Fur Babies, Channel 4
Wellington vs Napoleon: Aftermath of Waterloo, PBS America
Hang on, I’m having a brainwave. Nothing to worry about, it will pass in a moment, but I have to tell you this idea.
The British dote on pets. The proof, if any were needed, is in the sheer volume of animal shows — filmed in rescue centres, vets’ surgeries, zoos, safari parks, and behaviour schools.
We love to watch animals being trained, treated or just simply loved. Fur Babies (Ch4) takes us into family homes, where beloved pets are being nursed through pregnancy and birth. In the opening episode, we saw a chocolate Labrador called Bella, a shorthair puss named Leyla and Splodge the guinea pig all giving birth to adorable litters.
No other nation on Earth is quite as dotty about pets as we are. On foreign holidays, we’re the ones going into raptures over strays, while the locals scratch their heads at such sentimentality. I know people who have brought dogs home from Spain, Turkey, Romania and even West Africa.
My wife and I nearly did it ourselves, a few years ago. At an apartment on the Croatian coast, overlooking the ancient city of Dubrovnik and the most stunning view I’ve ever seen, we were accosted by a cat.
Fur Babies’ vets, Dr Bolu Eso (right), who also appeared on 2021’s Pooch Perfect with Sheridan Smith, and Dr James Greenwood
In the opening episode, we saw a chocolate Labrador called Bella, a shorthair puss named Leyla and Splodge the guinea pig all giving birth to adorable litters. Pictured: Dr Greenwood with a puppy
She was black-and-white with a chunk missing from one ear, and scrawny as a bag of spanners. One look at her told you she’d have your fingers off if you even thought about tickling her chin. But we both fell for her, and plied her all week with catfood.
Come to think of it, the local supermarket stocked a whole aisle of petfood. That shopkeeper knew what he was doing: his big profit margins were on wine and Whiskas for UK tourists.
There’s a telly series just crying out to be made, about British holidaymakers falling in love with strays — befriending them, winning their trust, working with rescue charities to bring them home or simply returning to find them.
It would have to be narrated by a comedian, of course . . . or better still, comedians themselves could be the holidaymakers. Jason Manford and his family adopt a three-legged dog in Sicily! Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins rent a villa in Corfu, and discover a tabby with her litter of 17 kittens!
Then there’s all the drama of the red tape, the desperate battle to bring pets home, and the final moment of jeopardy: does it end in a new life and happiness, or separation and heartbreak?
What a format. It’s got everything. Fur Babies doesn’t quite measure up, by comparison, but there are plenty of appealing moments. Ultrasound scans of a pregnant dog or cat are intriguing, though they might lose their impact over the next few weeks as the novelty wears off. But the excitement of seeing a pet giving birth will always hold a thrill.
Most of all, we never tire of watching people with the animals they love. It is that which gave a human insight into the story of Wellington vs Napoleon: Aftermath Of Waterloo (PBS America).
Both men revealed their personalities through their horses, we learned. Napoleon’s white charger was called Marengo, named after one of his early, decisive battles. In fact, there were many Marengos — the distinctive horse made a target for snipers, and several were shot from under the emperor.
Wellington rode Copenhagen for 13 solid hours at Waterloo. The brave animal earned his retirement, spending 21 years out to pasture before being buried at the Duke’s Hampshire estate.
For anyone who has enjoyed Ridley Scott’s fanciful biopic, this double portrait was packed with obscure details, including a visit to all the places Napoleon stayed on St Helena. You won’t see comedians visiting that remote isle on any travelogue.
