BEST OF THE REST
ROSS KEMP: LIVING WITH DEMENTIA
ITV, 7.30PM
ROSS KEMP has been exploring the impact of dementia, Britain’s biggest killer. But this instalment feels particularly tragic and heartbreaking as he discovers how the disease can also affect children.
In Stafford, he meets Andrew and Kelly Mills, whose five-year-old daughter Penny has a rare disease known as Sanfillipo syndrome, a form of childhood dementia.
Last year, Penny had 150 words in her vocabulary but the disease reverses her development and she now struggles to even say “Mummy”. She’s unlikely to live beyond her teens.
Kelly said: “Our amazing, happy little girl lights up the room with her laughter and we need to make the most of her while we can.”
Elsewhere, Ross meets Meryl Smart, who faces the unenviable task of selling the house of her mother, who has dementia, to pay for her £70,000-plus annual care home fees.
And Barbara Windsor’s husband Scott Mitchell reflects on the actress’s advancing Alzheimer’s.
BRITAIN’S BEST PARENT?
Channel 4, 8pm
IT’S a competition that pits parents against each other – what could possibly go wrong?
Anita Rani navigates between hopefuls who all believe they are doing the best job. And no, they’re not modest.
“People comment on our children because we are brilliant parents,” says Sophie, a self-proclaimed pushy parent.
She and partner Phil believe that teaching their two kids to be competitive prepares them for success in adulthood.
They are up against vegan parents Mark and Simone, who believe a plantbased diet not only makes their kids healthier, but also makes them take responsibility for the planet.
Completing this week’s line up are Jen and Tom, who champion a back-to-basics style, where kids are immersed in nature. Their kids can eat flowers, get as muddy as they like, light fires and use knives to whittle sticks.
But which couple will convince the voting audience they are right? And which couple will irritate us the most?
It’s a closely-fought thing.