THEY SAY a person’s finest buddy is his canine, and that is undoubtedly true for Chris Packham, whose two miniature black poodles, Sid and Nancy, steal the present on this week’s episode of Sky Historical past’s Britain’s Best Obsessions, which continues Mondays at 9pm.
However Packham’s love of animals extends past the furry and four-legged. So when the naturalist and wildlife presenter was requested to host an episode of the present, he knew directly what his theme can be – pets.
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In fact Packham is not alone in his love for his pups – there are 35 million pets within the UK and for the reason that pandemic 59 per cent of British households personal a pet. It appears we’re a nation of religious pet lovers – obsessives, even.
This present unites us all: the hardened Sunday morning canine walkers and the social media scrollers who get their pooch time by way of the display screen. Packham has one thing to fascinate everybody, from the origins of the “loopy cat woman” trope to the the explanation why punks put on spiky canine collars.
Packham’s exploration of the world of pets takes you locations you could not think about, telling a really British story of companionship and love. And if that is not sufficient to ship you straight to the couch with a feline buddy, listed here are 5 the explanation why it is unmissable watching…
1. Historic rivalry
Whereas Packham is our information by way of the fantastic world of British pets, the sequence follows completely different nationwide treasures as they every discover their favorite British obsessions. The group, which incorporates TV faves like Lorraine Kelly and Liza Tarbuck, collect collectively to share and talk about their chosen subjects, and it is maybe no shock that the topic of pets will get them significantly labored up.
It is not lengthy earlier than we hit on the traditional feud between Cat Individuals and Canine Individuals. Within the UK, canine are the most well-liked, with 12.5 million of them in households across the nation, beating cats at a bit of over 12 million.
Harry Hill cannot see “what you get out of a cat”, however Suggs waxes lyrical about this feline buddy. And though our host Packham could also be biased, he takes time to look into the historical past of the outdated and inevitable feud.
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2. Tail-wagging trivia
The present goes far past cats and canine, that includes extra unique animals like birds and snakes. We even meet some wombats, apparently the chosen pet of the pre-Raphaelites. At one level, it wasn’t unusual to see one wandering round Chelsea!
From Lord Byron’s pet bear in Cambridge to the origins of Nana the Newfoundland in Peter Pan and assembly an obese bearded dragon, Packham’s journey is stuffed with sudden twists and turns.
3. Eccentric consultants
Do you know there’s such a factor as a pet historian? Packham meets not one however two on his journey, in addition to a witch physician – sorry, a physician who’s a witch – a curator obsessive about canine collars, a pet psychic and a pet detective. Their views are all distinctive and engaging, giving us new insights into the world of British pets.
Whereas the pet psychic helps Packham talk along with his beloved Sid and Nancy, the pet detective dispels any photos of Ace Ventura and offers us a extra profound perspective. She says that canine theft has seen a 200 per cent enhance for the reason that pandemic, however she has labored to reunite greater than 700 animals with their house owners since she began – a very inspiring story.
Pet historian Dr Kathleen Walker-Meikle supplies a background to our love of animals
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4. Uniquely British
Pigs could also be as vivid as canine, however you are unlikely to see any of them on a stroll round your native park. That is as a result of the animals we contemplate acceptable as companion animals have a storied previous.
You might need heard of witches having familiars – a small animal stored as an assistant. However do you know this idea has distinct British roots, displaying our nationwide obsession with pets stretches even into the occult?
By the nineteenth century, British folks had already determined that the way you handled animals revealed your humanity, and we noticed the beginning of charitable establishments just like the RSPCA and RPSB.
As Reginald D Hunter says: “If you happen to may take 10 per cent of the love British folks present their pets and get them to indicate it to different British folks, you’d see an prompt enchancment.”
5. Tender moments
From Lorraine Kelly’s canine costumes to Liza Tarbuck’s childhood labrador, what comes throughout most within the present is the highly effective love we Brits really feel for our pets.
I discovered myself welling up as Packham, at a museum of canine collars, produced what he dubbed essentially the most treasured canine collars on this planet – these of his former pets. “These collars led me by way of some very glad instances with my canine.”
It is these moments of real emotion that drive the present. Plainly when caring for animals, we’re at our most human.
Britain’s Best Obsessions on Sky Historical past, Mondays 9pm or watch the complete sequence now on demand.
