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Transcript: Zagazoo
Quentin Blake's Box of Treasures
Descriptive Transcript
[Upbeat music plays, paint drips, wings flap, rustling, crunching]
DESCRIPTION: In a hand-drawn animation, paint drips onto a white background. An orange-and-white butterfly flutters across the background and disappears. A colourful striped snake appears and eats the opening credits.
[Opening credits] Based on the book by Quentin Blake.
[Hissing, mud splashes, wings flap, flames whoosh]
DESCRIPTION: The snake slithers away. A brown warthog stands in mud, then splashes it across the background. A small green dragon hovers, watching the warthog run away. The dragon breathes fire and sets the opening credits ablaze.
[Credits continue] Narrated by Adrian Lester. With the voice of Simon Pegg.
DESCRIPTION: George appears with smoke rising from his left shoe. He has short red hair and wears a white shirt, a yellow-and-red striped vest, and grey pants. George waves.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: I'm going to tell you a story. The messy, noisy, but above all, happy story of a couple called George…
[George exclaims]
DESCRIPTION: Bella appears beside George. Her blonde hair is in a ponytail, and she wears a spotted green dress. Bella waves, and George watches her, smiling.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: And Bella, and what happened when a strange creature came into their lives. A creature called Zagazoo.
DESCRIPTION: Bella and George disappear.
[Episode Title] Quentin Blake’s Zagazoo.
DESCRIPTION: Bella and George reappear.
BELLA: Um, sorry. Zagazoo?
GEORGE: Who or what on earth is a Zagazoo?
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: Don't worry. You'll find out soon enough.
[Upbeat music continues, door creaks, boxes thump, door slams, doormat rustles, lamp squeaks]
DESCRIPTION: Bella and George shrug at each other, then walk in opposite directions. Later, George enters an apartment carrying a stack of boxes towards a table. A model airplane hangs from the ceiling, and a small kitchen lines the far wall below an open skylight window. George closes the door with his right foot and nudges a doormat towards the door. He puts his boxes on the table, sits down, and repositions a clamp lamp.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: Once, George and Bella weren't a couple. In fact, they didn't even know each other and lived on opposite sides of a big town.
[Vehicle horns honk, model pieces rattle]
DESCRIPTION: Across town, in another apartment, Bella sits at a table, squeezing glue onto a model airplane wing and attaching it to the fuselage.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: But despite never having met, they had lots in common. They both loved making model airplanes, especially commercial airliners. Don't ask why. It was just their thing.
BELLA: It's just my thing!
GEORGE: And mine!
[Container sprays, Bella and George moan]
DESCRIPTION: In their apartments, Bella and George look at giant ice cream sundaes on their tables. George arranges a pink umbrella on top of his and Bella sprays whipped cream on hers. Later, in a split screen, they both build half a card tower on their tables. The towers connect, forming a pyramid.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: They also both loved eating ice cream and building card towers, though, never at the same time as eating ice cream.
GEORGE AND BELLA: It makes the cards sticky.
[Cards rustle]
DESCRIPTION: George’s cards fall.
GEORGE: Aw!
[George groans, book rustles, pages rustle]
DESCRIPTION: In his apartment, George takes a book off a shelf. Behind him, a blue butterfly enters the room through the skylight.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: And while George had a Big Book of Butterflies...
GEORGE: Ooh! A common brimstone. Exciting!
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: Bella had a large ledger of lepidoptera.
[Wings flap]
DESCRIPTION: At night, Bella sits at her table reading a book. A moth flies around the room.
BELLA: Which sounds different, but lepidoptera is just the scientific name for butterflies.
[Light dings]
DESCRIPTION: The moth flies to the overhead light, then flies away.
BELLA: And moths!
DESCRIPTION: The moth flies outside, then flies with the blue butterfly in the starry sky.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: Which are basically butterflies who like to stay up late. For a long time, they enjoyed their hobbies separately. But then, one day—
[Dinging, train whistle toots, train whooshes, upbeat music plays, train rattles, footsteps tap, robot clinks]
DESCRIPTION: At a rail crossing, an automated gate lowers on each side of the track. Bella crouches and watches a model train move on the track. She runs to a display and picks up a blue-and-red robot. The robot's head moves up and down.
BELLA: Oh!
DESCRIPTION: Bella puts the robot back on a box.
BELLA: Hmm.
DESCRIPTION: Bella stops and looks up at a box on top of a display shelf.
BELLA: Oh, wow! The de Havilland Comet! The world's first jet-powered airliner.
[Footsteps tap, Bella grunts, rustling, ladder clatters]
DESCRIPTION: Bella pushes a box across the floor, climbs onto it, and places a ladder on it. She climbs to the top just as George climbs a ladder on the other side of the display. George slips and reaches the top as Bella reaches for the box.
GEORGE: Ah!
[Tap]
DESCRIPTION: Bella and George both touch the box.
GEORGE AND BELLA: Oh!
GEORGE: I'm sorry.
BELLA: I'm sorry.
[Bella giggles]
DESCRIPTION: Bella and George glance away from each other. George pushes the box towards Bella.
GEORGE: You should have it.
DESCRIPTION: Bella pushes the box back.
BELLA: But it's the last one in the shop.
GEORGE: I'll, uh, I'll find something else.
[Rustling]
DESCRIPTION: George pushes the box towards Bella, and she peers around the side at George.
BELLA: Or what if we built it together?
[George chuckles, model pieces click]
DESCRIPTION: In George’s apartment, Bella and George build the model on his table.
BELLA: Oh!
GEORGE: Finished!
[Bella chuckles]
BELLA: Well done, us. High-five!
[Both sigh, hands slap]
DESCRIPTION: Bella and George high-five over the model plane.
[Tense music plays, both murmur]
GEORGE: Fancy some ice cream to celebrate?
BELLA: You like ice cream, too?
GEORGE: Of course! And building card towers.
BELLA: Though never at the same time.
[George chuckles, glue sloshes]
DESCRIPTION: George shakes a bottle of glue.
GEORGE: Oh, no! It makes the cards sticky.
BELLA: Exactly! Tell me, you don't like butterflies, do you?
GEORGE: Love them!
[Bella sighs]
DESCRIPTION: Bella rests her elbows on a small toolbox and gazes at George. Bella and George lean towards each other over the table, and both lift a leg.
GEORGE AND BELLA: You're perfect!
[Wheels squeak, bike rattles, Bella hums]
DESCRIPTION: Bella and George ride their bikes. Later, their helmets hang on the handlebars of the parked bikes as the sun sets. An orange-and-white butterfly flutters past the bikes.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: From then on, every day they'd cycle to meet each other on their old but beloved bikes and do fun things together.
[Bella laughs, birds chirp]
DESCRIPTION: Bella and George sit beneath a tree and watch butterflies.
BELLA: Ooh! An orange-tip!
[George gasps]
GEORGE: A common blue!
GEORGE AND BELLA: Brilliant!
BELLA: There's a red cinnabar moth heading that way. Should we follow it? Come on!
GEORGE: Yes! Oh, it's going to be dark soon. I'd better head home now. Sorry.
DESCRIPTION: Bella holds a red flower.
BELLA: You know, we'd have more time for doing things if we didn't spend so long travelling to see each other.
[Petal rustles, Bella inhales, sighs]
DESCRIPTION: Bella picks a petal off the flower, then sniffs the bloom.
GEORGE: Are you saying what I think you're saying?
DESCRIPTION: In the city, Bella and George stand together, looking up at a row house.
GEORGE: Actually, I thought you were saying we should get faster forms of transport.
[George chuckles]
GEORGE: But this is much better.
[Children shout in background]
BELLA: Isn't it? Especially since that bicycle really hurt my bottom.
[Bella chuckles, dog barks]
GEORGE: And let's face it.
[George grunts]
DESCRIPTION: George pulls a “For Sale” sign from the yard and places it beside their bikes at the curb.
GEORGE: They were pretty dangerous.
[Upbeat music plays, door opens, slams]
DESCRIPTION: Bella and George hold hands and enter the house. Inside, Bella puts the de Havilland Comet model on the fireplace mantel, then she picks up a broom.
BELLA: Phew. There. Now, the place just needs a good clean, and we're all set.
GEORGE: Luckily, I love cleaning.
BELLA: Me too!
[Both laugh, George sighs]
DESCRIPTION: George tickles Bella with a feather duster.
GEORGE AND BELLA: You're perfect.
[Upbeat music plays, broom rustles, Bella hums, George hums, George pants, bird squawks]
DESCRIPTION: Bella and George rub the tips of their noses together, then clean the living room. As day turns to night, they clean the other levels of the three-storey house. A bird takes off from the top of the chimney as George pushes his feather duster outside.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: And then, one day.
[Sheet rustles]
DESCRIPTION: George stands beside a bed, holding a sheet in his right hand.
GEORGE: Ah! Hmm.
[Pillows thump]
DESCRIPTION: Bella throws two pillows onto the bed.
BELLA: Ah!
[George laughs]
DESCRIPTION: Bella twirls.
BELLA: New record! Bed made in 23 seconds flat.
GEORGE: High-five!
[Hands slap, doorbell rings]
DESCRIPTION: Bella and George high-five.
GEORGE: Hmm.
[Door creaks, the music stops, dog barks]
DESCRIPTION: George opens the door and pokes his head outside.
GEORGE: Oh? There's no one here.
BELLA: Except what's that?
[Birds chirp]
DESCRIPTION: George and Bella look at a package on their walkway. The package is wrapped in brightly coloured paper and tied with string.
GEORGE: Hmm. It's not my birthday or yours.
BELLA: And Christmas is ages away. But it is addressed to us.
[Upbeat music plays]
DESCRIPTION: Inside, Bella and George stare at the package on the table. They look at each other.
BELLA: Better open it, I suppose.
[Wrapping paper rustles, the music stops]
DESCRIPTION: Bella and George unwrap the package and stare down, open-mouthed.
GEORGE: Hmm. What is it, do you think?
BELLA: Don't know. It's very pink, though.
GEORGE: And cute.
BELLA: And it smells—
[Bella sniffs]
BELLA: Oh! All milky and delicious.
GEORGE: There's a label.
DESCRIPTION: George picks up the label. Text reads, “Zagazoo.”
BELLA: Oh, its name is Zagazoo?
[Zagazoo hiccups, giggles]
DESCRIPTION: A baby wearing a diaper sits on the paper.
GEORGE: Hmm. I wonder what it does?
[Zagazoo giggles, light music plays]
DESCRIPTION: George tickles Zagazoo’s tummy. Bella tickles Zagazoo’s tummy, and the baby falls backward on the wrapping paper.
BELLA: It giggles.
[Bella blows a raspberry, Bella and Zagazoo laugh]
DESCRIPTION: Bella blows a raspberry on Zagazoo’s tummy.
