WHAT’S HOT TO WATCH TODAY
THE world, as we know, is split into two types of people. In the one corner there are those who don’t like dogs – ie. idiots, weirdos and various other freaks I resent having to share the planet with. And in the other, there’s the rest of us lovely, normal, welladjusted, tolerant folk.
It’s for the benefit of us decent, dog-loving types that BBC2 has come up with a great new canine competition, kicking off tonight. Filmed in the Lake District, ME AND MY DOG: THE ULTIMATE
CONTEST (8pm), hosted by Chris Packham, sees eight owners and their beautiful pets competing in a whole series of tough challenges, designed to test the strength of their bond.
These aren’t Crufts-type dogs, by the way, nor specialist working breeds who routinely round up sheep or sniff out drugs or, I dunno, fix computers for a living.
They’re just ordinary pets from all kinds of backgrounds – trained pretty well but still nicely unpredictable.
So how will they cope when faced with everything from an obstacle challenge to a tethered bike ride (the owner, in each case, being the one in the saddle, I should explain, while the dog runs ahead, Husky-style)? The series also offers fascinating insight into how dogs’ minds work.
Did you know, for example, that a wagging tail means something different when it wags to the left from when it wags to the right? You do now. Also tonight, SECOND CHANCE SUMMER:
TUSCANY (9pm, BBC2) is a new series where ten singletons, all strangers to one another, optimistically attempt to share a new life together on an Italian farm.
Don’t miss Mike’s exclusive column at www.dailystar.co.uk/columnists. Follow him on Twitter @mikewardontv.