1 May 2022 39THE BEST TV FROM IPLAYER AND BEYOND... TUESDAY 3 MAY
Celtic Canines
It’s true what people say
about dogs resembling their
owners. A pup will learn
from and emulate its owner’s
personality, while an owner
will often reveal their true
self around their hound. It
is one of the joys of Crufts
(All4) and also True North:
Top Dog (BBC iPlayer),
which follows owners and
trainers on Northern Ireland’s
competitive dog show circuit.
You’ll come for the dogs but
stay for the people-watching.
If you have ever wished there
was a Crufts open to mongrels,
rescues and non-pedigree
pooches, then check out
Scotland’s Best Dog (BBC
iPlayer), a kind of Generation
Game for mutts in which the
pets are tested on “bond”,
“agility” and “recall” rather
than the shininess of their
coat or their regal bearing.
Andrew MaleCast Away
(Sky Cinema Hits, 5.35pm)
Robert Zemeckis’s tale of an
ordinary guy marooned on a
Pacific desert island benefits
from the everyman appeal of
Tom Hanks, who has to spend
much of the film as the only
person on screen. The movie
slightly belabours its hero’s
spiritual education, so there
are times when his hardship
becomes an endurance
test for the audience too.
Generally, though, Zemeckis
makes ideal use of his star.
The story’s modern Crusoe
is asked to face particular
challenges to his bravery and
wits, and he always has us
rooting for him. (2000)Weird Science
(BBC3, 12.05am)
A comedy about two teenage
boys (Anthony Michael Hall
and Ilan Mitchell-Smith) who
bring a fantasy woman (Kelly
LeBrock) to life, this John
Hughes comedy is not one of
his more enlightened works,
but as a store of 1980s silliness
it offers riches. (1985)
Edward PorterAimless? McKenzie (BBC2, 9pm) No man is an island (SCH, 5.35pm)FILM CHOICE
ON DEMAND
Gentleman Jack
(BBC iPlayer)
It’s still very good, but
something has shifted in the
tone. In series one, Suranne
Jones convinced utterly as
Anne Lister, the 19th-century
lesbian landowner, industrialist
and seductress and author
Sally Wainwright’s dialogue
Gazza (BBC iPlayer)
Less a profile of the ill-fated
England footballer than an
examination of his treatment
by the 1990s British media,
Samson Collins’s two-part
documentary still makes for
sobering viewing (no pun
intended). It is notable that
everyone interviewed now
regrets how Paul Gascoigne
was portrayed yet no one is
willing to take responsibility.
Andrew MaleCursed Films (Shudder.com)
While season one was a simple
logging of rumours, gossip
and facts surrounding ill-fated
movies, this new instalment is
a real step up. With a longer
run time, smarter contributors
and a more intelligent remit,
this documentary series has
revealed itself to be a hidden
gem, an analysis of the
myth-making that surrounds
Hollywood and our need to
believe in jinxed texts.Your Mum And Dad —
A Devastating Truth
(Curzon Home Cinema)
The Dutch film-maker Klaartje
Quirijns is apparently well
adjusted, but her family’s
history nonetheless inspires
thoughts on the psychological
harm parents can do to their
children. This documentary
tells a mournful story that
ends on a positive note,
testifying to the value of
talking things over. (2019) EPcrackled with a knowing wit
and high romantic drama.
Three years on and everything
feels a bit strained. That’s not
to say the show isn’t still
enjoyable, but a performative
hamminess has crept into the
acting turns and Jones’s charm
has dissipated somewhat.
Much of the drama now
resembles dry business deals
in grand rooms; exactly the
kind of thing Wainwright tried
to subvert with season one.Everything stops for tea in Hackney ... well it does when Jay meets Anna and Nev (C5, 9pm)Jay Blades — No Place
Like Home (C5, 9pm)
The Repair Shop greeter Jay
Blades returns to London’s
East End in the first leg of
a three-parter that will see
him walking around the
neighbourhoods of different
phases of his life. Tonight, in
a Hackney transformed by
gentrification since his hard-
knock 1970s childhood, he
revisits old haunts, re-meets
old friends and learns about
a Zeppelin air raid in 1915,
the presence in the area
of both slave owners and
abolitionists in the 1830s, and
1940s clashes between Jewish
ex-servicemen and fascists.
Channel 5 may just have
found the recipe for a long-
running series here, blending
ingredients from Who Do You
Think You Are?, The Secret
History of Our Streets and
A House Through Time.
John DugdaleThe Yorkshire Vet (C5, 8pm)
There are six editors and
three edit directors listed
in the credits of this long-
running veterinary series,
and it is largely thanks to their
skills that casual viewers who
happen across this green and
pleasant show are forced to
put down the remote control
and watch for updates on
various poorly beasts. Tonight
in Huddersfield, vet Matt is
called to see Tilly the cow,
who is having difficulty with a
“rather jumbled up” calving.
Seven minutes of nailbiting
and rather gruesome drama
see one calf emerge, but
with an “ey up!” everything
changes and that’s the
audience glued to our
respective sofas to find out
what happens next.
Helen Stewart
Masterchef (BBC1, 8pm)
Finals week begins tonight,
with the five remaining cooks
being whittled down by
challenges involving food
inspired by art and a “farm-to-
table” trip to Ireland. Have a
drink each time a contestant
weeps, forgets a critical
ingredient or chooses an
eccentric moment to try
molecular gastronomy.Life After Life (BBC2, 9pm)
This week, Ursula (Thomasin
McKenzie) faces the terrible
realities of her whirlwind
marriage in this harrowing
but fine adaptation of Kate
Atkinson’s time-slipping novel.
There is a different darkness
in another incarnation too,
as Ursula heads off to 1930s
Germany in the hope of
finding a bit of adventure.The Man With A Penis On
His Arm (C4, 10.05pm)
As that old-school Channel 5
title suggests, this film is about
phalloplasty — the surgical
creation of new penises.
Included is Malcolm, who lost
his penis 12 years ago; he’s now
waiting for the replacement on
his forearm to be transplanted
into the right place.
Victoria SegalCRITICS’ CHOICE
Barking up the
right tree