A Private Function Gilbert Chilvers (Michael Palin), who was encouraged to do so by his wife Joyce (Maggie Smith). Meanwhile a food inspector is determined to stop activities circumventing the food rationing. Three pigs were used in the filming of "A Private Function", all named Betty. Producer Mark Shivas was advised by Intellectual Animals UK that the pigs used should be female and six months old so as to not be too large or aggressive. However, the pigs were "unpredictable and often quite dangerous". During filming of one of the kitchen scenes, Maggie Smith was hemmed in by one of the pigs and
The Private Life of the Kingfisher submitted footage as an amateur contribution, but were commissioned by the BBC Natural History Unit to re-film it on a professional basis. The film proved so popular, that it was repeated eight times. It won the Silver Medal at the 1967 Moscow Film Festival. Boswall subsequently commissioned a full series of similar "Private Life of..." films. Rosemary Eastman wrote about making the film in her 1969 book, "The Kingfisher". In 2012, the Eastman's daughter, Liz Bayliss, was interviewed about the film, on the BBC's Countryfile. The Private Life of the Kingfisher The Private Life of the Kingfisher (styled in its