Billy Atkinson

Billy is Lizzie's mischievous brother, a ‘jack the lad’ who is often seen on the street corner trying to sell the latest fads from around the world. Billy and Lizzie have a fractious relationship due to Billy's past indiscretions. Although he claims to be a changed man, it is going to take more than words to convince his sister that it’s for the better, so he puts his back into the zoo to prove it – with mixed results.

Ralf Little shot to fame as Antony Royle in the BAFTA-winning BBC sitcom The Royle Family. Following the original run of The Royle Family, he was cast in Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps as Jonny Keogh for six series. More recently Ralf has both starred in and co-written two seasons of Sky 1 comedy series The Cafe. He followed this up with a film for the Sky Arts Playhouse series, which Ralf co-wrote with Nick Moran, starring Simon Callow and Richard Wilson as two ageing astronauts on their final voyage.

Other television credits include BBC One’s Death in Paradise and ITV comedy-drama series Married, Single or Other. His film credits include Michael Winterbottom’s 24 Hour Party and Telstar.

Ralf’s theatre work earned him an Olivier Award nomination in the Most Promising Newcomer category for his performance in Notes on Falling Leaves at the Royal Court Theatre. His most recent stage appearances have earned him glowing reviews in the revival of Graham Linehan’s The Ladykillers and Peter Nichol’s A Day in the Deathof Joe Egg.