Want a garden makeover with bite? Put a zombie on the lawn

AWOBBLY LIP OF THE WEEK: It was with a mixture of sadness and gentle humour that Coronation Street last night handled the death of Deirdre Barlow. Watching Ken break down as he was handed her famous glasses was a real choker. Weatherfield without Deirdre really does feel empty.

He wanted to make the garden weird, creepy and scary, like something you’d see in a Tim Burton movie. The fact that the customers weren’t overwhelmingly enthusiastic about this didn’t bother him too greatly. In the end, Charles settled on a ‘stumpery’, a small area of garden comprising of bizarrely-shaped tree stumps.

softly-spoken Victoria had the idea of a creating an insect hotel — a wildlife tower for frogs, bees, butterflies, birds and hedgehogs to gather. Watching her marvel as the carpenters made her idea come to life was really special. ‘I don’t get listened to much, so this is really great,’ she said.

Philip talked to the cacti like they were his friends, while Thomas was a mathematical genius able to expertly map out the space needed for the projects in a ridiculously quick time.

Thanks to Alan’s charisma and good humour, the programme was fun, entertaining and never patronising.

At the end of the show the family had a weird, wonderful and unique garden complete with purple pillars and camouflage netting. Although quite how it was all meant to have cost only £3,000 is another matter. I can’t wait for next week — if only because I know Charles won’t be happy until he’s put a zombie or corpse bride on someone’s lawn.

Meanwhile, (BBC2) was every bit as moving but with no happy ending in sight.

In Lyse Doucet’s grimly compelling documentary, filmed over a year, she met children on both sides who have lived through three major conflicts in six years. Over 51 days last year more than 500 children were killed, all but one in Gaza.

In Gaza City we met 12-year-old syed who’d witnessed the death of his brother and three of his cousins when they came under rocket fire as they played football on the beach. The experience left him traumatised and too scared to go to school.

Not that school was a safe place either, as 12-year-old samar found out to her cost when her classroom was shelled. ‘kids shouldn’t have to live like this. What’s it all got to do with us?’ she asked.

Over in Israel, and close enough to see from Gaza City through binoculars, is the town of sderot. It’s nicknamed ‘the bomb shelter capital of the world’ due to the fact there’s one in every shopping centre, street and playground.

In sderot the kids don’t live in the same poverty but they do have the same fear. Eilon, 13, and his sister Aggam, ten, were not permitted to ever stray more than a 14-second dash from a bomb shelter.

When the documentary ended, there was a ceasefire, but even the kids were wise enough to know it wouldn’t last.

In letting the children talk about their hopes and fears, Lyse Doucet has pulled off an amazingly brave — albeit deeply disturbing — piece of work.