GEORGE: It gurgles!
[Zagazoo giggles]
DESCRIPTION: George picks Zagazoo up and moves them in the air. He gently tosses the baby to Bella, who spins with them.
BELLA: Whee!
[Zagazoo chortles]
BELLA: And it chortles.
DESCRIPTION: Bella gives Zagazoo to George.
GEORGE: It really is a lot of fun.
[Bella and George sigh]
DESCRIPTION: Bella and George hug, holding Zagazoo.
GEORGE AND BELLA: He's perfect.
[Dripping, the music stops]
DESCRIPTION: Urine drips from Zagazoo’s diaper, and George holds the baby at arm’s length.
[Light music plays]
GEORGE: Well, nearly perfect. I think he's leaking.
BELLA: No, I think his wrapper's full. We'll need another.
[Zagazoo giggles, Zagazoo vocalizes, package rustles]
DESCRIPTION: In a supermarket, diapers are stacked beneath a fifty percent off sign. George picks up a package of diapers, and Zagazoo reaches for them. George gives the baby the package and smiles down at him. Bella watches a woman push a shopping cart with a baby in the seat.
BELLA: Look! Other people have got Zagazoos.
DESCRIPTION: George makes air quotes.
GEORGE: Must be the new “in thing.” We're frightfully fashionable.
BELLA: Aren't we just, darling?
[Bella and George laugh, beeps, slide whistle, upbeat music plays, Zagazoo giggles]
DESCRIPTION: At the checkout counter, a cashier with brown hair scans packages of diapers, and Zagazoo rides on one. The brown-haired woman tickles the baby’s tummy, and he reaches for a flower on her headband.
GEORGE: Zagazoo, leave that alone.
[Zagazoo laughs]
DESCRIPTION: George picks Zagazoo up, and the brown-haired woman tickles the baby’s tummy.
BROWN-HAIRED WOMAN: Oh, don't worry. Such a cutie!
[Zagazoo giggles, Bella and George laugh, light music plays, Zagazoo sniffs]
DESCRIPTION: At home, Zagazoo sits in a highchair, and George sits in front of him in a chair, holding a bowl of ice cream. Zagazoo turns his head away from the ice cream.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: George and Bella loved giggling and gurgling and chortling with Zagazoo.
[Zagazoo squeals, George imitates an airplane, Zagazoo hiccups]
DESCRIPTION: George flies the spoon over his head, then feeds it to Zagazoo. The baby shudders, then smiles.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: After a while, he even started liking ice cream.
[Zagazoo giggles]
DESCRIPTION: Bella and George smile at each other. A blue butterfly flutters around the kitchen and lands on Zagazoo’s nose.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: And spotting butterflies.
[Zagazoo squeals, banging, Zagazoo laughs]
DESCRIPTION: The butterfly takes off. In the living room, Zagazoo chews on a model airplane, then uses it to hit a card tower on a coffee table. Bella picks Zagazoo up, and George holds the model, shaking his head and waggling his finger.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: Though model airplanes and card towers weren't really his thing, life was perfect.
[Raspberry blows, Zagazoo giggles]
DESCRIPTION: Bella blows a raspberry on Zagazoo’s tummy.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: And then, one night.
[Bella sighs, the music stops]
DESCRIPTION: In their bedroom, Bella and George sit in bed. Bella gazes at a framed photo.
BELLA: I love Zagazoo more every day.
[Thump, eyeglasses click]
DESCRIPTION: Bella places the picture on her nightstand. George removes his eyeglasses and puts them on his nightstand.
GEORGE: Me too. And he loves us as well. We must be doing a good job.
BELLA: Gentle goodnight high-five?
[Hands gently slap]
DESCRIPTION: Bella and George gently high-five.
[Click, insects chirp, animals howl, car alarm blares, lights click]
DESCRIPTION: Bella and George turn off the lights. The lights turn on.
GEORGE: What was that?
[Animals howl]
BELLA: Oh, no!
GEORGE AND BELLA: Zagazoo!
[Blankets rustle, door opens, light music plays, door opens, Bella screams, animal howls]
DESCRIPTION: Bella and George jump out of bed, run to Zagazoo’s bedroom, and turn on the light.
BELLA: What's that?
[Bird squawks]
DESCRIPTION: Bella and George look down into the crib. A featherless vulture wearing a diaper stares up at them.
GEORGE: Oh, no! Has that horrid creature eaten Zagazoo?
[Tense music plays, vulture gulps]
BELLA: Actually, I think that horrid creature is Zagazoo.
[Zagazoo squawks, upbeat music plays]
DESCRIPTION: Bella picks up the vulture, who is Zagazoo.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: They tried everything to calm him down.
[Zagazoo squawks, George speaks gibberish, Zagazoo squawks, maracas rattle, raspberry blows, Zagazoo squawks]
DESCRIPTION: George tickles Zagazoo under the chin, then shakes maracas. Bella blows on Zagazoo’s tummy. George takes Zagazoo and holds him over his head.
GEORGE: Whee! Whee!
[Zagazoo squawks]
GEORGE: You'd think a vulture would like being flown through the air.
BELLA: Maybe some ice cream.
[Spoon clinks, George imitates an airplane, thump, George grunts, Zagazoo squawks]
DESCRIPTION: In the morning, George flies ice cream towards Zagazoo and Zagazoo knocks the spoon out of George’s hand. Bella hides behind George’s chair as Zagazoo squawks.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: Nothing worked.
[Wings flap, beak snaps, Bella and George gasp, Bella sighs, register beeps, thumps]
DESCRIPTION: The blue butterfly flutters toward Zagazoo, and he eats it. Bella rubs her forehead. In the supermarket, the brown-haired woman scans bird food and a birdcage. Zagazoo rides in the shopping cart, and the brown-haired woman pats his head.
BROWN-HAIRED WOMAN: Oh, he's growing up, isn't he?
[Zagazoo screeches, coins clatter]
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo screeches at the brown-haired woman, and her hair flies in the wind. George and Bella cover their ears. Bella pushes the cart away from the checkout. George drops money on the conveyor belt, picks up the birdcage, and quickly walks away.
GEORGE: We're so sorry.
[Light music plays, Zagazoo squawks, headphones click, pillow rustles]
DESCRIPTION: At night, George sits beneath photos of Zagazoo on the wall, and stuffs cotton balls into his ears. He puts on headphones, fluffs a pillow, and ties it around his head. Bella sits beside him with a pillow tied around her head.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: Those sleepless nights were exhausting for George and Bella, and to get any sleep, they resorted to desperate measures.
[Zagazoo squawks, the music stops]
GEORGE: Goodnight, darling.
BELLA: What?
GEORGE: I said, "Goodnight, darling!"
BELLA: Oh, yes! Goodnight.
[Rustling, light clicks, Zagazoo squawks, George sighs]
DESCRIPTION: The lights turn off.
[Upbeat music plays]
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: And then, one morning.
[Birds chirp]
DESCRIPTION: In bed, Bella nudges George.
BELLA: George? George!
GEORGE: Yes!
BELLA: Can't hear a thing. Do you think maybe he's back to pink, squishy, snuggly Zagazoo?
[Door opens, creaks, rustling, Zagazoo trumpets, George yelps, stomping, tires screech, thumping]
DESCRIPTION: Bella and George tiptoe to Zagazoo’s bedroom. Bella puts her ear against the door and George gestures for her to open it. Zagazoo runs out as an elephant calf, slides on a carpet, and falls down the stairs. Bella and George watch over the railing.
GEORGE: Well, at least he's not a vulture anymore.
[Crashing, George yelps, Zagazoo trumpets, upbeat music plays, stomping]
DESCRIPTION: The house shakes, and George’s eyeglasses fall off. He catches them and puts them back on. At the kitchen table, Bella pours coffee, and George sits with an empty bowl in front of him. Bread bounces, and George grabs a slice.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: Elephant Zagazoo may have been quieter.
[Clinking, Zagazoo trumpets]
DESCRIPTION: George spreads jam on his bread, and Bella sits down, smiling. Zagazoo points his trunk at George and trumpets.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: Well, most of the time.
[Zagazoo coos, munching, soft trumpeting]
DESCRIPTION: George holds up the bread, and Zagazoo grabs it and eats it. Zagazoo grabs the rest of the bread with his trunk.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: But what he lacked in loudness, he made up for in mess.
[Rustling, Bella gasps, dishes clatter, trumpeting]
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo pulls the tablecloth off the table and the dishes and food fall.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: And he ate everything he could get his trunk on.
[Stomping]
GEORGE: I mean, he's still perfect, but in a much trickier way.
[Stomping, knife clunks, dishes clunk]
DESCRIPTION: George puts his butter knife on the table and takes the coffee mug from Bella. On the floor, Zagazoo runs in circles over the spilled food and broken dishes.
BELLA: Don't worry. We'll handle it.
[Clattering]
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo spits out a model plane, and George stands.
GEORGE: Ah!
BELLA: Somehow.
[Register beeps, brown-haired woman hums, upbeat music plays]
DESCRIPTION: In the supermarket, the brown-haired woman scans a box of peanuts and a box of wine glasses.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: Just like with the vulture, it was, how shall I put this? Interesting taking him out.
[Zagazoo trumpets]
DESCRIPTION: Bella pushes Zagazoo in the shopping cart, and he stands.
BROWN-HAIRED WOMAN: Oh!
[Zagazoo trumpets, thump]
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo grabs the brown-haired woman’s headband and her hair stands up.
GEORGE: No!
BELLA: Oh!
[Tap]
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo puts the headband in his mouth. George covers his eyes with his right hand as Bella leans towards Zagazoo, her right hand outstretched.
BELLA: Spit that out, Zagazoo. Spit it out!
[Squelching, footsteps patter]
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo spits the headband out, and Bella drops it into George’s hand. She quickly pushes Zagazoo away from the checkout, and George puts the moist headband on the brown-haired woman’s head.
GEORGE: We're so sorry.
[Coins clatter, headband splats, birds chirp, Bella and George yawn, bird squawks, Bella and George sigh]
DESCRIPTION: George picks up the boxes and leaves the supermarket. The headband falls out of the brown-haired woman’s hair and lands on the conveyor belt. The next morning, Bella sits on the bed, and George lies beside her. He sits up and stretches.
GEORGE: I love Zagazoo so much, but he does make me nervous these days.
[Birds sing]
BELLA: Well, at least I can't hear any thumping or trumpeting today.
[Upbeat music plays, door opens, mud squishes, George gasps, Zagazoo squeals]
DESCRIPTION: George opens the bedroom door and steps in a trail of mud leading from the stairs to Zagazoo’s open door. George runs to Zagazoo’s door, then he and Bella go downstairs. Mud covers the living room floor, walls, and furniture. Zagazoo, as a warthog, stands in the room.
