LITTLE BIG SHOTS, STV, 8pm
WE all hate TV talent shows now, surely? They’ve been done to death. Anyone with actual talent will have been scooped up by now or found fame and recognition through more traditional and respected routes. So why am I previewing yet another one?
This new series is a little bit different in that it’s presented by Dawn French instead of the usual mob of pop moguls or Botoxed celebrities. This is a woman who’s earned her stripes.
And the contestants aren’t self-tanned, tooth-bleached wannabes who’ll be singing Mariah or Whitney songs, and neither are they people who arguably display mental health issues but are brought onstage to be jeered by the crowd.
No, this show is milder and sweeter. It’s a children’s talent show which gives it a pleasantly nostalgic feel, and there are no prizes on offer.
We’re introduced to some of the world’s most talented nippers, including a pint-size pianist and a little martial arts expert.
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INCREDIBLE MEDICINE: DR WESTON’S CASEBOOK, BBC2, 9pm
THIS programme really gave me the creeps last week, showing us a sweet and happy little girl whose heart is outside her body. It sits on the exterior of her ribcage and visibly ripples and thumps with only her skin to protect it.
The idea of this series is to see what such medical oddities can teach us, but those not used to such “incredible medicine” will have to overcome waves of distaste or amazement before they can start to absorb the actual science.
This week we meet a man who chose to inject himself with snake venom. Strange hobby! He thought it would make him healthier. Instead it made him immune to snake bites, and now his blood might hold the secrets to a cure.
We also meet the only man in the world who’s been completely cured of HIV.
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