Giraffe in Netflix series is 'star in the making'

A giraffe that appeared in a Netflix drama has been described as a "star in the making".

In the latest series of Heartstopper the characters head to Whipsnade Zoo, Bedfordshire to celebrate the birthday of character Nick Nelson, played by Kit Connor.

The cast visited and filmed at locations across the site including the butterfly house, the Asian elephant paddock and the enclosure where they fed ring-tailed lemurs.

A male reticulated giraffe called Bashu was also fed by the cast and the zoo said he was "very well behaved during the filming, and wasn’t bothered by the rain or cameras".

The third series of Heartstopper, which explores LGBT+ relationships and is based on the graphic novels by Alice Oseman, was released on 3 October.

The zoo, near Dunstable, was used as a filming location for the third episode where the characters throw a surprise birthday party.

Adiescar Chase, the composer of the series' soundtrack, is also from the county having been born and raised in Bedford.

In a statement the zoo said: "Bashu proved himself to be a star in the making.

"Collaborating with production companies like Netflix to film commercial series on our site allows Whipsnade Zoo to bring in additional revenue."

The zoo said money would go towards supporting its global conservation work.

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