GEORGE: Ah! Great! And now he's a warthog.
[Mud splatters, rustling, scraping, mud splashes, light music plays]
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo scratches his ear, then rubs against a chair. He spits mud like a fountain onto a carpet.
BELLA: Where did he even get the mud?
[Splat]
DESCRIPTION: Mud falls on Bella’s head, and she looks up at mud on the ceiling.
BELLA: Oh! And how did it get up there?
GEORGE: It's a good job we like cleaning.
DESCRIPTION: George holds a bucket and a mop.
BELLA: Well, I don't like it that much.
[Zagazoo snorts, scraping, upbeat music plays, Zagazoo squeals, rustling]
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo pushes the chair, leaving mud on the side. He runs to George and Bella and shakes mud out of his hair.
BELLA: Ew!
GEORGE: Oh, Zagazoo!
[Scraping, Zagazoo squeals, snorts, flatulence toots]
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo climbs onto the back of a couch.
[Soft music plays]
GEORGE: I think we should take him out.
[Scraping, Zagazoo grunts, squeals, mud splashes, thumps]
DESCRIPTION: At a park playground, Zagazoo slides down a slide and lands in mud. He gleefully rolls onto his back, then stands and runs up a climbing wall towards the slide. On a nearby park bench, Bella and George eat ice cream.
GEORGE: Ah. This is better.
[Bella gasps]
DESCRIPTION: Bella nudges George.
BELLA: But it might rapidly not be.
[Tense music plays, footstep tap]
DESCRIPTION: The brown-haired woman, who wears a purple hat with a flower, a purple coat, and a purple skirt, walks a black toy poodle. She carries a small purple purse in the crook of her left arm.
GEORGE: Maybe he won't see her.
[Zagazoo squeals, mud splashes, bubbling]
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo jumps into the mud at the bottom of the slide, then blows bubbles in it. He looks up and smiles.
BELLA: Nope. He's seen her. Zagazoo! Don't you dare!
[Zagazoo squeals, rustling, cat screeching, Bella and George pant, exciting music plays, Zagazoo squeals]
DESCRIPTION: Bella gives George her ice cream, and they both chase Zagazoo through bushes.
GEORGE: Oh!
[Rustling, Zagazoo squeals, the brown-haired woman gasps, Bella and George gasp, wings flap, Bella and George pant, ice cream splats, mud splatters, brown-haired woman exclaims, poodle barks]
DESCRIPTION: Bella and George stop and shake leaves off their clothes, then look around. In a bush, Zagazoo looks around with a bird’s nest on his head. In the nest, a bird looks around, wide-eyed. Nearby, the brown-haired woman walks her poodle over a small bridge over a stream. The bird takes off as Zagazoo runs out of the bush. Bella and George chase him, and Bella leaps forward to tackle Zagazoo. She misses, and George trips over her, catching the ice cream on the cones. Zagazoo charges at the brown-haired woman and the poodle, splattering mud on her. He rubs against her and jumps up on her with his tongue lolling out. Bella arrives and guides Zagazoo away. George gives the brown-haired woman an ice cream cone and backs away.
GEORGE: We're so, so sorry.
[Poodle barks, ice cream splats, the music stops]
DESCRIPTION: The ice cream slides off the cone and lands on the poodle’s head, knocking them to the ground.
[Door opens, Zagazoo snorts, squeals, footsteps tap]
DESCRIPTION: George and Zagazoo arrive home, and Zagazoo sits in the muddy foyer.
GEORGE: Come on, young man! Upstairs!
[Zagazoo grunts, Bella groans, Zagazoo snorts]
DESCRIPTION: George points to the stairs. Zagazoo walks away, and George follows him, his eyes narrowed. Bella stands in the doorway looking at the mud, and her shoulders slump. In Zagazoo’s bedroom, George points at the floor.
GEORGE: That was appalling behaviour, and until you learn to behave better, you'll stay in here.
[Zagazoo squeals, whoosh, tense music plays]
DESCRIPTION: Green wings appear on Zagazoo’s back.
GEORGE: Uh, what's going on?
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo transforms into a green dragon with a red snout and tummy.
GEORGE: You stop that now, young man!
[Zagazoo hiccups, flames whoosh]
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo hiccups and sets a carpet on fire. George stomps on the flames and puts it out.
GEORGE: Ah! Ooh! Ow!
[Zagazoo hiccups, flames whoosh, George shouts, door opens, shuts]
DESCRIPTION: In the hallway, Bella backs away as smoke drifts beneath Zagazoo’s door. George leaves the bedroom.
BELLA: How'd it go?
[Bella gasps, George sighs, footsteps tap, light music plays, flames whoosh, Zagazoo snarls, Zagazoo hiccups, flames whoosh]
DESCRIPTION: George’s pants have burned away below the knees. Later, in the living room, scorch marks cover the furniture and walls. Zagazoo slides into the room. He hiccups, bouncing across the room and setting a tablecloth and parts of the floor on fire.
BELLA: Oh!
[Hose sprays, hiccup, flames whoosh, exclaiming]
DESCRIPTION: Bella follows behind Zagazoo, with a hose attached to a fire extinguisher on her back, putting out fires. She runs towards him, and George follows with another fire extinguisher and hose.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: Having a dragon around the house was great fun for George and Bella.
DESCRIPTION: George turns and glares directly at us.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: I'm joking. It was precisely no fun. There were constant fires to put out.
[Hose sprays]
DESCRIPTION: A hose puts out fires on pictures of butterflies on the wall, an armchair, and the melting de Havilland Comet model. Bella and George stand in the living room with their shoulders slumped.
[The music stops]
DESCRIPTION: Bella holds up her left hand.
BELLA: Well done, us. High-five?
GEORGE: I haven't got the energy.
[Bella groans, chairs creak]
DESCRIPTION: Bella and George sit on the armchairs.
BELLA: Me neither.
[Light music plays, clink]
DESCRIPTION: In the kitchen, George pours strawberry syrup over an ice cream sundae and turns towards Bella, who sits at the table.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: And they couldn't even cheer themselves up with ice cream.
[Zagazoo hiccups, flames whoosh, ice cream splatters, Zagazoo hiccups, exciting music plays, Zagazoo snarls]
DESCRIPTION: Flames melt the ice cream, and it falls on the floor. Zagazoo furrows his eyebrows and flies out of the room.
BELLA: Well, we're definitely not going to the park or supermarket with him like this.
[Doorbell rings, footsteps tap, door opens, the music stops]
DESCRIPTION: Bella and George walk to the door, and George opens it. Their eyes widen.
BELLA: Oh! What are you doing here?
DESCRIPTION: Outside, the brown-haired woman holds strips of green raffle tickets.
BROWN-HAIRED WOMAN: I sell raffle tickets for charity on my day off. Though I didn't know you lived here.
GEORGE: Don't worry. He's not a warthog anymore.
[Zagazoo hiccups, flames whoosh]
DESCRIPTION: Flames shoot between Bella and George, burning the woman’s raffle tickets.
BELLA: Yep. He's a dragon now.
[Footsteps patter, brown-haired woman screams]
DESCRIPTION: The brown-haired woman flees down the sidewalk, leaving a trail of smoke behind her.
BELLA: We're really sorry!
[Zagazoo yelps]
DESCRIPTION: Inside, Zagazoo stands in the foyer.
GEORGE: Zagazoo! That was very, very naughty.
[George grunts, footsteps patter, light music plays, splatting, crashing, Bella gasps, Zagazoo sniffles, sad music plays]
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo runs into the kitchen, and George chases him around the table. Zagazoo slips on the melted ice cream and slides into the living room. Bella picks Zagazoo up.
BELLA: Oh, sweetheart. Are you all right?
[Whoosh, Zagazoo squawks]
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo transforms into the vulture.
GEORGE: Oh, good. The vulture's back.
DESCRIPTION: Bella hugs Zagazoo.
BELLA: There, there. It's all right.
[Gasping, upbeat music plays, Zagazoo squeals, splashing, Zagazoo trumpets, Zagazoo squeals, Bella and George exclaim, Zagazoo trumpets, thump, crashing, thud, model shatters, Zagazoo sniffles, whooshing, Zagazoo squawks]
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo transforms into the warthog and jumps out of Bella’s arms. He rolls, getting the ice cream in his hair, then shakes it out on Bella and George. Zagazoo changes into the elephant calf and runs across the room. He hits the table, flies through the air, and lands behind an armchair. An airplane model falls off a shelf and breaks on Zagazoo’s head, and he cries. He transforms into a vulture again.
GEORGE: What is happening?
[The music stops]
BELLA: It's nothing we haven't seen before. It's just all quicker.
[Both gasp, Zagazoo growls, scratching, upbeat music plays, whooshing]
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo, as a brown bear, scratches his back against the fireplace mantel.
GEORGE: Well, we haven't seen a bear before.
[Sniffing]
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo changes into a capybara.
GEORGE: Or a, what even is that?
DESCRIPTION: Bella looks in a book.
BELLA: Uh. I think it's a capybara. Apparently, they're the world's largest rodent.
[Squeaking, light music plays]
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo changes into a pygmy jerboa and scurries across the coffee table. He jumps onto the couch.
BELLA: Oh! And that's the world's smallest rodent. The pygmy jerboa.
[Zagazoo squeaks]
DESCRIPTION: George tickles Zagazoo’s nose.
GEORGE: At least we're learning something.
[Zagazoo hisses]
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo transforms into the colourful striped snake and smiles down at George. He wraps himself around George’s torso.
GEORGE: Ah! Snake! I hate snakes!
BELLA: I think he just wants a hug.
[Animals call, the music stops, flames whoosh]
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo chases George around the kitchen, then changes from animal to animal as Bella and George watch.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: This all went on for quite some time, and though they obviously still loved Zagazoo, it was tough on George and Bella. Leaving them...
[Thump]
DESCRIPTION: In Bella and George’s bedroom, a picture falls off the wall.
GEORGE: Ooh!
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: Well, see for yourselves.
[Thud, mooing]
DESCRIPTION: Bella and George sit in their bed. George puts a picture of Zagazoo, as an elephant, on his nightstand.
GEORGE: Our perfect Zagazoo is turning my hair grey.
BELLA: And I've got wrinkles.
GEORGE: Just laughter lines, darling.
[Whoosh, Bella yelps, Zagazoo growls]
BELLA: Well, we have to laugh.
[George chuckles]
GEORGE: Or we'd just cry. High-five for coping with it all.
[Hands slap, clattering, Zagazoo growls, George sighs, picture shatters, Zagazoo howls]
DESCRIPTION: Bella and George high-five, and a picture falls off the wall. They both lie down. Another picture falls to the floor.
BELLA: If only he'd stay as one thing.
GEORGE: But not the boa constrictor.
