Charlie the swearing parrot f*cks flies off

When Melissa Todd bought Charlie the parrot she was warned he was fond of the F-word - so much so that he became a YouTube hit and was about to make his TV debut. However, she was also assured by the pet shop that one talent the African grey did not have was the ability to fly – but the cheeky bird has put that claim to flight and disappeared.

Now Ms Todd is involved in a desperate hunt for Charlie, who vanished on Monday from her home in Bury, Greater Manchester, after hearing a loud noise. She has offered a reward for his safe return. ‘Charlie is like one of the family. He is really intelligent,’ said the 29-year-old pub worker.

Contains NSFW language.


‘He originally came from a pet shop in Manchester which went out of business but we don’t know anything about his previous owner.’ Next week, Charlie is appearing in a TV documentary called My Pet Shame about embarrassing animals. It sees experts try to break his swearing habit on the show. But if he is not found soon he will miss his follow-up appearance on the show, presented by Gavin & Stacey actress Joanna Page, to test whether his behaviour has been changed.

‘He does swear but he also picks up things from the television and talks about himself,’ said Ms Todd, whose daughter Leonie has been left distraught by the vanishing act. ‘He says “Charlie’s pretty” and things like that. He’s been to London and the experts have come up here. The advice they gave worked for a while but he’s reverted to swearing again,’ she added.

Update: Charlie's been found.