“I wish I could fly,
Right up to the sky,
But I can’t,”
The mournful words of a baby bird in a nappy, that captured the nation’s hearts back in 1982.
Orville the duck began his maiden flight home today, and the light entertainment world is sad to see him go. It is thought that the death of his writing and comedy partner, the ventriloquist Keith Harris prompted his decision to fly to warmer shores.
Even Cuddles the Monkey, Orville’s fiercest rival tweeted:
“I hate that duck! But I’ll miss him,”
Longtime pal Roland Rat said in a statement:
“This is really shit maaaaaan. I’m proper bummed out by the news. He was a gentleman and a fantastic entertainer,”
Gordon the Gopher is said to be “inconsolable” and Edd the Duck described him as an “inspiration and a true professional”.
“He influenced and entertained a whole generation,”
Said Edd the Duck, adding that his trademark green Mohican was inspired by Orville’s fluffy green coat.
Basil Brush told press this afternoon:
“The thing I’ll always remember about Orville, was that he had a lot of integrity. Sure, he could get his own way with those big eyes, and we had our share of fun behind the scenes. But I’ll never forget him telling Ricky Gervais to shove his poxy script up his arse, when it turned out he wanted Keith to be a racist bigot on ‘Extras’. I thought to myself then, that’s a duck with principles as well as talent. Boom boom!”
The Beezly Street Gazette 