Macintosh family

A small family consisting of Desmond, his unnamed wife and their son Sunshine (known as Sunny). The parents became friends with Lydia soon after she arrived in India when Sunny was admitted to the Good Karma Hospital as an infant with a fever. When ill, he was screaming but was otherwise a calm baby. At the time, his mother was sobbing and his father was chanting a mantra. It is not stated if there are any other children.

Desmond is an expat resident from Scotland and still retains some of the burr associated with the accent despite having lived in Barco, Kerala, south India for over 25 years. He is an eccentric artist, living alone and now in his 60s. His home is a large open studio space for painting, with only a shack for accommodation accessed via ladder and a basic food store. The dwelling is poorly maintained and he has been forgetting to eat, leading to weight loss with excess skin. Many of his teeth are missing or in bad condition. "Art before life", he says. He is still able to enjoy 60s rock music, remembering band line-ups from decades ago.

Desmond writes to his estranged son begging him to visit. When he doesn't answer the door, Sunny enlists Lydia to help. She finds him and the beloved pet monkey with a cough which is pneumonia. Once Desmond is persuaded to leave his home for the hospital, she treats them both only to notice other problems and makes the life-changing diagnosis of dementia. He is stubborn and independent but the illness makes him frightened and confused. His favourite festival is Holi, which is going on when we meet this character, although he has lost track of time and doesn't notice for a while.

Sunny has his father's tall stature and pale colouring; both are over 6ft in height. He is dark blonde with grey eyes. He bumps into Ruby and she sees the reunion as a second chance with his father. He is not convinced. Although he has an open personality, this hides a selfish tendency. He moved to England and works as a data processing manager in Reading, Berkshire. When Sunny decides that he cannot support his father, Lydia helps Desmond with food and medications instead. It is not mentioned what happened to his mother.

Appearance: Episode 1.03

Actors
 * Desmond - Clive Russell [IMDB | Wiki]


 * Sunny - Rupert Young [IMDB | Fandom | Wiki | Twitter | Agent]