[Howling, Bella chuckles]
BELLA: Oh, gosh! No, not that.
DESCRIPTION: The light goes out in Bella and George’s bedroom.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: But be careful what you wish for.
[Howling, birds chirp, blankets rustle]
DESCRIPTION: The next morning, Bella and George sit up in bed.
GEORGE: It's quiet.
BELLA: Too quiet.
[Zagazoo snores, door creaks, gentle music plays, snoring, Bella gulps]
DESCRIPTION: The door to Zagazoo’s dark bedroom slowly swings open. He sleeps under his blanket. In the doorway, Bella stands behind George as they peer into the room.
GEORGE: Uh, Zagazoo.
[Dramatic music plays, Bella and George gasp]
DESCRIPTION: George reaches for the blanket with a trembling hand and reveals Zagazoo as a hairy, yeti-like creature. Zagazoo grabs the blanket and rolls away from his parents.
[Page rustles, light music plays]
DESCRIPTION: Later, Bella and George sit on the couch and flip through the green book.
BELLA: I can't even find it in here.
[Zagazoo grunts, footsteps thud, music buzzes, Zagazoo growls, dishes clatter, music buzzes]
DESCRIPTION: Bella and George watch Zagazoo walk towards the kitchen. They follow him and watch as he searches the fridge.
BELLA: Um, Zagazoo.
[Chewing, headphone music buzzes, light music plays, food thuds, George gasps]
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo stands, wearing headphones, and carries an armload of food away from the fridge. He drops a trail of food on the floor behind him. George runs to the empty fridge.
GEORGE: There's nothing left for our breakfast.
[Bella sighs]
BELLA: I'm not sure I like him this way. I think I'd prefer the warthog.
GEORGE: Or even the dragon.
[Fridge door shuts]
DESCRIPTION: George closes the fridge door.
BELLA: Well, let's not go too far.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: Each day, this strange creature got bigger and hairier.
[Thudding, cutlery clatters, upbeat music plays, Zagazoo grumbles, George gasps]
DESCRIPTION: Bella and George sit at the kitchen table as Zagazoo lumbers past. His shoulders slump, and his hairy arms reach his calf. The hair on his head is green and spiky on top. He carries an armload of food out of the kitchen. Zagazoo reaches back and takes a sandwich out of George’s hand as George opens his mouth to eat it.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: Which meant that George and Bella’s fridge had to get bigger and hairier.
[Thump, rustling]
DESCRIPTION: A bigger and hairier fridge appears.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: Sorry. Not hairier, just bigger.
[Rustling, page rustles]
DESCRIPTION: The hair disappears from the fridge. Later, Zagazoo has red hair. He sits hunched over a motorcycle magazine and turns a page.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: The creature also got more and more secretive.
DESCRIPTION: In the living room, Bella and George approach the armchair where Zagazoo sits.
BELLA: Um. Oh. Is that a motorcycle magazine?
[Zagazoo growls]
BELLA: Do you like motorcycles?
[Zagazoo groans, stomps, light music plays, light creaks, Bella groans]
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo stands and walks out of the room, hitting the overhead light on his way out. Bella walks to the armchair.
BELLA: I just don't know how long I can bear it.
[Rustling]
DESCRIPTION: Bella sits in the armchair.
BELLA: Even I'm going grey now.
[George chuckles]
GEORGE: And these are definitely not laughter lines.
[Spoon clinks, light music plays]
DESCRIPTION: Later, Bella and George sit at the kitchen table with a house of cards in front of them. Bella stirs ice cream in a bowl.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: Bella and George at least had time for their hobbies again.
DESCRIPTION: George lays a card across the top of the tower.
GEORGE: I can't believe we're eating ice cream at the same time as building card towers.
[Light music plays]
BELLA: Sticky fingers are the least of our problems these days. High-five for our new devil-may-care attitude.
[Ding, hands slap, cards rustle, bang, model pieces rattle]
DESCRIPTION: Bella and George high-five, and the house of cards collapses. George bangs his fists on the table. He picks up a model box and shakes it.
GEORGE: Right. Shall we do this new Hawker Siddeley Trident 1-C I bought?
[Upbeat music plays]
BELLA: Actually, that gives me an idea.
[Footsteps tap, door creaks, bell jangles, items clink, Zagazoo growls, music buzzes]
DESCRIPTION: On a sidewalk, Bella walks to Topsy’s Model Shop and enters. Later, at home, she carries a motorcycle model box into the kitchen as Zagazoo searches in the fridge. George walks beside her, smiling.
[The music stops, headphone music buzzes]
BELLA: Hello, darling. We thought you might like this.
[Zagazoo grunts]
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo turns with an armful of food and looks at his parents.
GEORGE: Because you like motorcycles, don't you?
[Zagazoo grunts, rustling, sniffs]
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo takes the box.
BELLA: Zagazoo. We do love you, you know?
[Zagazoo hiccups, grunts, box clanks, Zagazoo stomps]
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo drops the box in a trash can and walks away. Bella sags and George puts his hands on her shoulders.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: George and Bella were at the end of their tethers. But then, one day.
[Birds chirp, Bella sighs, upbeat music plays, Bella and George grunt]
DESCRIPTION: In the morning, Bella and George walk down the stairs in their pyjamas.
GEORGE: Time to see how empty the fridge is this morning.
DESCRIPTION: George stops at the bottom of the stairs and looks at the completed motorcycle model on a sideboard.
GEORGE: Hmm?
DESCRIPTION: George crouches by the model and inspects it. Bella walks back and looks at it with him.
GEORGE AND BELLA: Oh.
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo, now a young man, pokes his head out of the kitchen. He has short red hair and wears a green-and-yellow striped shirt.
ZAGAZOO: Aw! There you two are. Come on through. I've made breakfast.
[Upbeat music plays]
GEORGE: Hmm?
[Thumps]
DESCRIPTION: Bella and George look at each other. In the kitchen, Zagazoo puts a cup on the table, with plates of food.
ZAGAZOO: There you go. Black coffee for you, Mum. Milk, one sugar for you, Dad.
BELLA: Zagazoo? Is that you?
DESCRIPTION: Bella and George sit at the table.
ZAGAZOO: Of course, it is, silly. Oh! And thanks for the model motorbike. It was great to do.
GEORGE: Um. Our pleasure.
ZAGAZOO: So, high-fives for that?
[Hands slap]
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo holds up his hands and his parents smile and high-five him. He walks away from the table, and Bella looks at George.
BELLA: He is perfect after all.
[Bowl thuds, chair scrapes]
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo puts a bowl on the table and sits down next to Bella.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: From that day on, Zagazoo was the perfect son.
[Beeping, light music plays]
DESCRIPTION: In the supermarket, the brown-haired woman scans groceries.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: Charming and helpful.
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo offers the woman a wrapped present.
BROWN-HAIRED WOMAN: Oh!
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: Though, as with all offspring, there was the occasional scary moment.
[Engine revs, tire screeches, Bella and George cough]
DESCRIPTION: Bella and George watch Zagazoo ride a motorcycle, leaving a thick trail of dark smoke behind.
GEORGE: And I thought our old push bikes were dangerous.
[Engine revs]
DESCRIPTION: On a country road, Zagazoo rides down a small hill beside fields.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: Though, as with all offspring, there was the occasional scary but that motorcycle led to the next phase of Zagazoo's life.
ZAGAZOO: Oh!
(Engine sputters, engine stops, birds sing, part clangs, smoke hisses]
DESCRIPTION: The motorcycle stops, and Zagazoo leans it against a tree at the side of the road. He touches the side of the bike and thick smoke sprays in his face.
ZAGAZOO: Ah!
DESCRIPTION: A woman approaches, wearing a motorcycle helmet, a yellow scarf, and a black jacket.
WOMAN: I think you'll find it's the fuel intake valve.
DESCRIPTION: The woman takes off her helmet and shakes her long braid.
WOMAN: Hi, I'm Mirabelle.
[Flowers rustle, birds sing, Zagazoo and Mirabelle murmur, wind whooshes]
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo’s mouth falls open as he stares at the woman, Mirabelle. She kneels beside his motorcycle, with her own parked behind her. In a montage, they arrange flowers, eat fruit salad at a sunset picnic, and skydive. Mirabelle holds a crossword book as they fall. Zagazoo gives her a pen and smiles.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: Zagazoo and Mirabelle found out they had lots of things in common. Not just a love of motorcycles, but also flower arranging, eating fruit salad, skydiving, and doing crosswords.
MIRABELLE: Nine letters. To jump from a plane.
ZAGAZOO: Is it parachute?
[Whooshing]
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo and Mirabelle’s parachutes open.
MIRABELLE: Yahoo!
[Footsteps patter, door slams, heartfelt music plays]
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo and Mirabelle enter Bella and George’s house.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: Eventually, they decided they'd have more time to do things if they lived together. Though when they went to tell George and Bella, they found them rather changed.
[Zagazoo and Mirabelle gasp, Bella and George squawk]
DESCRIPTION: Bella and George, as pelicans, sit in their armchairs. George has eyeglasses perched on his bill. Zagazoo and Mirabelle sit on the couch across from them.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: You could tell they were delighted at the news by the way they clattered their beaks.
[Bella and George squawk, bills clatter, wings whoosh, feet slap]
DESCRIPTION: Bella and George high-five with their wings, then get up and leave the room. They stand together by the open kitchen window.
ZAGAZOO: Mum? Dad? What are you doing?
[Bella and George chatter, squawking, wings flap]
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo and Mirabelle stand in the doorway and watch as Bella and George fly through the window. Zagazoo and Mirabelle walk to the window and watch his parents fly away. Mirabelle hugs Zagazoo’s side and leans her head against his shoulder. He hugs her back as they gaze out the window.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: Zagazoo's heart was overwhelmed with a mixture of emotions. Sadness, gratitude, but above all, love.
[Doorbell rings, the music stops, bird chirps, door opens, gentle music plays]
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo opens the front door, with Mirabelle behind him.
ZAGAZOO: Huh?
DESCRIPTION: A package wrapped in painted paper and tied with string lies on the walkway.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: Well, now. I wonder what on earth could be in there.
[Rustling, footsteps patter]
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo picks up the package and carries it inside.
[Door slams, upbeat music plays]
[End Credits] Narrator, Adrian Lester. George, Simon Pegg. Bella, Louisa Binder. Mirabelle, Liyah Summers. Nice old lady, Debra Michaels. Zagazoo as young man, Jake Harvey. Additional Voices, Joanna Eliot. Series Director and Co-writer, Massimo Fenati. Directed by Gerrit Bekers. Writer, Mark Evans. Producers, Luc Van Driessche, Axelle Vandeputte. Copyright Eagle Eye Drama Limited, 2023.
[Logos] Eagle Eye, B.B.C.
