British Comedy Guide
Roald Dahl's Esio Trot. Image shows from L to R: Mr Hoppy (Dustin Hoffman), Mrs Silver (Judi Dench). Copyright: Endor Productions
Roald Dahl's Esio Trot

Roald Dahl's Esio Trot

  • TV comedy drama
  • BBC One
  • 2015
  • 1 episode

Retired bachelor Mr Hoppy is hopelessly in love with his neighbour Mrs Silver, but she is only interested in her pet tortoise, Alfie. Stars Judi Dench, Dustin Hoffman, James Corden, Richard Cordery, Pixie Davies and more.

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Key details

Genre
Comedy Drama
Broadcast
2015
Channel
BBC One
Episodes
1
Stars
Judi Dench, Dustin Hoffman, James Corden, Richard Cordery, Pixie Davies, Joseph West, Jimmy Akingbola, Pik Sen Lim and Geoffrey McGivern
Writers
Roald Dahl, Richard Curtis and Paul Mayhew-Archer
Director
Dearbhla Walsh
Producers
Hilary Bevan Jones, Richard Curtis and Matthew Read
Company

Mr Hoppy (Dustin Hoffman) lives a quiet retiree's life, tending to his balcony garden, pottering to the shops and back and secretly being passionately, hopelessly in love with his downstairs neighbour, Mrs Silver (Judi Dench). From their first meeting in a cramped lift he is utterly captivated by her sparkle and warmth, but he regularly fails to tell her this during their neighbourly chats over the balcony.

When he finds she is distraught that her beloved tortoise, Alfie, doesn't appear to be growing, Mr Hoppy spots a chance to make his true love happy, and maybe even get closer to her in the process.

As Mr Pringle (Richard Cordery), another neighbour, sets his more lascivious sights on Mrs Silver, Mr Hoppy's world crumbles. Stoically, he continues with his cunning plan to make Alfie miraculously grow and finally wins his way into Mrs Silver's heart - only to find he had been there all the while.

Additional details

Production
Studio
Picture
Colour

Broadcast details

First broadcast
Thursday 1st January 2015 at 6:30pm on BBC One
Episode length
90 minutes
All previous repeats
  • Friday 30th December 2016 at 6:30pm on BBC2
  • Thursday 31st December 2015 at 7:30pm on BBC1

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