FIVE OF THE BEST
The Secret Life of the Zoo
Channel 4, 8pm
As the series draws to a close, young Asian elephants Aayu and Nandita fall ill. Soon blood tests confirm that they have contracted the elephant herpes virus, so the worried keepers use anti–viral medication and a pioneering blood transfusion. But will the blood plasma taken from their father, Aung Bo, be enough to save the young animals? Meanwhile, when rare silvery gibbons Alven and Tilu have a new baby, dad Alven must keep their older son, teenage tearaway Eko, in check. Plus, at the insect house, a new species – the dragon–headed katydids – arrives. Keepers hope to mate female Beryl with one of two males, Stan and Norm; but which of them will win her over and ensure the future of this extraordinary–looking insect at Chester? Finally, jaguars Napo and Goshi still haven’t had any babies, so Napo undergoes a fertility test, before being trained to be more assertive.
Australia with Julia Bradbury
STV, 8.30pm
The presenter continues her epic journey across
Australia, exploring all four corners as she finds out about the continent and the people who live there. Her next step is the Blue Mountains, a rugged region in New South Wales. Along the way she has a go at paddle boarding with pooches, meets Australia’s favourite koala and has a chat with fashion designer Jenny Kee. She also takes a ride on the world’s steepest railway, and her hike through the mountains ends with a sighting of the bowerbird.
Fred & Rose West: The Real Story with Trevor Mcdonald
STV, 9pm
The crimes of Gloucester couple Fred and Rosemary West were so heinous that they appalled and transfixed the world. “Coming back to this story 25 years later, it’s still as shocking as it ever was, if not more so”, says Sir Trevor Mcdonald, the host of this new and powerful documentary. Made a quarter of a century on from the horrifying discoveries in the “House of Horrors” – dismembered female bodies in the basement and under the patio, the film features exclusive interviews and insights. Exclusive contributors include odd-job man Fred’s former bosses Derek and Wendy Thomson, who had no idea of their employee’s dark side, families of murder victims, including two sisters of victim Juanita Mott in their first documentary interview. Sir Trevor also asks the key questions: how did these crimes go undetected for so long, and what role did Rose West play?
Sleeping with the Far Right
Channel 4, 9pm
Jack Sen is a self–styled spin doctor for the nationalist movement and manages websites and social media groups to promote his own beliefs and those of prominent figures in the far right. Alice Levine sets out to discover why he holds the beliefs he does by spending a week in Jack’s home, hoping to find out how his worldview shapes his family’s everyday life. She also follows Jack as he attends events and activities connected to his beliefs, and speaks to a number of his associates, who are prominent nationalist figures.