Descriptive Transcript
[Upbeat music plays, paint drips, wings flap, rustling, crunching]
DESCRIPTION: In a hand-drawn animation, paint drips onto a white background. An orange-and-white butterfly flutters across the background and disappears. A colourful striped snake appears and eats the opening credits.
[Opening credits] Based on the book by Quentin Blake.
[Hissing, mud splashes, wings flap, flames whoosh]
DESCRIPTION: The snake slithers away. A brown warthog stands in mud, then splashes it across the background. A small green dragon hovers, watching the warthog run away. The dragon breathes fire and sets the opening credits ablaze.
[Credits continue] Narrated by Adrian Lester. With the voice of Simon Pegg.
DESCRIPTION: George appears with smoke rising from his left shoe. He has short red hair and wears a white shirt, a yellow-and-red striped vest, and grey pants. George waves.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: I'm going to tell you a story. The messy, noisy, but above all, happy story of a couple called George…
[George exclaims]
DESCRIPTION: Bella appears beside George. Her blonde hair is in a ponytail, and she wears a spotted green dress. Bella waves, and George watches her, smiling.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: And Bella, and what happened when a strange creature came into their lives. A creature called Zagazoo.
DESCRIPTION: Bella and George disappear.
[Episode Title] Quentin Blake’s Zagazoo.
DESCRIPTION: Bella and George reappear.
BELLA: Um, sorry. Zagazoo?
GEORGE: Who or what on earth is a Zagazoo?
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: Don't worry. You'll find out soon enough.
[Upbeat music continues, door creaks, boxes thump, door slams, doormat rustles, lamp squeaks]
DESCRIPTION: Bella and George shrug at each other, then walk in opposite directions. Later, George enters an apartment carrying a stack of boxes towards a table. A model airplane hangs from the ceiling, and a small kitchen lines the far wall below an open skylight window. George closes the door with his right foot and nudges a doormat towards the door. He puts his boxes on the table, sits down, and repositions a clamp lamp.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: Once, George and Bella weren't a couple. In fact, they didn't even know each other and lived on opposite sides of a big town.
[Vehicle horns honk, model pieces rattle]
DESCRIPTION: Across town, in another apartment, Bella sits at a table, squeezing glue onto a model airplane wing and attaching it to the fuselage.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: But despite never having met, they had lots in common. They both loved making model airplanes, especially commercial airliners. Don't ask why. It was just their thing.
BELLA: It's just my thing!
GEORGE: And mine!
[Container sprays, Bella and George moan]
DESCRIPTION: In their apartments, Bella and George look at giant ice cream sundaes on their tables. George arranges a pink umbrella on top of his and Bella sprays whipped cream on hers. Later, in a split screen, they both build half a card tower on their tables. The towers connect, forming a pyramid.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: They also both loved eating ice cream and building card towers, though, never at the same time as eating ice cream.
GEORGE AND BELLA: It makes the cards sticky.
[Cards rustle]
DESCRIPTION: George’s cards fall.
GEORGE: Aw!
[George groans, book rustles, pages rustle]
DESCRIPTION: In his apartment, George takes a book off a shelf. Behind him, a blue butterfly enters the room through the skylight.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: And while George had a Big Book of Butterflies...
GEORGE: Ooh! A common brimstone. Exciting!
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: Bella had a large ledger of lepidoptera.
[Wings flap]
DESCRIPTION: At night, Bella sits at her table reading a book. A moth flies around the room.
BELLA: Which sounds different, but lepidoptera is just the scientific name for butterflies.
[Light dings]
DESCRIPTION: The moth flies to the overhead light, then flies away.
BELLA: And moths!
DESCRIPTION: The moth flies outside, then flies with the blue butterfly in the starry sky.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: Which are basically butterflies who like to stay up late. For a long time, they enjoyed their hobbies separately. But then, one day—
[Dinging, train whistle toots, train whooshes, upbeat music plays, train rattles, footsteps tap, robot clinks]
DESCRIPTION: At a rail crossing, an automated gate lowers on each side of the track. Bella crouches and watches a model train move on the track. She runs to a display and picks up a blue-and-red robot. The robot's head moves up and down.
BELLA: Oh!
DESCRIPTION: Bella puts the robot back on a box.
BELLA: Hmm.
DESCRIPTION: Bella stops and looks up at a box on top of a display shelf.
BELLA: Oh, wow! The de Havilland Comet! The world's first jet-powered airliner.
[Footsteps tap, Bella grunts, rustling, ladder clatters]
DESCRIPTION: Bella pushes a box across the floor, climbs onto it, and places a ladder on it. She climbs to the top just as George climbs a ladder on the other side of the display. George slips and reaches the top as Bella reaches for the box.
GEORGE: Ah!
[Tap]
DESCRIPTION: Bella and George both touch the box.
GEORGE AND BELLA: Oh!
GEORGE: I'm sorry.
BELLA: I'm sorry.
[Bella giggles]
DESCRIPTION: Bella and George glance away from each other. George pushes the box towards Bella.
GEORGE: You should have it.
DESCRIPTION: Bella pushes the box back.
BELLA: But it's the last one in the shop.
GEORGE: I'll, uh, I'll find something else.
[Rustling]
DESCRIPTION: George pushes the box towards Bella, and she peers around the side at George.
BELLA: Or what if we built it together?
[George chuckles, model pieces click]
DESCRIPTION: In George’s apartment, Bella and George build the model on his table.
BELLA: Oh!
GEORGE: Finished!
[Bella chuckles]
BELLA: Well done, us. High-five!
[Both sigh, hands slap]
DESCRIPTION: Bella and George high-five over the model plane.
[Tense music plays, both murmur]
GEORGE: Fancy some ice cream to celebrate?
BELLA: You like ice cream, too?
GEORGE: Of course! And building card towers.
BELLA: Though never at the same time.
[George chuckles, glue sloshes]
DESCRIPTION: George shakes a bottle of glue.
GEORGE: Oh, no! It makes the cards sticky.
BELLA: Exactly! Tell me, you don't like butterflies, do you?
GEORGE: Love them!
[Bella sighs]
DESCRIPTION: Bella rests her elbows on a small toolbox and gazes at George. Bella and George lean towards each other over the table, and both lift a leg.
GEORGE AND BELLA: You're perfect!
[Wheels squeak, bike rattles, Bella hums]
DESCRIPTION: Bella and George ride their bikes. Later, their helmets hang on the handlebars of the parked bikes as the sun sets. An orange-and-white butterfly flutters past the bikes.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: From then on, every day they'd cycle to meet each other on their old but beloved bikes and do fun things together.
[Bella laughs, birds chirp]
DESCRIPTION: Bella and George sit beneath a tree and watch butterflies.
BELLA: Ooh! An orange-tip!
[George gasps]
GEORGE: A common blue!
GEORGE AND BELLA: Brilliant!
BELLA: There's a red cinnabar moth heading that way. Should we follow it? Come on!
GEORGE: Yes! Oh, it's going to be dark soon. I'd better head home now. Sorry.
DESCRIPTION: Bella holds a red flower.
BELLA: You know, we'd have more time for doing things if we didn't spend so long travelling to see each other.
[Petal rustles, Bella inhales, sighs]
DESCRIPTION: Bella picks a petal off the flower, then sniffs the bloom.
GEORGE: Are you saying what I think you're saying?
DESCRIPTION: In the city, Bella and George stand together, looking up at a row house.
GEORGE: Actually, I thought you were saying we should get faster forms of transport.
[George chuckles]
GEORGE: But this is much better.
[Children shout in background]
BELLA: Isn't it? Especially since that bicycle really hurt my bottom.
[Bella chuckles, dog barks]
GEORGE: And let's face it.
[George grunts]
DESCRIPTION: George pulls a “For Sale” sign from the yard and places it beside their bikes at the curb.
GEORGE: They were pretty dangerous.
[Upbeat music plays, door opens, slams]
DESCRIPTION: Bella and George hold hands and enter the house. Inside, Bella puts the de Havilland Comet model on the fireplace mantel, then she picks up a broom.
BELLA: Phew. There. Now, the place just needs a good clean, and we're all set.
GEORGE: Luckily, I love cleaning.
BELLA: Me too!
[Both laugh, George sighs]
DESCRIPTION: George tickles Bella with a feather duster.
GEORGE AND BELLA: You're perfect.
[Upbeat music plays, broom rustles, Bella hums, George hums, George pants, bird squawks]
DESCRIPTION: Bella and George rub the tips of their noses together, then clean the living room. As day turns to night, they clean the other levels of the three-storey house. A bird takes off from the top of the chimney as George pushes his feather duster outside.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: And then, one day.
[Sheet rustles]
DESCRIPTION: George stands beside a bed, holding a sheet in his right hand.
GEORGE: Ah! Hmm.
[Pillows thump]
DESCRIPTION: Bella throws two pillows onto the bed.
BELLA: Ah!
[George laughs]
DESCRIPTION: Bella twirls.
BELLA: New record! Bed made in 23 seconds flat.
GEORGE: High-five!
[Hands slap, doorbell rings]
DESCRIPTION: Bella and George high-five.
GEORGE: Hmm.
[Door creaks, the music stops, dog barks]
DESCRIPTION: George opens the door and pokes his head outside.
GEORGE: Oh? There's no one here.
BELLA: Except what's that?
[Birds chirp]
DESCRIPTION: George and Bella look at a package on their walkway. The package is wrapped in brightly coloured paper and tied with string.
GEORGE: Hmm. It's not my birthday or yours.
BELLA: And Christmas is ages away. But it is addressed to us.
[Upbeat music plays]
DESCRIPTION: Inside, Bella and George stare at the package on the table. They look at each other.
BELLA: Better open it, I suppose.
[Wrapping paper rustles, the music stops]
DESCRIPTION: Bella and George unwrap the package and stare down, open-mouthed.
GEORGE: Hmm. What is it, do you think?
BELLA: Don't know. It's very pink, though.
GEORGE: And cute.
BELLA: And it smells—
[Bella sniffs]
BELLA: Oh! All milky and delicious.
GEORGE: There's a label.
DESCRIPTION: George picks up the label. Text reads, “Zagazoo.”
BELLA: Oh, its name is Zagazoo?
[Zagazoo hiccups, giggles]
DESCRIPTION: A baby wearing a diaper sits on the paper.
GEORGE: Hmm. I wonder what it does?
[Zagazoo giggles, light music plays]
DESCRIPTION: George tickles Zagazoo’s tummy. Bella tickles Zagazoo’s tummy, and the baby falls backward on the wrapping paper.
BELLA: It giggles.
[Bella blows a raspberry, Bella and Zagazoo laugh]
DESCRIPTION: Bella blows a raspberry on Zagazoo’s tummy.
GEORGE: It gurgles!
