Seven Days That Shook Sven (C4); Wildlife On One (BBC1) Happily, the England team's victory in its Euro 2004 qualifier on Saturday meant the makers of Seven Days That Shook Sven didn't have to change it to Eight Days That Shook Sven.

They had enough stuff to be going on with anyway.

Although, even before presenting the evidence, they admitted defeat and confirmed they were no closer to revealing the real Sven-Goran Eriksson behind "the mask of melting ice". The England manager was "a complex and contradictory man, a leader of men with serious question marks over his commitment to country, club and women".

And I thought it was the job of a programme like this to answer those questions. Apparently not. What we got was a rehash of past indiscretions, interwoven with talking heads, most of whom didn't think very much of the "Swedish Svengali".

He was, it emerged, a pretty useless player who moved over to management. Going to run Roma in the 1980s, he had a problem winning the hearts of Italian fans. He did rather better with the women, notably Nancy Dell'Olio.

The fact that she was married to one of the biggest investors in Lazio, the next Italian team he managed, wasn't a hindrance for the divorced Eriksson. He called Nancy's husband, invited him out to dinner, and told him of the affair. You would have expected a verbal or physical punch-up to ensue. But no, Nancy's hubby took the news well and gave them his blessing.

Eriksson's finest hour in the tabloids was being caught with his pants down in Ulrika Jonsson's bedroom. Suddenly, people who couldn't care less about people kicking a football about a field took an interest in Erikkson's love life.

His tactics for dealing with reporters were more effective than those adopted by his players on the pitch. The day the story broke he was scheduled to hold a press conference to unveil the team's World Cup suit. He told journalists that they could ask questions about his private life all they liked, but he wouldn't answer.

The emergence of "a third woman" served only to cast doubts on his ability to concentrate on the job, with the World Cup six weeks away, when he was involved with what was becoming a team of lovers.

Throughout all the crises on and off the pitch, Eriksson has retained a cool and calm exterior. This is another fault, critics claim. He should, for instance, have done something to inspire English players in the vital match against Brazil last year. "In the dressing room at half-time time, we hoped for Winston Churchill and got Iain Duncan Smith," noted one participant.

Eriksson may not be a supermanager, but the females in Wildlife On One were supermums. Mother's Day was an excuse to see how mums cope in the animal kingdom.

Some take care of their babies themselves, others get their mates to do the work. Like the California mouse, who makes a slave of her partner. One whiff of a powerful scent in her urine (don't try this at home, ladies) and the male is brainwashed into doing all the washing cleaning and food-gathering - a real mouse husband.

Female giant Pacific seahorses go even further. Laden with 2,000 eggs, she goes and finds a male. She transfers the eggs to a pouch on his chest and makes him pregnant. Two weeks later he gives birth in a labour lasting 50 hours. No wonder the female gets someone else to do the job.

Published: 31/03/2003