Protection, Tribe with Bruce Parry and Bad Dog Academy: TV highlights

Eric Clapton at the BBC (Saturday 29/03/25, BBC Two, 8.15pm)

Words by Sarah Morgan

Are you feeling wonderful tonight? If so, you may be interested in tuning into BBC Two’s latest musical evening. It’s dedicated to old Slowhand himself, Eric Clapton, to help celebrate the fact he turns 80 on Sunday 30th.

He’s now been happily married to his second wife, Melia McEnery, since 2002, but he’s faced his fair share of issues and controversies over the years, more or less from the moment he was born.

Drugs, booze and dalliances with a staggering list of the world’s most beautiful women are as much a part of his legend as the hits which raked in the millions, and gave the guitarist luxuries this working-class boy could once have only dreamed about.

And there has been tragedy too – including the much-publicised death of his four-year-old son Conor in 1991.

“There is no room for anger in this situation,” he said later. “I was lucky to have him because he got me sober… it was the reality of his existence that made me stop drinking and taking drugs.

“I spent four years with him as a sober human being and still am and I am grateful for the fact that I had that time with him.”

Clapton’s early life was marred by problems. His mother Patricia was just 16 when she gave birth to him following a wartime fling with a Canadian soldier who soon returned home.

Patricia left England to marry another Canadian, handing young Eric over to her mother and stepfather who raised him as their own – he didn’t discover the truth until she returned to for a visit nine years later when she rejected him again.

It was around this time he became fascinated with music, spending hours learning how to play a cheap guitar; by the time he began playing professionally in his teens, he was already highly regarded for his technical brilliance. He was particularly attracted to the blues thanks to its origins in suffering and heartache – something he already knew plenty about.

He would later state: “The blues are what I’ve turned to, what has given me inspiration and relief in all the trials of my life.”

The evening begins with a new programme featuring clips of his performances from the Beeb’s archive. That’s followed at 9.15pm by a chance to see Clapton’s performance during a 1977 edition of the Old Grey Whistle Test. Recorded at the BBC Television Theatre in Shepherd’s Bush, it features his versions of such songs as I Shot the Sheriff and Knocking on Heaven’s Door.

Arguably the programme of the night comes at 10.20pm – Life in 12 Bars is an acclaimed documentary profile from 2018 in which he offers a warts-and-all look at his life and career. Finally, at 12.25am, there’s another trawl through the archive with The Rock ’n’ Roll Years.

Although Clapton has been proved to be a controversial figure at times, there’s no doubting his power as a performer. And if for no other reason than that, we wish him a very happy birthday.

Tribe with Bruce Parry (Sunday 30/03/25, BBC Two, 9pm)

Words by Sarah Morgan

Cast your mind back to 2005, a year of achievements and tragedy.

The London bombings occurred, Hurricane Katrina wreaked havoc and Pope John Paul II died.

On a lighter note, YouTube launched, the Live 8 concert took place and the BBC launched a new series entitled Tribe, in which former Royal Marines commando Bruce Parry travelled to Northeast India, Ethiopia, West Papua, Gabon, Mongolia and Venezuela to spend time with local communities.

A huge success, it was followed by two further seasons in 2006 and 2007, but then came to an end. Parry made a handful of other shows, but has largely been off the small screen for a decade, concentrating on fighting for the rights of indigenous people across the world.

However, he’s returning with a fourth series of Tribe, and it seems the format hasn’t changed – well, as the saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

“The original trailblazer of immersive documentary-making is back,” says Tom Coveney, the BBC’s Commissioning Editor, Specialist Factual. “I’m thrilled Bruce will once again entertain and inspire our viewers with his unquenchable thirst for adventure and infectious curiosity; this series is both a great watch and a chance to learn invaluable lessons at this critical time for our planet.”

Those who remember the original run will no doubt recall Parry’s participation in rights and rituals that are far removed from life in the western world, and there may be more of the same in the new programmes.

“I’m not sure how, but the years – and too many litres of jungle intoxicants – have not dimmed Bruce’s passion and curiosity for those living lives vastly different from our own,” claims Jamie Belmont, creative director of the show’s production company, Frank Films. “The energy and willingness to have a go remains – however extreme the task. Yet his time away has brought a new wisdom, his return has a greater urgency as these communities become ever more precious.”

The opening episode sees Parry journey to the remote Amazonian tributary where the Waimaha people make their home. Despite living in one of the rainforest’s least accessible places, they have been visited by westerners before, whose negative impact initially make the locals wary of the adventurer’s presence – until he devotes himself to learning about their culture.