[Zagazoo giggles]
DESCRIPTION: George picks Zagazoo up and moves them in the air. He gently tosses the baby to Bella, who spins with them.
BELLA: Whee!
[Zagazoo chortles]
BELLA: And it chortles.
DESCRIPTION: Bella gives Zagazoo to George.
GEORGE: It really is a lot of fun.
[Bella and George sigh]
DESCRIPTION: Bella and George hug, holding Zagazoo.
GEORGE AND BELLA: He's perfect.
[Dripping, the music stops]
DESCRIPTION: Urine drips from Zagazoo’s diaper, and George holds the baby at arm’s length.
[Light music plays]
GEORGE: Well, nearly perfect. I think he's leaking.
BELLA: No, I think his wrapper's full. We'll need another.
[Zagazoo giggles, Zagazoo vocalizes, package rustles]
DESCRIPTION: In a supermarket, diapers are stacked beneath a fifty percent off sign. George picks up a package of diapers, and Zagazoo reaches for them. George gives the baby the package and smiles down at him. Bella watches a woman push a shopping cart with a baby in the seat.
BELLA: Look! Other people have got Zagazoos.
DESCRIPTION: George makes air quotes.
GEORGE: Must be the new “in thing.” We're frightfully fashionable.
BELLA: Aren't we just, darling?
[Bella and George laugh, beeps, slide whistle, upbeat music plays, Zagazoo giggles]
DESCRIPTION: At the checkout counter, a cashier with brown hair scans packages of diapers, and Zagazoo rides on one. The brown-haired woman tickles the baby’s tummy, and he reaches for a flower on her headband.
GEORGE: Zagazoo, leave that alone.
[Zagazoo laughs]
DESCRIPTION: George picks Zagazoo up, and the brown-haired woman tickles the baby’s tummy.
BROWN-HAIRED WOMAN: Oh, don't worry. Such a cutie!
[Zagazoo giggles, Bella and George laugh, light music plays, Zagazoo sniffs]
DESCRIPTION: At home, Zagazoo sits in a highchair, and George sits in front of him in a chair, holding a bowl of ice cream. Zagazoo turns his head away from the ice cream.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: George and Bella loved giggling and gurgling and chortling with Zagazoo.
[Zagazoo squeals, George imitates an airplane, Zagazoo hiccups]
DESCRIPTION: George flies the spoon over his head, then feeds it to Zagazoo. The baby shudders, then smiles.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: After a while, he even started liking ice cream.
[Zagazoo giggles]
DESCRIPTION: Bella and George smile at each other. A blue butterfly flutters around the kitchen and lands on Zagazoo’s nose.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: And spotting butterflies.
[Zagazoo squeals, banging, Zagazoo laughs]
DESCRIPTION: The butterfly takes off. In the living room, Zagazoo chews on a model airplane, then uses it to hit a card tower on a coffee table. Bella picks Zagazoo up, and George holds the model, shaking his head and waggling his finger.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: Though model airplanes and card towers weren't really his thing, life was perfect.
[Raspberry blows, Zagazoo giggles]
DESCRIPTION: Bella blows a raspberry on Zagazoo’s tummy.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: And then, one night.
[Bella sighs, the music stops]
DESCRIPTION: In their bedroom, Bella and George sit in bed. Bella gazes at a framed photo.
BELLA: I love Zagazoo more every day.
[Thump, eyeglasses click]
DESCRIPTION: Bella places the picture on her nightstand. George removes his eyeglasses and puts them on his nightstand.
GEORGE: Me too. And he loves us as well. We must be doing a good job.
BELLA: Gentle goodnight high-five?
[Hands gently slap]
DESCRIPTION: Bella and George gently high-five.
[Click, insects chirp, animals howl, car alarm blares, lights click]
DESCRIPTION: Bella and George turn off the lights. The lights turn on.
GEORGE: What was that?
[Animals howl]
BELLA: Oh, no!
GEORGE AND BELLA: Zagazoo!
[Blankets rustle, door opens, light music plays, door opens, Bella screams, animal howls]
DESCRIPTION: Bella and George jump out of bed, run to Zagazoo’s bedroom, and turn on the light.
BELLA: What's that?
[Bird squawks]
DESCRIPTION: Bella and George look down into the crib. A featherless vulture wearing a diaper stares up at them.
GEORGE: Oh, no! Has that horrid creature eaten Zagazoo?
[Tense music plays, vulture gulps]
BELLA: Actually, I think that horrid creature is Zagazoo.
[Zagazoo squawks, upbeat music plays]
DESCRIPTION: Bella picks up the vulture, who is Zagazoo.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: They tried everything to calm him down.
[Zagazoo squawks, George speaks gibberish, Zagazoo squawks, maracas rattle, raspberry blows, Zagazoo squawks]
DESCRIPTION: George tickles Zagazoo under the chin, then shakes maracas. Bella blows on Zagazoo’s tummy. George takes Zagazoo and holds him over his head.
GEORGE: Whee! Whee!
[Zagazoo squawks]
GEORGE: You'd think a vulture would like being flown through the air.
BELLA: Maybe some ice cream.
[Spoon clinks, George imitates an airplane, thump, George grunts, Zagazoo squawks]
DESCRIPTION: In the morning, George flies ice cream towards Zagazoo and Zagazoo knocks the spoon out of George’s hand. Bella hides behind George’s chair as Zagazoo squawks.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: Nothing worked.
[Wings flap, beak snaps, Bella and George gasp, Bella sighs, register beeps, thumps]
DESCRIPTION: The blue butterfly flutters toward Zagazoo, and he eats it. Bella rubs her forehead. In the supermarket, the brown-haired woman scans bird food and a birdcage. Zagazoo rides in the shopping cart, and the brown-haired woman pats his head.
BROWN-HAIRED WOMAN: Oh, he's growing up, isn't he?
[Zagazoo screeches, coins clatter]
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo screeches at the brown-haired woman, and her hair flies in the wind. George and Bella cover their ears. Bella pushes the cart away from the checkout. George drops money on the conveyor belt, picks up the birdcage, and quickly walks away.
GEORGE: We're so sorry.
[Light music plays, Zagazoo squawks, headphones click, pillow rustles]
DESCRIPTION: At night, George sits beneath photos of Zagazoo on the wall, and stuffs cotton balls into his ears. He puts on headphones, fluffs a pillow, and ties it around his head. Bella sits beside him with a pillow tied around her head.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: Those sleepless nights were exhausting for George and Bella, and to get any sleep, they resorted to desperate measures.
[Zagazoo squawks, the music stops]
GEORGE: Goodnight, darling.
BELLA: What?
GEORGE: I said, "Goodnight, darling!"
BELLA: Oh, yes! Goodnight.
[Rustling, light clicks, Zagazoo squawks, George sighs]
DESCRIPTION: The lights turn off.
[Upbeat music plays]
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: And then, one morning.
[Birds chirp]
DESCRIPTION: In bed, Bella nudges George.
BELLA: George? George!
GEORGE: Yes!
BELLA: Can't hear a thing. Do you think maybe he's back to pink, squishy, snuggly Zagazoo?
[Door opens, creaks, rustling, Zagazoo trumpets, George yelps, stomping, tires screech, thumping]
DESCRIPTION: Bella and George tiptoe to Zagazoo’s bedroom. Bella puts her ear against the door and George gestures for her to open it. Zagazoo runs out as an elephant calf, slides on a carpet, and falls down the stairs. Bella and George watch over the railing.
GEORGE: Well, at least he's not a vulture anymore.
[Crashing, George yelps, Zagazoo trumpets, upbeat music plays, stomping]
DESCRIPTION: The house shakes, and George’s eyeglasses fall off. He catches them and puts them back on. At the kitchen table, Bella pours coffee, and George sits with an empty bowl in front of him. Bread bounces, and George grabs a slice.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: Elephant Zagazoo may have been quieter.
[Clinking, Zagazoo trumpets]
DESCRIPTION: George spreads jam on his bread, and Bella sits down, smiling. Zagazoo points his trunk at George and trumpets.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: Well, most of the time.
[Zagazoo coos, munching, soft trumpeting]
DESCRIPTION: George holds up the bread, and Zagazoo grabs it and eats it. Zagazoo grabs the rest of the bread with his trunk.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: But what he lacked in loudness, he made up for in mess.
[Rustling, Bella gasps, dishes clatter, trumpeting]
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo pulls the tablecloth off the table and the dishes and food fall.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: And he ate everything he could get his trunk on.
[Stomping]
GEORGE: I mean, he's still perfect, but in a much trickier way.
[Stomping, knife clunks, dishes clunk]
DESCRIPTION: George puts his butter knife on the table and takes the coffee mug from Bella. On the floor, Zagazoo runs in circles over the spilled food and broken dishes.
BELLA: Don't worry. We'll handle it.
[Clattering]
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo spits out a model plane, and George stands.
GEORGE: Ah!
BELLA: Somehow.
[Register beeps, brown-haired woman hums, upbeat music plays]
DESCRIPTION: In the supermarket, the brown-haired woman scans a box of peanuts and a box of wine glasses.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: Just like with the vulture, it was, how shall I put this? Interesting taking him out.
[Zagazoo trumpets]
DESCRIPTION: Bella pushes Zagazoo in the shopping cart, and he stands.
BROWN-HAIRED WOMAN: Oh!
[Zagazoo trumpets, thump]
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo grabs the brown-haired woman’s headband and her hair stands up.
GEORGE: No!
BELLA: Oh!
[Tap]
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo puts the headband in his mouth. George covers his eyes with his right hand as Bella leans towards Zagazoo, her right hand outstretched.
BELLA: Spit that out, Zagazoo. Spit it out!
[Squelching, footsteps patter]
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo spits the headband out, and Bella drops it into George’s hand. She quickly pushes Zagazoo away from the checkout, and George puts the moist headband on the brown-haired woman’s head.
GEORGE: We're so sorry.
[Coins clatter, headband splats, birds chirp, Bella and George yawn, bird squawks, Bella and George sigh]
DESCRIPTION: George picks up the boxes and leaves the supermarket. The headband falls out of the brown-haired woman’s hair and lands on the conveyor belt. The next morning, Bella sits on the bed, and George lies beside her. He sits up and stretches.
GEORGE: I love Zagazoo so much, but he does make me nervous these days.
[Birds sing]
BELLA: Well, at least I can't hear any thumping or trumpeting today.
[Upbeat music plays, door opens, mud squishes, George gasps, Zagazoo squeals]
DESCRIPTION: George opens the bedroom door and steps in a trail of mud leading from the stairs to Zagazoo’s open door. George runs to Zagazoo’s door, then he and Bella go downstairs. Mud covers the living room floor, walls, and furniture. Zagazoo, as a warthog, stands in the room.
GEORGE: Ah! Great! And now he's a warthog.
