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This Septic Isle

David Gill, the British Tiger King- Episode 1

Season 1, Ep. 1

In 1994, David Gill opened South Lakes Wild Animal Park. From that point on he was engaged in scrapes with the law, ex-wives, wild animals, humanitarian organisations and anyone else who thinks you shouldn't run a wildlife park like a bored child playing Zoo Tycoon. We'll follow the journey that took a humble animal feed salesman to run what became known as the worst zoo in Britain before ending in tragedy, both human and animal alike.


Join James and Geordie as they take a look at the life and times of Britain's very own Tiger King.




Follow us on Twitter- @septicislepod

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  • This Septic Isle- Trailer

    02:08
    This Septic Isle is a podcast dedicated to exploring the oddballs, eccentrics and outright lunatics that have called these islands home. From rogue zoo owners and sleazy TV hosts to anti-vaxxers and hate groups, we take a deep dive into the lives of Britain's world beating weirdos. Follow us on Twitter- @septicislepod
  • 2. David Gill, the British Tiger King- Episode 2

    43:30
    Welcome back to this Septic Isle. In this weeks pod, we'll be looking at Davids less than triumphant return from Australia and the shenanigans that followed. GASP- As yet more animals make bids for freedom SHUDDER- When you hear about the shocking revenge a jilted lover takes on GillWONDER- At how, despite all of this, he is invited to run for office by a major political party Buckle in, it's going to be a wild ride. Follow us on twitter- @septicislepod
  • 3. David Gill, the British Tiger King- Episode 3

    01:12:39
    The saga continues at South Lakes as the slapdash approach to just about everything ended up costing someone their life. We spend the first portion of the show exploring what happened and the fallout, before going on to look at disastrous attempts at self publishing, being called out via Amazon product review and how to solve your cash flow crisis using only a herd of buffalo and a willingness to lie.This episode contains some rather traumatic descriptions of a violent death and the impact it had on a grieving family, understandably this may be something that not everybody wants to listen to. If you feel like you can then we would recommend that you do as it's an important part of the story, but if you're not really here for that sort of thing then please jump to 22:06 and there should still be plenty of stuff that you can enjoy. Follow us on twitter- @septicislepod
  • 4. David Gill, the British Tiger King- Episode 4

    41:48
    We are back and slightly more cheerful than last week, in so far that nobody actually dies. Instead, you'll meet David Gills dream woman, his protege and his troop of croissant eating monkeys as we take a look at the next stage of the South Lakes saga and dive even deeper into the tale of the British Tiger King. Follow us on Twitter- @septicleislepod
  • 5. David Gill, the British Tiger King- Episode 5

    01:20:01
    It's here. The finale. Davengers Endgame. The net tightens around David Gill as the official report into South Lakes is published and it's pretty damning. Karen Brewer tightens her grip on the park and David once again takes to Facebook to express some views.Highlights include David not understanding how books work, penguin theft, Ross Kemp stealing our ideas and a discussion of what we'd trade a sexy David Attenborough in exchange for a packet of cigarettes. Follow us on Twitter- @septicislepod
  • 6. Bonus Pod- bits & bobs

    01:16:02
    In a bit of a break from the previous format, we take a look at some interesting animal related stories that we felt were fun but weren't able to craft whole episodes around. Things like: Britain's premier fighting monkey Paddington 3: Full metal duffle coatMilitary penguins If this sounds like fun, give us a listen and remember to stay subscribed ready for our upcoming second season. Follow us on Twitter- @septicislepod