Don't Tell The Bride hen party turns mucky as Dudley Zoo is star of show
Thousands tuned in to watch as a bride-to-be enjoyed a hen party with a difference – mucking out the animals at a zoo.
TV cameras rolled up at Dudley Zoo as the attraction took a starring role in an episode of Don't Tell the Bride, broadcast this week.
Viewers watched as Jessica Holliday, aged 27, and her friends became zoo keepers for the day as part of her hen party celebrations organised by husband-to-be, motorcycle-mad Luke Tomlinson, 28.
The BBC Three show sees the groom given £12,000 to organise the wedding – without any input from his bride.
Jessica and Luke's wedding and its build-up were featured on the latest edition of the show, which was broadcast on Tuesday. Viewers watched as Jessica and her friends were told to 'dress to impress' for the party – which would start at 7.30am.
They were given directions to the zoo and travelled in convoy to Castle Hill. And despite the group being slightly overdressed, wearing dresses and high heels, they saw the funny side and were soon getting stuck in. They thought they were going to have a day at the races, but Luke had planned that treat for himself and his friends.
Jessica and some of her guests are vets so they were not out of their depth when asked to help with cleaning up giraffe dung and mucking out the Barbary sheep. They also had a go at feeding lemurs and sea lions. Jessica, from Derbyshire, said: "I wasn't expecting to be shovelling poo on my hen day."
The show was filmed in August with keepers Jay Haywood, Laura Robbins, David Zebedee and presenter Becky Iwahashi. Dudley Zoo spokesman Rachel Hickman said: "Jessica and the girls were slightly overdressed for the occasion in smart dresses."
The groom redeemed himself on the big day with a convoy of 60 Harley Davidson motorcyclists leading his bride's car to their wedding at Donnington Park.
