The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
TRAVEL KING CLUNES
TOP TV PREVIEWS
PICK Martin Clunes: Islands of the Pacific – Thursday, STV, 9pm
TV’s Martin Clunes is a reigning travelogue supremo. And for good reason: he’s very good at his job. Naturally witty, charming, respectful and empathetic, he’s like a sort of idealised foreign ambassador. I’d vote for him. This week he natters with some tribesmen who live in the shadow of an active
volcano and breaks bread with a tribe who believe Prince Philip is their God. Some of the elders briefly met him once and exchanged pleasantries. So that’s a relief.
Clunes also travels to Tonga, an ostensibly conservative Christian nation with a surprisingly tolerant and admirable attitude towards gender fluidity. It’s not an entirely progressive utopia of course, but hats off to
Tonga anyway.
Geordie Hospital – Monday, Channel 4, 8pm
Newcastle is home to one of the UK’s biggest NHS hospital trusts. Its utterly charming and dedicated staff are the stars of this new series, which rarely dwells upon the pressures and frustrations of their job. The mood is upbeat, it’s a big ol’ cuddle of a programme. Any celebration of Britain’s most essential institution is tacitly political, of course it is, but Geordie Hospital elects to
focus exclusively on positive stories. That’s a statement
in itself. Tears and anxieties rear up at times, but even a potentially upsetting segment involving a little boy with a heart defect turns out fine. I welcome this warm gust of positivity, because God knows the NHS has suffered enough.
Kelvin’s Big Farming Adventure – Monday, BBC One, 8.30pm
Former Emmerdale actor and Strictly Come Dancing winner Kelvin Fletcher recently bought a farm in the Peak District. A lifelong
urbanite, he has no farming experience whatsoever. But if
we know one thing, it’s that Fletcher likes a challenge. His agent must’ve been delighted when they heard
the news, a television series following this life-changing
development was absolutely guaranteed. If that sounds cynical, well that’s showbiz. We’re familiar with this formula by now: a celebrity
and their family get to grips with barns and stockpiling eggs. Mild setbacks ensue. There is nothing remotely objectionable. This series merely exists. I recommend it to fans of tractors, fencing and sheep.
The Secret Life of Our Pets – Tuesday, STV, 8pm
This series spotlights the cute side of cognitive animal behaviour research. This week’s theme is emotional intelligence and the powerful bond of trust that exists between domesticated animals and their humans. The slightly alarming highlight involves
a visit to Switzerland, where we encounter a BASE jumper who enjoys parachuting from the edge of massive cliffs with his border collie harnessed
to him. And while you could question the ethics of placing an animal in that position, the dog doesn’t appear to be remotely distressed. He trusts his thrill-seeking
comrade. We also learn that goldfish “recognise” human faces, rats enjoy hide and seek, and parrots have an
innate sense of rhythm.