Putting the php.ini in the wp-admin directory made the WordPress dashboard and backend work properly. Putting it into wp-content/plugins/fgallery/ made this page work
Freelance designer and artworker in London
Meanwhile I've had this from support:
"Our admins are currently working on upgrading php and mysql on this server. Once these upgrades are complete, your sites will again work properly."
So, I'm going to wait for that to finish before I do anymore.
Once this is all sorted out I think I should probably upgrade from wp 2.3.3 to 2.5!