BEST OF THE REST
BREEDERS SKY One, 10pm
AFTER the terrible business of social services checking up on them, Paul and Ally are still just about allowed to be in charge of their kids. But they now at least have stair gates.
As the comedy starring Daisy Haggard and Martin Freeman as frazzled parents continues, there’s more drama.
Seven-year-old Luke has been told by a boy at school that there’s no Father Christmas cue the kids hunting, aka dismantling the house, for Christmas presents.
On his mission, Luke finds something from Ally’s past that opens up a can of emotionally loaded worms.
Meanwhile, Michael, played by Michael Mckean, is still in the house but is “this” close to finding his own place. The jury is out on what “this” means.
Elsewhere, Ally is determined to declutter thir home, while Paul fears she is throwing away all their memories.
She decides that they should probably move anyway, but Paul of course disagrees.
HOSPITAL BBC2, 9pm
LITTLE Violet is preparing for major reconstructive skull surgery, the second operation in her mere 18 months of life.
She was born with a rare condition that causes her skull to twist, pulling her brain in one direction. She’ll be in surgery for a whole day – it’s one of the most complex and expensive surgeries at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool.
The hospital is home to the world renowned craniofacial department. With a rise in referrals, they are oversubscribed and the team is over-worked and struggling with budget cuts.
“We’re a victim of our own success,” says the team’s leader Chris Parks.
It’s an emotional film as patients deal with serious conditions.
Teenager Lewis has a sunken breastbone and finds out his surgery is no longer available on the NHS.
And parents Elaine and Richard fly their toddler Jack over for surgery to deal with a congenital skull condition. It’s a radical procedure that will leave Jack looking very different.