BEST OF THE REST
ADDICTED TO PAINKILLERS? BRITAIN’S OPIOID CRISIS
BBC2, 9PM
PAINKILLERS are pretty easy to get your hands on. Worryingly, if you can’t get them on prescription you might be able to buy them online.
But millions of us are becoming addicted to them, and with more than five million Brits prescribed opioids every year, it’s reaching crisis point.
In America it’s already an epidemic and accounts for more deaths than gun crime, which is saying something.
“These painkillers can be as powerful as Class A drugs,” says Michael Mosley, who presents this troubling documentary about the situation in Britain.
“Did you know they are related to morphine and heroin?” he asks one woman on prescription opioids. Most people have no idea.
Aside from some fascinating science and biology investigations, there are some devastating personal stories here.
Karen, from Hastings, popped a disc in her spine, but prescribed opioids turned her into a zombie. “I felt like a drug addict,” she says. “I felt like there was no hope.”
GINO’S ITALIAN EXPRESS
ITV, 8.30PM
ONE last hurrah from the enthusiastic Italian before he says ciao to this series.
Gino d’Acampo has been travelling around Northern Italy by train, taking in the culture, the scenery and of course the food.
He’s living la dolce vita, and while we might not be there, he does bring the taste of Italy into our living rooms.
In this episode he’s got a top tip for travellers. Don’t join the hordes of tourists who head to the famous Lake Garda or Lake Como.
Gino heads to the picturesque Lake Iseo, a hidden gem often overshadowed by its big sisters.
He heads out fishing for sardines, then cooks up his catch of the day, and also cooks on a tourist train, the Treno dei Sapore – Train of Flavours.
“It’s a bit like a bargain Orient Express!” he enthuses.
He’s never cooked on a wobbly train before, but fortunately he’s only serving one of the seven courses. A lakeside dinner on rails? We’re all aboard.