BEST OF THE REST
BILLY CONNOLLY’S GREAT AMERICAN TRAIL
ITV, 9pm
AS the inimitable Billy Connolly concludes his journey across America, he goes out with a melodious bang.
Ending in Nashville at the famous Grand Ole Opry, Billy – banjo in hand – steps onto the hallowed stage where the likes of Dolly Parton and Johnny Cash have performed.
And in other country music news, he visits the home of the Carter family, that are said to have put the genre of music on the map.
There are other stand out moments. Billy stops at a farm where he encounters the baffling sight of giant sculpted heads of all the American presidents.
Deep in Virginia, he follows the trail of bootleggers dealing in the illegal drink moonshine. He also learns about the opioid crisis – the biggest epidemic in American history.
Then it’s on to the backroom of Manuel Cuuevas’s atelier, the flamboyant designer who put Elvis in that gold suit, Cher in bell bottoms and dressed The Beatles.
THE DOG HOUSE
Channel 4, 8pm
THERE’S a real gasp moment every time a dog peeks its head around the door to meet its potential new owners for the first time.
A bit like a blind date, the Wood Green charity staff are in the business of matchmaking pups with loving families.
Then there’s a big reveal when the match finally happens in a camerarigged garden. “We know that one family’s nuisance dog might be another family’s joy,” says staff member Chris.
A litter of 10 German Shepherd puppies descends in this episode – at eight weeks old, they are ready for a new home.
But will anyone be able to pick just one? The Stephens family can’t agree.
Elsewhere, Chris and Suzanne want a new dog to fill the gap left by their dear departed pets. But she wants a smaller dog and he wants a big dog.
Ralphie the Yorkshire Terrier is a small dog with a big attitude – can he win them both over?