THE second series of Employable Me (BBC2, Monday) began this week. I remember the first very clearly, as I cried like a baby but also laughed so hard I needed to grab at my inhaler.

It’s a series which follows people with various disabilities. They have been unemployed and simply cannot find a suitable job or an employer who’ll give them a chance, even though they are roaring with talent and enthusiasm.

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Last series we had a man with Tourette’s who cried “Baby Jesus was born in a porthole!” (and sent me into an asthma attack). This new series featured another Tourette’s sufferer who cried “volcanic cucumbers!” and yelled “coffin dodgers!” at nice old folk. Clearly most jobs were unsuitable for him as he couldn’t easily deal with the public, but he was keen to work and to feel needed.

We also met a former motorbike journalist, a glamorous, energetic and wealthy man who had a terrible stroke which has left him with reduced mobility and problems with speech. Previously a leader and go-getter, he simply could not accept a life sitting at home. Both men set out to prove to employers that they can work.

It was often painful to watch, as we saw them endure rejections, criticism and disappointment, but thankfully there are employers out there who could see past the initial swearing, or halting speech, to see two men absolutely committed, determined and bright.

It put the rest of us to shame, especially when we saw a man whose limbs and face had been ruined by an attack of sepsis. Yet there he was, hustling, talking, out there, seeking work.

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Just like the first series, I wept and laughed and felt absolutely grateful for my health, and inspired to deal with the petty hardships I have. If you need a pick-me-up, this is essential viewing.

I HAVE a good impression of the police. Maybe that’s because I’m a wee goody two shoes who’s never been in trouble. My only dealing with them thus far was a few years ago when my flat was burgled and they were so very nice and polite – even if they weren’t able to get any of my stuff back. In fact, they were so nice and polite that I felt agonised at inviting these nice chaps into such an untidy flat. I had to keep reminding myself that the place had been burgled and it was quite all right for it to look a bit dishevelled. And even though none of my stuff was returned to me, they gave me some interesting pieces of advice about burglary when living in a tenement flat. Apparently those most at risk are the people on the top floor, even though we all assume it’d be ground floor flats who’re vulnerable. The thieves tend to target the top floor as there’s less chance of them being disturbed by neighbours passing them in the close. The technique is to chap your door and if you answer they say “Oh, eh, sorry hen. I was looking for, eh, Jimmy”. And then they apologise and vanish. But if you don’t answer, they go at the door with a credit card – probably a stolen one! – and try to force entry.

So I got lots of insight and sympathy from the police that day, even if I didn’t get my laptop and camera back. I find that when people moan about “the polis” they’re either trying to make a political point – they’re usually a fiercely irritating lefty type who thinks the police are oppressive and other such nonsense – or they’re a wee ned who’s always in trouble. In my experience, reasonable, law-abiding folk don’t really have any complaint except the eternal grumbles of there not being enough bobbies on the beat, but that’s a government-funding issue, and is hardly the force’s fault.

BBC Scotland’s new series, The Force: The Story of Scotland’s Police (BBC1, Monday), reinforced my impression (and maybe it’s a naïve one, but it’s one I’ve formed from experience, not prejudice) of the police as good guys.

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The three-part series gives us the history of Scotland’s police, and is a fascinating mix of current stories, nostalgic reminiscences, old news footage, and tales of blood-curdling crimes from the dark past.

We heard from lots of retired police, men and women, who were able to look back with humour and a wry smile at their careers. A current officer might have felt constrained to toe a certain line, but the healthy collection of older people meant they had the freedom of retirement and could spill out lots of sarcasm and colourful tales, and this can only help reinforce the idea that the police are here to serve us, not bully, boss or rule.

If you want to know how lucky we are in this country, take a look at dashcam footage on YouTube which shows American, Chinese or Russian cops pulling over drivers. There’s certainly no “Can you step out of the car please, sir?” I know that there’s no point uploading YouTube footage of a nice, friendly exchange between a reasonable driver and a polite American cop, and so we only see the worst on those online videos, but some of the clips I’ve seen are shocking and if they’d been enacted on Argyle Street there’d be uproar, enquiries, resignations and social media campaigns.

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This warm and often humorous series reminds us that the police are people, not oppressive figures in black, and most of them share George Costanza’s plea that “We’re tryin’ to have a society over here!”