Next week he’s in the Namib desert, having been invited to live with the Mucubal; while exploring the impact climate change is having on their lives, he becomes the first white person some of the villagers have ever seen. Finally, episode three takes him to the the Indonesian island of Sumba, where he finds out about an ancient religion involving ancestral spirits and a blood sacrifice.

“Living with people who experience the world in such profoundly different ways was eye-opening in 2005, but today it feels vital,” explains Parry. “I believe we have so much to learn from those who still live in deep connection with the world around them. It feels a huge privilege that the BBC has allowed me to explore these places and themes once again.”

Protection (Monday 31/03/25, ITV1, 9pm)

Words by Rachael Popow

Siobhan Finneran has established herself as one of Britain’s best character actresses, with an impressively varied CV that includes supporting roles in everything from Benidorm and Alma’s Not Normal to Happy Valley and Downton Abbey.

So, for some viewers the main reason to tune into Protection was the chance to see her take a lead role in her own crime drama. But while they may have come for Siobhan, they have stuck around for the plot – and tonight it reaches a conclusion.

For newcomers, she plays DI Liz Nyles, who has been juggling working in the high-stakes world of witness protection with raising her teenage daughter and caring for her father, who recently suffered a stroke.

So, she’s used to putting everyone else first, until she embarks on an affair with a junior colleague DS Paul Brandice (Barry Ward). Then a tragic incident occurs at work, which leaves the unit under scrutiny and Liz worrying whether her lover had an ulterior motive for getting close to her.

As writer Kris Mrksa points out, it’s a gripping premise. He says: “When the team at New Pictures first introduced me to a former witness protection officer with some incredible stories to tell, it was immediately obvious that his experiences would provide the basis of an exciting police drama.

“But as I learned more about the day-to-day realities of witness protection, it became evident that this is an area of policing that has more in common with the world of espionage and spying, than the operations of a traditional police unit.”

He adds: “Witness protection police inhabit a clandestine world of false identities and hidden safe houses, where secrecy and subterfuge are part of the daily routine, and security breaches can lead to life-threatening disaster.

“In other words, the perfect setting for a le Carrè-esque conspiracy thriller, rather than a straight-forward crime drama; one in which the protagonist’s murder investigation peels away layer after layer of mystery, leading them not just to a perpetrator, but down an ominous rabbit hole of paranoia.”

And Liz was the perfect character to explore this story. Kris says: “Liz has always been a paragon of propriety and excellence, knowing that she must work 50 per cent harder than her male colleagues, just to get the same level of recognition.

“What if, after years of exemplary conduct, following every protocol, Liz allowed herself a moment of self-indulgence? A steamy but ill-advised workplace affair. And what if that affair may have led to a disastrous breach of security, causing the deaths of the very people she was supposed to be protecting, while also jeopardising her career, and putting her own family in terrible danger?”

As we reach the final episode, Liz feels like she has nothing left to lose, so she’s willing to take even more risks to finally get to the truth. But can she get uncover the conspiracy before corrupt forces stop her, and will she ever know the true nature of her relationship with DS Brandice?

Stacey & Joe (Tuesday 01/04/25 BBC1, 8pm)

Words by Rachael Popow

It’s been a busy few months for husband-and-wife Joe Swash and Stacey Solomon.

The latest series of her show, Sort Your Life Out, in which she helps families to take control of their clutter came to an end last week, as did Joe’s new series Batch from Scratch: Cooking for Less.

And now the couple are back with a six-part fly-on-the-wall show following their lives.

Neither of them are strangers to reality TV. Stacey first found fame on The X Factor in 2009 where she finished second, and then the following year was crowned Queen of the Jungle on I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!

Meanwhile, Joe got his big break playing Mickey Miller on EastEnders (he recently reprised the role in the lead up to of the soap’s 40th anniversary) before doing his own stint on I’m a Celeb in 2008.

He also won the series and landed a presenting job on the spin-off I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here, NOW!, which is how he met his future wife.

They also both have a large social media following in which they share aspects of their lives, but the couple admit that making this series has still been a bit daunting.

Stacey says: “2024 was the year me and Joe pushed ourselves out of our comfort zones.

“We took on different projects and tried new things. It’s been so amazing and nerve-wracking all at the same time, and we just want to keep doing that in 2025, starting with Stacey & Joe.

“We’ve loved showing a different side to our family’s fun and chaos. We can’t wait for you to join us at Pickle Cottage this year.”

