What’s on telly tonight? Our pick of the best shows on Thursday 26th April

For the Love of Dogs: India

TV Times top picks for today

What’s on telly tonight? Here the TV Times team of expert reviewers highlight the best shows on Thursday 26th April

Paul O'Grady For the Love of Dogs: India, 8.30pm, ITV

Celebrity animal lover and tireless champion for dog welfare, Paul O’Grady goes above and beyond the call of duty in this very special four-part show. This new series sees Paul mucking in at Friendicoes, Delhi’s answer to Battersea Dogs & Cats Home. The conditions are very different to those in the UK, but many of the problems affecting stray city dogs remain the same – from neglect and starvation to abuse and disease. Tonight, Paul fearlessly helps rescue a litter of six newborn puppies from hungry rats. Whether you think he’s barking mad or not, Paul’s open-hearted actions certainly give us pause for thought… Rating: ****

Ambulance, 9pm, BBC1

The first episode of the third series of Ambulance shows why this programme was nominated for a BAFTA. It follows paramedics Nat and Nat as they deal with an elderly woman who’s broken her ankle, and flirt with her sprightly husband. Back on the road, a 999 call comes through – Nat Greaves’s daughter Jessica, who has cerebral palsy, is unconscious. With another crew closer to the unresponsive schoolgirl, the Nats rush to A&E. After a night in hospital, on what is her 16th birthday, Jessica improves and the two paras return to work. Meanwhile, Dawn and Justin rush to the home of 101-year-old Mary, who’s had a fall – the former nurse entertains them with her wicked sense of humour. Rating: ****

Michael Portillo: Our Housing Crisis – Who’s to Blame?, 10pm, C5

In the hope of finding answers to solve today’s housing crisis, Michael Portillo looks at the history of social housing, taking a trip to the very first council housing project, where 1,000 flats were built in 1900 to house ordinary workers in London. Portillo also visits Manchester, which has one of the UK’s largest estates, where 10,000 homes were built in 1927. The once idyllic streets, however, are now struggling with huge social problems. Rating: ***

More previews tomorrow.

David Hollingsworth
Editor

David is the What To Watch Editor and has over 20 years of experience in television journalism. He is currently writing about the latest television and film news for What To Watch.


Before working for What To Watch, David spent many years working for TV Times magazine, interviewing some of television's most famous stars including Hollywood actor Kiefer Sutherland, singer Lionel Richie and wildlife legend Sir David Attenborough. 


David started out as a writer for TV Times before becoming the title's deputy features editor and then features editor. During his time on TV Times, David also helped run the annual TV Times Awards. David is a huge Death in Paradise fan, although he's still failed to solve a case before the show's detective! He also loves James Bond and controversially thinks that Timothy Dalton was an excellent 007.


Other than watching and writing about telly, David loves playing cricket, going to the cinema, trying to improve his tennis and chasing about after his kids!