Top dogs lead the way

IT’S a pretty bold statement but I’m not sure I’d dispute it. “We’re the best duo in all of evolutionary history!” insists a woman on BBC Four tonight. No, it’s not Ruth Langsford talking about her and Eamonn Holmes.

It’s Professor Danielle Lee, from Southern Illinois University, talking about the human race’s partnership with dogs.

DOG TALES: THE MAKING OF MAN’S BEST FRIEND ( 9pm) is the fascinating opener to a new two- part series, looking at how we’ve come to bond, and to work in harmony, with our favourite domesticated animals. ( Part two, this time next week, will feature cats, assuming they can be bothered to turn up).

Not only does tonight’s show explain how the dogs of today descended from wolves, shedding that wolfish ferocity once they’d twigged that it was easier just to suck up to humans and hang around for scraps ( I’m slightly oversimplifying this, by the way), but it also looks at how they went on to develop handy traits of their own.

There’s the clever thing they do with their eyebrows, for example, which apparently wolves haven’t mastered.

Essentially, an eyebrow- raise makes a dog look cute ( or possibly like Roger Moore, but I’m sure that comes in handy as well), so we humans will be more inclined to feed it.

But is that all dogs ultimately care about, getting us to feed them? An MRI scan sets out to find an answer, comparing chemical readings from a dog’s brain. The result reveals that, guess what, our dogs genuinely do love us, and love to be loved.

So no, it’s not all about food, not by any means, although that steak looks jolly tasty. Come on, chuck us a bit, you’re never going to manage it on your own…

Elsewhere, Gregg Wallace is back ( Gregg Wallace never really goes away, does he?) with EAT WELL FOR LESS? ( BBC1, 8pm), where he and Chris Bavin head off each week to meet a family needing help with slashing its food bill.

Tonight we’re in Windsor, where mum Holly and her youngest son are currently doing their weekly shop at Tesco, knowing that at any minute they’ll be expected to act surprised when Gregg Wallace and Chris Bavin from TV’s Eat Well For Less? suddenly leap out at them.

Holly, whose eldest boy has cerebral palsy, is the first to admit the family’s diet is poor, including far too many snacks and ready meals.

The snag is, she only likes cooking if it’s easy and quick.

“Everything is easy and quick,” Gregg insists, “once you know how to do it.”

I must say this is wonderful news. He won’t mind popping around to cook our Christmas lunch this year.