Doctor Dolittle or too dull. The stories are set in early Victorian England, where Doctor John Dolittle lives in the fictional English village of Puddleby-on-the-Marsh in the West Country. Doctor Dolittle has a few close human friends, including Tommy Stubbins and Matthew Mugg, the Cats'-Meat Man. The animal team includes Polynesia (a parrot), Gub-Gub (a pig), Jip (a dog), Dab-Dab (a duck), Chee-Chee (a monkey), Too-Too (an owl), the Pushmi-pullyu, and a white mouse later named simply "Whitey". One inspiration for his character appears to be the Scottish surgeon John Hunter. "The Story of Doctor Dolittle: Being the History of His Peculiar
Billy Marsh Associates, which survives him. In 1991, he founded his own show business promotions company, appointing friend and protégé Johnny Mans as managing director and partner, eventually becoming Johnny Mans Productions. On 17 June 1996, his ashes were interred underneath the stage at The London Palladium, alongside an honorary plaque, which was "in recognition of his belief, encouragement and kindness to countless talented performers, many of whom have become legends upon this stage". In December 2008 Marsh was the subject of the BBC Radio 4 programme "Great Lives", nominated by William G.Stewart, and Michael Grade, the nephew of his long-time employer