Rod Hull was a truly gifted puppeteer. I love the fact that Emu never said a word and indeed never needed to...the body language (getting in someone's face, wrinkling his beak, threatening to peck someone, dumping something over his or her head) said everything you needed to know.
You're right, Toby and Rod's Emu did panto and Blackpool tower circus at one point, as well as two series TV series with a young looking Emu. Very similar to when Matthew Corbett took over Sooty duties from his father Harry Corbett whilst recovering from his heart attack.
Delayed response - Because (true fact) Dec is terrified of birds. If you watch any interviews on Britain's Got Talent that involve birds, Ant always has to do them whilst Dec stands at a distance. And on Bushtucker Trials on I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, Dec can't stand anywhere near the trials that involve birds.