[Mud splatters, rustling, scraping, mud splashes, light music plays]
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo scratches his ear, then rubs against a chair. He spits mud like a fountain onto a carpet.
BELLA: Where did he even get the mud?
[Splat]
DESCRIPTION: Mud falls on Bella’s head, and she looks up at mud on the ceiling.
BELLA: Oh! And how did it get up there?
GEORGE: It's a good job we like cleaning.
DESCRIPTION: George holds a bucket and a mop.
BELLA: Well, I don't like it that much.
[Zagazoo snorts, scraping, upbeat music plays, Zagazoo squeals, rustling]
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo pushes the chair, leaving mud on the side. He runs to George and Bella and shakes mud out of his hair.
BELLA: Ew!
GEORGE: Oh, Zagazoo!
[Scraping, Zagazoo squeals, snorts, flatulence toots]
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo climbs onto the back of a couch.
[Soft music plays]
GEORGE: I think we should take him out.
[Scraping, Zagazoo grunts, squeals, mud splashes, thumps]
DESCRIPTION: At a park playground, Zagazoo slides down a slide and lands in mud. He gleefully rolls onto his back, then stands and runs up a climbing wall towards the slide. On a nearby park bench, Bella and George eat ice cream.
GEORGE: Ah. This is better.
[Bella gasps]
DESCRIPTION: Bella nudges George.
BELLA: But it might rapidly not be.
[Tense music plays, footstep tap]
DESCRIPTION: The brown-haired woman, who wears a purple hat with a flower, a purple coat, and a purple skirt, walks a black toy poodle. She carries a small purple purse in the crook of her left arm.
GEORGE: Maybe he won't see her.
[Zagazoo squeals, mud splashes, bubbling]
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo jumps into the mud at the bottom of the slide, then blows bubbles in it. He looks up and smiles.
BELLA: Nope. He's seen her. Zagazoo! Don't you dare!
[Zagazoo squeals, rustling, cat screeching, Bella and George pant, exciting music plays, Zagazoo squeals]
DESCRIPTION: Bella gives George her ice cream, and they both chase Zagazoo through bushes.
GEORGE: Oh!
[Rustling, Zagazoo squeals, the brown-haired woman gasps, Bella and George gasp, wings flap, Bella and George pant, ice cream splats, mud splatters, brown-haired woman exclaims, poodle barks]
DESCRIPTION: Bella and George stop and shake leaves off their clothes, then look around. In a bush, Zagazoo looks around with a bird’s nest on his head. In the nest, a bird looks around, wide-eyed. Nearby, the brown-haired woman walks her poodle over a small bridge over a stream. The bird takes off as Zagazoo runs out of the bush. Bella and George chase him, and Bella leaps forward to tackle Zagazoo. She misses, and George trips over her, catching the ice cream on the cones. Zagazoo charges at the brown-haired woman and the poodle, splattering mud on her. He rubs against her and jumps up on her with his tongue lolling out. Bella arrives and guides Zagazoo away. George gives the brown-haired woman an ice cream cone and backs away.
GEORGE: We're so, so sorry.
[Poodle barks, ice cream splats, the music stops]
DESCRIPTION: The ice cream slides off the cone and lands on the poodle’s head, knocking them to the ground.
[Door opens, Zagazoo snorts, squeals, footsteps tap]
DESCRIPTION: George and Zagazoo arrive home, and Zagazoo sits in the muddy foyer.
GEORGE: Come on, young man! Upstairs!
[Zagazoo grunts, Bella groans, Zagazoo snorts]
DESCRIPTION: George points to the stairs. Zagazoo walks away, and George follows him, his eyes narrowed. Bella stands in the doorway looking at the mud, and her shoulders slump. In Zagazoo’s bedroom, George points at the floor.
GEORGE: That was appalling behaviour, and until you learn to behave better, you'll stay in here.
[Zagazoo squeals, whoosh, tense music plays]
DESCRIPTION: Green wings appear on Zagazoo’s back.
GEORGE: Uh, what's going on?
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo transforms into a green dragon with a red snout and tummy.
GEORGE: You stop that now, young man!
[Zagazoo hiccups, flames whoosh]
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo hiccups and sets a carpet on fire. George stomps on the flames and puts it out.
GEORGE: Ah! Ooh! Ow!
[Zagazoo hiccups, flames whoosh, George shouts, door opens, shuts]
DESCRIPTION: In the hallway, Bella backs away as smoke drifts beneath Zagazoo’s door. George leaves the bedroom.
BELLA: How'd it go?
[Bella gasps, George sighs, footsteps tap, light music plays, flames whoosh, Zagazoo snarls, Zagazoo hiccups, flames whoosh]
DESCRIPTION: George’s pants have burned away below the knees. Later, in the living room, scorch marks cover the furniture and walls. Zagazoo slides into the room. He hiccups, bouncing across the room and setting a tablecloth and parts of the floor on fire.
BELLA: Oh!
[Hose sprays, hiccup, flames whoosh, exclaiming]
DESCRIPTION: Bella follows behind Zagazoo, with a hose attached to a fire extinguisher on her back, putting out fires. She runs towards him, and George follows with another fire extinguisher and hose.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: Having a dragon around the house was great fun for George and Bella.
DESCRIPTION: George turns and glares directly at us.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: I'm joking. It was precisely no fun. There were constant fires to put out.
[Hose sprays]
DESCRIPTION: A hose puts out fires on pictures of butterflies on the wall, an armchair, and the melting de Havilland Comet model. Bella and George stand in the living room with their shoulders slumped.
[The music stops]
DESCRIPTION: Bella holds up her left hand.
BELLA: Well done, us. High-five?
GEORGE: I haven't got the energy.
[Bella groans, chairs creak]
DESCRIPTION: Bella and George sit on the armchairs.
BELLA: Me neither.
[Light music plays, clink]
DESCRIPTION: In the kitchen, George pours strawberry syrup over an ice cream sundae and turns towards Bella, who sits at the table.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: And they couldn't even cheer themselves up with ice cream.
[Zagazoo hiccups, flames whoosh, ice cream splatters, Zagazoo hiccups, exciting music plays, Zagazoo snarls]
DESCRIPTION: Flames melt the ice cream, and it falls on the floor. Zagazoo furrows his eyebrows and flies out of the room.
BELLA: Well, we're definitely not going to the park or supermarket with him like this.
[Doorbell rings, footsteps tap, door opens, the music stops]
DESCRIPTION: Bella and George walk to the door, and George opens it. Their eyes widen.
BELLA: Oh! What are you doing here?
DESCRIPTION: Outside, the brown-haired woman holds strips of green raffle tickets.
BROWN-HAIRED WOMAN: I sell raffle tickets for charity on my day off. Though I didn't know you lived here.
GEORGE: Don't worry. He's not a warthog anymore.
[Zagazoo hiccups, flames whoosh]
DESCRIPTION: Flames shoot between Bella and George, burning the woman’s raffle tickets.
BELLA: Yep. He's a dragon now.
[Footsteps patter, brown-haired woman screams]
DESCRIPTION: The brown-haired woman flees down the sidewalk, leaving a trail of smoke behind her.
BELLA: We're really sorry!
[Zagazoo yelps]
DESCRIPTION: Inside, Zagazoo stands in the foyer.
GEORGE: Zagazoo! That was very, very naughty.
[George grunts, footsteps patter, light music plays, splatting, crashing, Bella gasps, Zagazoo sniffles, sad music plays]
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo runs into the kitchen, and George chases him around the table. Zagazoo slips on the melted ice cream and slides into the living room. Bella picks Zagazoo up.
BELLA: Oh, sweetheart. Are you all right?
[Whoosh, Zagazoo squawks]
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo transforms into the vulture.
GEORGE: Oh, good. The vulture's back.
DESCRIPTION: Bella hugs Zagazoo.
BELLA: There, there. It's all right.
[Gasping, upbeat music plays, Zagazoo squeals, splashing, Zagazoo trumpets, Zagazoo squeals, Bella and George exclaim, Zagazoo trumpets, thump, crashing, thud, model shatters, Zagazoo sniffles, whooshing, Zagazoo squawks]
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo transforms into the warthog and jumps out of Bella’s arms. He rolls, getting the ice cream in his hair, then shakes it out on Bella and George. Zagazoo changes into the elephant calf and runs across the room. He hits the table, flies through the air, and lands behind an armchair. An airplane model falls off a shelf and breaks on Zagazoo’s head, and he cries. He transforms into a vulture again.
GEORGE: What is happening?
[The music stops]
BELLA: It's nothing we haven't seen before. It's just all quicker.
[Both gasp, Zagazoo growls, scratching, upbeat music plays, whooshing]
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo, as a brown bear, scratches his back against the fireplace mantel.
GEORGE: Well, we haven't seen a bear before.
[Sniffing]
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo changes into a capybara.
GEORGE: Or a, what even is that?
DESCRIPTION: Bella looks in a book.
BELLA: Uh. I think it's a capybara. Apparently, they're the world's largest rodent.
[Squeaking, light music plays]
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo changes into a pygmy jerboa and scurries across the coffee table. He jumps onto the couch.
BELLA: Oh! And that's the world's smallest rodent. The pygmy jerboa.
[Zagazoo squeaks]
DESCRIPTION: George tickles Zagazoo’s nose.
GEORGE: At least we're learning something.
[Zagazoo hisses]
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo transforms into the colourful striped snake and smiles down at George. He wraps himself around George’s torso.
GEORGE: Ah! Snake! I hate snakes!
BELLA: I think he just wants a hug.
[Animals call, the music stops, flames whoosh]
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo chases George around the kitchen, then changes from animal to animal as Bella and George watch.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: This all went on for quite some time, and though they obviously still loved Zagazoo, it was tough on George and Bella. Leaving them...
[Thump]
DESCRIPTION: In Bella and George’s bedroom, a picture falls off the wall.
GEORGE: Ooh!
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: Well, see for yourselves.
[Thud, mooing]
DESCRIPTION: Bella and George sit in their bed. George puts a picture of Zagazoo, as an elephant, on his nightstand.
GEORGE: Our perfect Zagazoo is turning my hair grey.
BELLA: And I've got wrinkles.
GEORGE: Just laughter lines, darling.
[Whoosh, Bella yelps, Zagazoo growls]
BELLA: Well, we have to laugh.
[George chuckles]
GEORGE: Or we'd just cry. High-five for coping with it all.
[Hands slap, clattering, Zagazoo growls, George sighs, picture shatters, Zagazoo howls]
DESCRIPTION: Bella and George high-five, and a picture falls off the wall. They both lie down. Another picture falls to the floor.
BELLA: If only he'd stay as one thing.
GEORGE: But not the boa constrictor.
[Howling, Bella chuckles]
BELLA: Oh, gosh! No, not that.
