Me and My Dog (2)
Contents |
Host
Broadcast
Wall to Wall Media in association with Ten66 Television for BBC Two, 5 to 26 April 2017 (4 episodes in 1 series)
Synopsis
Split into two groups, eight human-and-dog teams compete in tests. The challenges look into how the pairs communicate, whether they trust each other, can the humans think like their dog, and an intelligence test.
The tests made for good viewing. Picture this: people standing on a paddleboard, serenely moving through the Lake District. Sitting on the front of their board is their dog. It's a work of art.
The tests may be good visuals, but they're also rigorous. This paddleboard test asks whether the dog trusts the human to keep the board stable, and whether the human trusts the dog to sit there without moving.
No-one is eliminated before week three, so the show is much more relaxed and friendly. The traditional tension is gone, replaced by camaraderie amongst the teams.
And there were some awesome visuals: Spider Aeriel provided camera drones, and there were so many shots of the lakes and forests to be an hour of landscape.
What's in the box?
There was some scientific rigour. Sian Ryan, a dog trainer and behaviourist, supervised the tests. Emily Blackwell ran some formal scientific tests on the dogs, and Chris Packham's commentary included some interesting facts.
At the risk of being picky, we found the show a little slow, but we understand why they've chosen a slow pace - make it look like Countryfile, and buy into the fashionable slow television concept. Me and My Dog was feelgood television, and a surprise hit.
Champions
Josh Rice and Douglas
Trivia
Subtitled "The Ultimate Contest", presumably to distinguish it from the parochial Me and My Dog (1) half a century earlier.
