In October 2007, Colchester Zoo realised that the summer temp they had employed - Mike Lord - was still being paid. While those in the zoo’s upper echelons plotted his demise, Lord remained blissfully unaware. He saw his future there, amongst the animals.

Thankfully, it wasn’t to be. Falling ice-cream sales and lacklustre postcard displays sealed his fate. Lord was sent packing back to the seaside town of Brighton, his tail between his legs. Following a series of low-profile failures as bin-...