DESCRIPTION: The light goes out in Bella and George’s bedroom.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: But be careful what you wish for.
[Howling, birds chirp, blankets rustle]
DESCRIPTION: The next morning, Bella and George sit up in bed.
GEORGE: It's quiet.
BELLA: Too quiet.
[Zagazoo snores, door creaks, gentle music plays, snoring, Bella gulps]
DESCRIPTION: The door to Zagazoo’s dark bedroom slowly swings open. He sleeps under his blanket. In the doorway, Bella stands behind George as they peer into the room.
GEORGE: Uh, Zagazoo.
[Dramatic music plays, Bella and George gasp]
DESCRIPTION: George reaches for the blanket with a trembling hand and reveals Zagazoo as a hairy, yeti-like creature. Zagazoo grabs the blanket and rolls away from his parents.
[Page rustles, light music plays]
DESCRIPTION: Later, Bella and George sit on the couch and flip through the green book.
BELLA: I can't even find it in here.
[Zagazoo grunts, footsteps thud, music buzzes, Zagazoo growls, dishes clatter, music buzzes]
DESCRIPTION: Bella and George watch Zagazoo walk towards the kitchen. They follow him and watch as he searches the fridge.
BELLA: Um, Zagazoo.
[Chewing, headphone music buzzes, light music plays, food thuds, George gasps]
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo stands, wearing headphones, and carries an armload of food away from the fridge. He drops a trail of food on the floor behind him. George runs to the empty fridge.
GEORGE: There's nothing left for our breakfast.
[Bella sighs]
BELLA: I'm not sure I like him this way. I think I'd prefer the warthog.
GEORGE: Or even the dragon.
[Fridge door shuts]
DESCRIPTION: George closes the fridge door.
BELLA: Well, let's not go too far.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: Each day, this strange creature got bigger and hairier.
[Thudding, cutlery clatters, upbeat music plays, Zagazoo grumbles, George gasps]
DESCRIPTION: Bella and George sit at the kitchen table as Zagazoo lumbers past. His shoulders slump, and his hairy arms reach his calf. The hair on his head is green and spiky on top. He carries an armload of food out of the kitchen. Zagazoo reaches back and takes a sandwich out of George’s hand as George opens his mouth to eat it.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: Which meant that George and Bella’s fridge had to get bigger and hairier.
[Thump, rustling]
DESCRIPTION: A bigger and hairier fridge appears.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: Sorry. Not hairier, just bigger.
[Rustling, page rustles]
DESCRIPTION: The hair disappears from the fridge. Later, Zagazoo has red hair. He sits hunched over a motorcycle magazine and turns a page.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: The creature also got more and more secretive.
DESCRIPTION: In the living room, Bella and George approach the armchair where Zagazoo sits.
BELLA: Um. Oh. Is that a motorcycle magazine?
[Zagazoo growls]
BELLA: Do you like motorcycles?
[Zagazoo groans, stomps, light music plays, light creaks, Bella groans]
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo stands and walks out of the room, hitting the overhead light on his way out. Bella walks to the armchair.
BELLA: I just don't know how long I can bear it.
[Rustling]
DESCRIPTION: Bella sits in the armchair.
BELLA: Even I'm going grey now.
[George chuckles]
GEORGE: And these are definitely not laughter lines.
[Spoon clinks, light music plays]
DESCRIPTION: Later, Bella and George sit at the kitchen table with a house of cards in front of them. Bella stirs ice cream in a bowl.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: Bella and George at least had time for their hobbies again.
DESCRIPTION: George lays a card across the top of the tower.
GEORGE: I can't believe we're eating ice cream at the same time as building card towers.
[Light music plays]
BELLA: Sticky fingers are the least of our problems these days. High-five for our new devil-may-care attitude.
[Ding, hands slap, cards rustle, bang, model pieces rattle]
DESCRIPTION: Bella and George high-five, and the house of cards collapses. George bangs his fists on the table. He picks up a model box and shakes it.
GEORGE: Right. Shall we do this new Hawker Siddeley Trident 1-C I bought?
[Upbeat music plays]
BELLA: Actually, that gives me an idea.
[Footsteps tap, door creaks, bell jangles, items clink, Zagazoo growls, music buzzes]
DESCRIPTION: On a sidewalk, Bella walks to Topsy’s Model Shop and enters. Later, at home, she carries a motorcycle model box into the kitchen as Zagazoo searches in the fridge. George walks beside her, smiling.
[The music stops, headphone music buzzes]
BELLA: Hello, darling. We thought you might like this.
[Zagazoo grunts]
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo turns with an armful of food and looks at his parents.
GEORGE: Because you like motorcycles, don't you?
[Zagazoo grunts, rustling, sniffs]
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo takes the box.
BELLA: Zagazoo. We do love you, you know?
[Zagazoo hiccups, grunts, box clanks, Zagazoo stomps]
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo drops the box in a trash can and walks away. Bella sags and George puts his hands on her shoulders.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: George and Bella were at the end of their tethers. But then, one day.
[Birds chirp, Bella sighs, upbeat music plays, Bella and George grunt]
DESCRIPTION: In the morning, Bella and George walk down the stairs in their pyjamas.
GEORGE: Time to see how empty the fridge is this morning.
DESCRIPTION: George stops at the bottom of the stairs and looks at the completed motorcycle model on a sideboard.
GEORGE: Hmm?
DESCRIPTION: George crouches by the model and inspects it. Bella walks back and looks at it with him.
GEORGE AND BELLA: Oh.
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo, now a young man, pokes his head out of the kitchen. He has short red hair and wears a green-and-yellow striped shirt.
ZAGAZOO: Aw! There you two are. Come on through. I've made breakfast.
[Upbeat music plays]
GEORGE: Hmm?
[Thumps]
DESCRIPTION: Bella and George look at each other. In the kitchen, Zagazoo puts a cup on the table, with plates of food.
ZAGAZOO: There you go. Black coffee for you, Mum. Milk, one sugar for you, Dad.
BELLA: Zagazoo? Is that you?
DESCRIPTION: Bella and George sit at the table.
ZAGAZOO: Of course, it is, silly. Oh! And thanks for the model motorbike. It was great to do.
GEORGE: Um. Our pleasure.
ZAGAZOO: So, high-fives for that?
[Hands slap]
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo holds up his hands and his parents smile and high-five him. He walks away from the table, and Bella looks at George.
BELLA: He is perfect after all.
[Bowl thuds, chair scrapes]
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo puts a bowl on the table and sits down next to Bella.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: From that day on, Zagazoo was the perfect son.
[Beeping, light music plays]
DESCRIPTION: In the supermarket, the brown-haired woman scans groceries.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: Charming and helpful.
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo offers the woman a wrapped present.
BROWN-HAIRED WOMAN: Oh!
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: Though, as with all offspring, there was the occasional scary moment.
[Engine revs, tire screeches, Bella and George cough]
DESCRIPTION: Bella and George watch Zagazoo ride a motorcycle, leaving a thick trail of dark smoke behind.
GEORGE: And I thought our old push bikes were dangerous.
[Engine revs]
DESCRIPTION: On a country road, Zagazoo rides down a small hill beside fields.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: Though, as with all offspring, there was the occasional scary but that motorcycle led to the next phase of Zagazoo's life.
ZAGAZOO: Oh!
(Engine sputters, engine stops, birds sing, part clangs, smoke hisses]
DESCRIPTION: The motorcycle stops, and Zagazoo leans it against a tree at the side of the road. He touches the side of the bike and thick smoke sprays in his face.
ZAGAZOO: Ah!
DESCRIPTION: A woman approaches, wearing a motorcycle helmet, a yellow scarf, and a black jacket.
WOMAN: I think you'll find it's the fuel intake valve.
DESCRIPTION: The woman takes off her helmet and shakes her long braid.
WOMAN: Hi, I'm Mirabelle.
[Flowers rustle, birds sing, Zagazoo and Mirabelle murmur, wind whooshes]
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo’s mouth falls open as he stares at the woman, Mirabelle. She kneels beside his motorcycle, with her own parked behind her. In a montage, they arrange flowers, eat fruit salad at a sunset picnic, and skydive. Mirabelle holds a crossword book as they fall. Zagazoo gives her a pen and smiles.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: Zagazoo and Mirabelle found out they had lots of things in common. Not just a love of motorcycles, but also flower arranging, eating fruit salad, skydiving, and doing crosswords.
MIRABELLE: Nine letters. To jump from a plane.
ZAGAZOO: Is it parachute?
[Whooshing]
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo and Mirabelle’s parachutes open.
MIRABELLE: Yahoo!
[Footsteps patter, door slams, heartfelt music plays]
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo and Mirabelle enter Bella and George’s house.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: Eventually, they decided they'd have more time to do things if they lived together. Though when they went to tell George and Bella, they found them rather changed.
[Zagazoo and Mirabelle gasp, Bella and George squawk]
DESCRIPTION: Bella and George, as pelicans, sit in their armchairs. George has eyeglasses perched on his bill. Zagazoo and Mirabelle sit on the couch across from them.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: You could tell they were delighted at the news by the way they clattered their beaks.
[Bella and George squawk, bills clatter, wings whoosh, feet slap]
DESCRIPTION: Bella and George high-five with their wings, then get up and leave the room. They stand together by the open kitchen window.
ZAGAZOO: Mum? Dad? What are you doing?
[Bella and George chatter, squawking, wings flap]
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo and Mirabelle stand in the doorway and watch as Bella and George fly through the window. Zagazoo and Mirabelle walk to the window and watch his parents fly away. Mirabelle hugs Zagazoo’s side and leans her head against his shoulder. He hugs her back as they gaze out the window.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: Zagazoo's heart was overwhelmed with a mixture of emotions. Sadness, gratitude, but above all, love.
[Doorbell rings, the music stops, bird chirps, door opens, gentle music plays]
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo opens the front door, with Mirabelle behind him.
ZAGAZOO: Huh?
DESCRIPTION: A package wrapped in painted paper and tied with string lies on the walkway.
ADRIAN LESTER NARRATES: Well, now. I wonder what on earth could be in there.
[Rustling, footsteps patter]
DESCRIPTION: Zagazoo picks up the package and carries it inside.
[Door slams, upbeat music plays]
[End Credits] Narrator, Adrian Lester. George, Simon Pegg. Bella, Louisa Binder. Mirabelle, Liyah Summers. Nice old lady, Debra Michaels. Zagazoo as young man, Jake Harvey. Additional Voices, Joanna Eliot. Series Director and Co-writer, Massimo Fenati. Directed by Gerrit Bekers. Writer, Mark Evans. Producers, Luc Van Driessche, Axelle Vandeputte. Copyright Eagle Eye Drama Limited, 2023.
[Logos] Eagle Eye, B.B.C.
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