FOUR OF THE BEST
Paul O’grady: For the Love of Dogs STV, 8pm
Paul helps staff at Battersea Dogs & Cats Home in London train a lively beagle cross pup, and spends the day with a bichon who, like many pets during lockdown, has got used to living in a busy home. The presenter also helps a shell-shocked old Staffy who was left tied to the gates. Finally, Paul assists the staff as they battle to contain a dangerous outbreak of parvo virus. This highly infectious and potentially fatal disease attacks cells in a dog’s intestines and stops them from being able to absorb vital nutrients.
The Repair Shop BBC1, 8pm
Artwork conservator Lucia Scalisi is hoping to restore a King Charles II painting to its crowning glory for a Gloucestershire woman and, as she removes layers of dirt, it becomes clear just how old the portrait really is. Silversmith Brenton West works on a well-travelled trunk, which despite being empty for a while, still holds plenty of cherished memories for a mother and daughter. Also tonight, goldsmith Richard Talman tries to bring the sparkle back to a broken engagement ring.
The Great British Sewing Bee BBC1, 9pm
Many of us were guilty of jumping the gun as far as summer is concerned at the beginning of April. However, the producers of this programme are clearly confident that the mercury is on the rise as they get the contestants to produce garments that will look and feel cool in the hottest of weather. Patrick and Esme’s pattern challenge this week is a pair of paperbag shorts. They might be a small garment, but creating the signature shape means perfecting pockets, tackling tricky turn-ups and wrestling with an elastic waistband prone to doing its own thing. Next, the sewers have to transform second-hand men’s swimming gear into a garment for a woman to don at sunset cocktails before a final made-to-measure challenge for which button-down sun dresses are the order of the day.
Bent Coppers: Crossing the Line of Duty BBC2, 9pm
Early 1970s Soho – a place where pornographers used lavish gifts and big bribes to buy the protection of senior police officers. Together, they ran London’s seedy streets in a rocksolid alliance where overt criminals and bent cops feel untouchable, and the public are completely unaware. At least, that is, until one intrepid journalist, Laurie Manifold from the Sunday People, reveals the relationship between the head of the Met’s famous Flying Squad,
Ken Drury, and porn king Jimmy Humphreys. In doing so, he exposes a pattern of brazen corruption that would sink public opinion of the Metropolitan Police to an all-time low.