TV Times – 10 August 2019

20 TV TIMES

P

aul O’Grady might need

to watch his back – it

turns out that there’s

another famous animal

lover who’s after his job!

Supervet Noel Fitzpatrick is

joining forces with presenters Steve

Jones and Kate Quilton to present

another week of live programmes

appealing for viewers to take in

abandoned animals.

In 2017, the team went to

Newcastle Dog & Cat Shelter, while

this time they’re based at Raystede

Centre for Animal Welfare in

Sussex and hope to send even more

pets to new homes, including birds,

guinea pigs, chickens and goats!

Here, Noel, 51, a surgeon

renowned for pioneering work in

veterinary science, tells TV Times

why it was important for him to

step away from his practice for

this worthwhile cause...

Do you hope the series will make

viewers see rescue animals in

a new light?

Everything is

so disposable

nowadays – we

want an instant

fix! But animals

are so much more

important than

that. We mustn’t

see these pets as

rejects – they’ve

just fallen on

hard times and

they need a home.

So-called ‘designer dogs’ seem

to get all the attention now...

There are so many fantastic

animals needing love in their life.

I ask people to please try and look

beyond the superficial. It’s natural

to try and look at aesthetics, but

you might find you fall in love with

a cat who just looks at you a certain

way or has a quirky personality.

What can you tell us about the

special rescue Staffie you met?

Cooper! He works

for Staffordshire

Police and he is one

of three Staffies on

the police force in

the UK. They call

him PD [Police

Dog] Cooper

and he sniffs out

firearms and drugs.

He has made his

dad an internet

sensation! He

calms things down with criminals,

too; they give the police a warmer

reception when Cooper is there.

Could you be tempted to take a

dog home with you after filming?

No, I just have one, my Norfolk

terrier, Keira, and because I can be

operating late at night sometimes,

she has her legs crossed for a long

time, waiting for Daddy to take her

for a pee! It’s joy to have an animal

in your life, but a big responsibility.

You’re very involved in orthopaedic

veterinary science – how do you

find time for your TV career?

I can’t fix all the animals in the

world, but I think my job is to

influence future generations.

I was up until 2.30am last night

writing a scientific paper. Will it

make a difference? I hope so. Who’ll

read it? Maybe 50 people. But how

many people might watch Animal

Rescue Live? Maybe millions.

I want to change perceptions. Five

years ago when we started Supervet

I had to insist to C 4 that people

were called ‘Mum and Dad’, not

owners. I felt very strongly that

animals were not given a fair deal,

and I hope to help change that.

EMMA BULLIMORE

Pet power: Noel

(centre) with hosts

Steve and Kate

‘There are so many

fantastic animals’

LIVE FACTUAL

Animal Rescue Live:

Supervet Special

MONDAY-FRIDAY / C4 / 8PM

Supervet Noel Fitzpatrick is determined to find homes for more abandoned pets

We mu s t n’t

see them

as rejects –

they’ve just

fallen on hard

times...

ANIMAL RESCUE LIVE: SUPERVET

SPECIAL IS PREVIEWED ON P48-49