They share the cottage with their ‘pickles’, Zach, Leighton, Rex, Rose and Belle, who are aged between 16 and one (Joe also has a son from a previous relationship), four ducks and two dogs. Viewers are given what we’re promised will be an honest take on life as a modern blended family, as Stacey and Joe juggle caring for their brood with their busy work schedules and ambitious passion projects, including building a two-acre fishing lake.

Or as Joe puts it: “There will be the normal madness of a family with lots of kids, plenty of animals and two busy parents. Here we go.”

In the opening episode of the series, which was filmed in the summer and autumn of 2024, it’s the couple’s second wedding anniversary and Joe needs to get some last-minute presents for his wife. Well, as we’ve already established, he has been busy lately so perhaps he’s got an excuse for not being organised.

Meanwhile, in a part of the series many viewers will be able to relate to, Stacey’s older sons have been trying to get out of doing chores, forcing their mum to put her foot down.

So maybe it’s just as well that school is out for summer, meaning they can all take what will hopefully be a relaxing holiday in Turkey.

Worst House on the Street (Wednesday 02/04/2025, Channel 4, 8pm)

Words by Richard Jones

Everyone is under pressure to make their money go further these days, which is certainly the case if you’re doing up a house, either in the hope of selling it on, or creating a forever home to live in.

Over the past three years, brother-and-sister property developers Scarlette and Stuart Douglas have shown viewers every trick in their book to help stretch their budget more than they ever thought possible.

Scarlette and Stuart were brought up in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire.

After being a dancer and choreographer, Scarlette landed a job as one of the presenters on Channel 4’s A Place in the Sun in 2015, and went on to become a regular reporter for The One Show, as well as fronting her own prime time show, Holiday Secrets: Is Last Minute Best?

Stuart, who was formerly a professional footballer for Luton Town and physio, has always been interested in property and interiors.

And he teamed up with his sister for a special edition of Kirstie Allsopp and Phil Spencer’s Love It or List It as part of Channel 4’s Black to Front project.

Then, during the third Covid lockdown, Scarlette saw a casting call for a new property TV show looking for contributors wanting to flip properties.

She called her agent to find out what the show was about and a few weeks later, Scarlette and Stuart were offered a job co-presenting Flipping Fast alongside George Clarke.

Following that show’s success, Scarlette and Stuart were then asked to front Worst House on the Street, in which they share tips and tricks with thrifty homeowners hoping to complete renovations.

The pair told firsttimebuyermag.com why they think the show and their partnership works.

“Over many years, we have honed the skill of redeveloping properties while extracting the most value from the finances available.

“As brother and sister, our candid and honest relationship has helped us refine our process to achieve the best results.

“Together we have redesigned and renovated numerous properties, transforming them to become desirable and profitable homes.”

So what do the duo think are the key areas when it comes to renovating a house?

“Research, research, research; as if you fail to prepare, prepare to fail,” they add. “If you decide to renovate a property then work backwards.

“Find your ceiling price and give yourself room for manoeuvre, as often the costs can run away with you, and then calculate exactly what you can afford.

“It is easy to put your own stamp on a place to make it your home when you work out what to do with the interior space and decorations.”

In the opening edition of the new third series, newlyweds Ben and Millie present Stuart and Scarlette with their biggest challenge to date as they seek help with a massive renovation in Chester.

At the end of the project the presenters reveal if their innovative and thrifty changes have increased the value of the property and by how much.

Can the duo’s expertise turn a derelict house into Ben and Millie’s forever home?

Bad Dog Academy (Thursday 03/04/2025 Channel 4, 8pm)

Words by Richard Jones

Furry, friendly and known for being ‘man’s best friend’ – dogs are often top of the list when it comes to choosing a pet.

But while we all have dreams of canine cuddles and country walks with a well-behaved pooch, the reality can sometimes be very different.

If you are an overwhelmed pet owner struggling with a misbehaving mutt, help is at hand, as the hit TV programme which can help solves you dog-related dilemmas is back.

In March 2023, eight-part series The Dog Academy saw a group of expert trainers come up against some of the nation’s naughtiest dogs, as well as their human pals, as they work to get rid of their bad habits.

Now, revamped with a new presenter – dog-dad-of-two Nick Grimshaw – and renamed Bad Dog Academy, we’re back to see canines and their owners receive training designed to help build long-lasting, positive relationships.

Nick is clearly excited to be fronting the show. He says: “I have always loved dogs so getting to be around loads of them all at once on Bad Dog Academy has been a dream.

