ELAINE C SMITH’S BURDZ EYE VIEW, STV, 8pm
TONIGHT, Elaine C Smith reaches Fort William. I was actually quite keen to see this episode as I’ve never been there. My partner has, but only as a base for mountain biking, and he treats the town as a mere stop-off on the way to great cycling trails. But what of Fort William itself? It’s time I learned.
Smith starts off with her headscarf and brolly (it’s a Scottish holiday, after all) as she takes a “soft adventure” trip along the canal. Then there’s a “sedate” trip up Ben Nevis in the gondolas. “Soft” and “sedate”? So much for thinking Fort William was all about mud, sweat and cagoules.
Then it’s a ride on the Jacobite steam train – first class, naturally – and we cross the Glenfinnan Viaduct and pay a visit to the famous Glenfinnan Monument, which pays tribute to those who fought in the Jacobite rising.
This enjoyable wee show certainly shook my complacency about Fort William and its surroundings.
EXTREME WIVES WITH KATE HUMBLE, BBC2, 9pm
IN the last in the series, we visit India and meet the Khasi people who have a matrilineal system which puts women at the top of society. The women of these communities are in charge, and everything, such as money and property, is passed down through the female line. It is remarkable, given that India is often in the news for hideous cases of sexual abuse against women. As Humble says: “India is one of the hardest places to be female.” Domestic violence and child marriages are common.
So are the Khasi women free from all of this? Humble lives in one of their villages to learn more. She learns this system came about because the men would often be away at war, leaving the women with no choice but to run the society. But with the men having little status or power, we see they find it easier to shrug off their families and leave.
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