COMEDY

BBC1, 9pm

CATHERINE Tate is rolling around on the floor with a litter of bulldog puppies, trying and failing to finish what she’s saying. “They are the cutest things I’ve ever seen,” she exclaims.

PASSIONATE Catherine with pups C4, 10pm

A hugely serious subject, tackled with plenty of laughs, is a very fine line to tread – but it is expertly accomplished here.

This week’s visit to Elm Heath Children’s Services is somewhat more bleak than usual, but there are still wonderful moments of comedy.

Nitin (Himesh Patel) heads off to investigate reports of an “unkempt child” and finds her parents are heroin addicts living in squalid conditions. It’s a horrible discovery and a stark insight into what social services must encounter on a regular basis.

But just when you feel suckerpunched by reality, this comedy cleverly brings us light relief.

This time, Nat (Isy Suttie) tries to land a birth partner with the offer of free crisps and water.

And Rose (Jo Brand) wakes up to find she’s spent the night with Dennis, in Denise’s house. It’s a rather awkward start to the day.