“I’ve loved witnessing the incredible work of these expert trainers and the amazing transformations of both dogs and their human owners.“

As in the previous series, audiences will get the chance to see how dogs and owners fare and if the experts can help them leave Bad Dog Academy happy, healthy and better placed to enjoy the rest of their lives together.

First up in tonight’s opening edition is eight-stone Cane Corso puppy Ghost, who is striking terror into the heart of his owners and their neighbourhood.

While the mastiff’s guard dog credentials appear to be impeccable, can Ghost be trained to be compatible with family life? In fact, will he even let the Bad Dog Academy’s crack team of trainers come anywhere near him?

Plus, newly-engaged Chelsea and Owen have their hands full with – and their relationship tested by – six chihuahuas and a cavaponchi called Mr Bollinger.

The Academy’s experts hail from different parts of the UK and are qualified in different areas of dog training and therapy.

Victoria Stilwell is a world-renowned dog trainer known globally for her work on TV, including international hit series It’s Me or the Dog.

A bestselling author, speaker, podcaster and media producer, ‘Vic’ is a passionate advocate for positive dog training methods.

She is joined by Sean Brown, a born-and-bred Northeasterner, former Newcastle Falcons rugby player, and all-round grafter.

He’s the driving force behind Petsercise, the multi-award-winning canine hub that’s been transforming dogs’ lives since it was founded in 2015.

Meanwhile, Kamal Fernandez is a world-renowned dog trainer with over 30 years of experience specializsing in obedience, behaviour modification and competitive dog sports.

He is known for his positive reinforcement methods and emphasis on building strong relationships between dogs and handlers.

Making up the team is Jo Pay, a popular, another well-respected dog trainer, who has worked with dogs for 28 years, solving behaviour issues and creating harmonious relationships for pets and their owners.

Can the expert quartet work their magic, get the dogs to behave, and help bring Ghost’s owners and Chelsea and Owen some peace?

Austin (Friday 04/04/25, BBC1, 9.30pm)

Words by Rachael Popow

Ben Miller and Sally Phillips star in the new Australian comedy drama Austin, but neither of them plays the title character.

Instead, the role goes to Michael Theo, which is only fitting as he inspired the entire series.

Ben explains: “Darren Ashton, the director, is an old friend of mine. We worked on a film in Australia called Razzle Dazzle in 2007 and we’d been looking for something to do ever since. A few years ago, he was staying with me in the UK, and he showed me [dating show] Love on the Spectrum, which I absolutely loved, and I was completely blown away by Michael Theo in it. I thought he was extraordinary and such a fascinating person in the show and on screen.

“After bingeing the entire series, I asked Darren ‘Do you think Michael could act? I get the feeling he could’ and Darren agreed. We said, ‘Do you think we could try and come up with some kind of show where Michael was the central character?’ and that was the beginning of it.”

The premise Ben and Darren came up with (along with their co-creators Joe Tucker and Lloyd Woolf) involves successful British children’s author Julian Hartswood, who is on a book tour of Australia with his illustrator wife Ingrid (Phillips) when he discovers he’s reposted a tweet from a white supremacist.

The resulting social-media storm threatens to end his career and bring down his empire, so it may seem like a bad time for Austin (Theo), a neurodivergent 20-something, to approach him at a Canberra book signing, claiming to be his son.

Julian certainly thinks so and tries to give him the brush-off, until his agent suggests that going public with a long-lost autistic son may be the way back from cancellation.

However, while it may save his career, it could end his marriage as Ingrid does the maths and realises that Austin was conceived when she and Julian were already dating…

As well as being an actor and comedian (he was the original leading man in Death in Paradise and more recently took the title role in Professor T), Ben is a children’s author himself, but it seems the series was more inspired by his co-star’s life.

He says: “The stories that we have in the show mostly come from Michael’s own experiences. Michael is looking to become independent in the world and that’s kind of really what our first season is about; it’s about Austin moving towards independent living, so that’s been a big journey for Michael as well.”

He hopes that other viewers may also be able to relate to the series: “I don’t know if [Austin] has a message, but it feels very refreshing to watch and that is partly because neurodiversity is underrepresented on camera. It’s really fun to see a neurodivergent character who’s not Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory and who in some ways is the opposite of that character.

He adds: “One of the typical images of autistic people is that they’re not very empathetic and they’re not very good at human connection, but Michael’s special gift is empathy and human connection.”

Can Michael’s on-screen alter ego also use those gifts to help his new family?