The composer has written extensively for film and television, and his gift for musical characterisation illuminates every bar of My Family and Other Animals. Here is a delightful human menagerie, a family circle with its typical variety of awkward and amiable relatives, beautifully portrayed in music of beguiling simplicity by Edmund Jolliffe. Technically, for beginners and early-grade players, there is an important lesson that musical expression is in essence the expression of personality, often from the most basic musical resources. Brother is a cool repeated phrase - a bit detached. Mum is a gentle lullaby, and Grandmother a soothing, dependable tune. Grandfather turns sweet too, but not before a spiky introduction. From his breezy melody Dad seems on his way elsewhere. Perhaps off to wash the car!