Otters, Television, Uncategorized
Daphne’s hand-reared otter Rudi has become quite a TV star

Daphne has been busy filming with her tame otter Rudi starred in the BBC TV Natural World series ‘Suppercharged Otters’ with Charlie Hamilton James, who he is investigating in Mark Wheeler’s photograph above. To read more about this, please click here or go to the Otters page on this website.
Rudi also appeared in the second series of ‘The Durrells’ as both the male otter Gerald Durrell captured on Corfu, and his mate. To read more about this, please click here.

Filed under Animals, Film and TV, Otters, Television, Uncategorized



