Minty badger sett for life
TONIGHT on Channel 5 at 7pm there’s another episode of THE PET PSYCHIC: WHAT’S YOUR DOG THINKING? My dog’s thinking: “I’ll be watching the football, ta.”
Me, on the other hand, I’m very much in tune with the lady at the heart of this show, animal communicator Beth Lee-Crowther.
Don’t forget, this is by no means Beth’s first time on the telly. She’s been doing this kind of thing for more than 20 years now. She’s even been a guest on ITV1’s This Morning. Let’s be honest, that’s not a show that dabbles in nonsense or twaddle or patently ludicrous tosh, is it?
Well, not often.
And remember: despite this programme’s title, it’s not just dogs that Beth is miraculously able to natter with. She’s able to communicate with all manner of creatures.
Tonight, for example, she’s off to have a chat with a camel. It’s a proud looking eight-year-old female who answers to the name of Sinai (shortened, I assume, from Sinai Peninsula, which I agree would be rather a mouthful if you were calling for her in the park) and she’s part of the gang living at Joseph’s Amazing Camels in Warwickshire.
Joseph Fossett and wife Rebecca, who are bespoke camel hire specialists, have had Sinai for 18 months, but they don’t know much about what her life was like before they acquired her.
As she makes her way to the Fossetts’ HQ, Beth admits this is going to be a first for her.
Personally, I’d have got the camel on the phone first – that, or maybe a Zoom call – to make sure there wasn’t a language barrier that would render her journey fruitless, but Beth is clearly confident that her psychic powers will be able to overcome any such obstacles.
And guess what? It turns out they can! Phew!
Over at Sinai’s stable, with the Fossetts’ daughter Daisy looking on, Beth begins by gently laying her right hand on Sinai’s neck. She then places her left hand on the side of her own head.
In so doing, Beth finds she’s able to tune straight in to Sinai’s innermost thoughts. I know, pretty incredible, right? And what is Sinai saying? “She’s saying, ‘This is blinking ridiculous,’” says my dog.
Also on this week’s episode, Beth pops along to her local wildlife sanctuary to meet Minty. Minty isn’t a camel but a badger (this has already been established) who’s been living at the centre for the last four years. “I’d be interested to know if she’s happy with the decision to keep her here,” explains manager Emma.
In tonight’s other big telly news, one of the chefs on GREAT BRITISH MENU (BBC2, 8pm) is serving up a stuffed Chinese mantou bun, designed to look like a horse’s head.