Tiger, tiger

THE trailer said it all… a tiger cub having the time of its life starts to bite lumps out of a domestic settee. Even as a dedicated cat lover, I’m not sure I could sit back and watch something five times the size of a Siamese destroying my home.

But we are in a world which has destroyed 97 per cent of the wild tiger population and Australia-based British zookeeper Giles Clark is determined to help Sumatran tigers Spot and Stripe, born in his Queensland Zoo, but requiring 24- hour care as two of the most criticallyendangered big cats on the planet.

Quite why Giles decided his wife, Kerri, and their children should also be taking tigers by the tail is how you end up with a three-part series.

Giles guides them through Spot and Stripe’s crucial first few weeks of life and their trials and tribulations.

The challenges for Giles and his family include bottle-feeding and teething.

The plan was to give the tigers roundthe- clock care for the first four months of their lives. With unrivalled access, we are granted an intimate and touching look into the crucial early development of tiger cubs, and explore a world that has never been seen before.

Some will argue that the youngsters would be better off learning all these things in the wild, but that has become impossible because Sumatran tigers cannot survive without protection, thanks to poachers. Giles wants to use the tigers as an example of what must be done to save their breed. Sadly, when the big day arrives for Giles to appear on TV, the six-month-old cubs are suffering with teething pains.

Benefits Britain: Life On The Dole
(C5, 9pm)

THE alleged unwaged antics of the residents of James Turner Street, in Birmingham, which featured in the series Benefits Street on C4 earlier this year, gave the channel some of its highest ratings of the past two years.

Few will forget White Dee, who ensured viewers and media pundits had someone to aim their outrage at as the dole-supported lifestyles were depicted, although most of us feel that C4 were painting an unfair picture.

Channel 5 moves the argument on and looks at the impact of stricter new rules, such as the so-called bedroom tax, and tries to find out if these sanctions will encourage more people back into employment, or make life harder for those genuinely in need.

Firstly, we see the seaside resort of Great Yarmouth, where much of the employment is seasonal, and 20 per cent of children are being brought up in benefits families. Three-month-old Porschia’s parents, Leona and Lee, had been claiming £150 a week, but their payments were dropped to £90 after they failed to fill in the correct forms.

As they try to deal with the drop in payments, Leona explains why she wants a different future for her baby daughter.

Doc McStuffins
(Disney JR, 4.55pm)

THE Doc is in… with a new set of adventures which are a Godsend to hard-pressed parents and grandparents who require a few minutes of colourful distraction while tracking down the one working phone charger, ironing tomorrow’s outfits and preparing the evening meal.

Such is the interest of pre-schoolers in Doc, the little girl who can magically speak to and repair broken toys, that my own granddaughter follows me around with a replica Doc McStuffins bag and stethoscope, singing the show’s catchphrase “time for your check-up”.

A lost cause in my case.