What to watch
Saving the British Bulldog BBC ONE, 9.00PM
With Crufts – and the associated furore over pedigree dog-breeding – over for another year, comedian, actress and dog lover Catherine Tate leads a timely examination of a case in point: the number of bulldogs in the UK has quadrupled in the last 15 years, but many have serious genetic health problems as a result of 150 years of inbreeding. These range from breathing difficulties and spinal problems to bacterial infections harboured by excess skin folds. The programme touches on the breed’s history, as well as some alternative ways forward from medical experts, told alongside the running thread of a bulldog called Betsy that’s facing surgery to remove a chunk of her soft palate. The programme also shows that vets have been encouraging people to think carefully before buying flat-faced dog breeds, and Tate gets very bovvered indeed when she hears of the lack of regulation on the issue.
It may feel like a One Show consumer slot overextended by the presence of a celebrity (the premise of human selfishness overriding animal welfare is established early on), but Tate is nothing if not dogged and there is food for thought here for all pedigree dog owners. Gabriel Tate