THE MOUNTAIN, BBC1, 7.30pm
When we think of Scotland’s mountain tourist resorts we naturally think of snow. People visit the Cairngorms for the skiing, snowboarding and relaxing apres-ski, with a whisky and an open fire.
But winter – the type of vast, snowy winter these tourist resorts pray for and thrive on – is a short season; indeed, sometimes it doesn’t show up at all. And what happens to Cairngorm in the summer? It doesn’t vanish, of course, but without the skiers and the snow, how do the locals earn their keep and attract the tourists?
This new series will provide the answers. It’s a documentary about the people of Cairngorm and follows them throughout the summer season.
The staff at the ski resort still work during summer because the snow recedes to uncover great hill-walking territory and scenery, all of which is accessible via the mountain’s funicular railway. It might look like a toy train, but it carries 200,000 visitors per year.
The valley is also full of various small businesses who rely on summer tourism, and we visit a B+B who’re hosting two wedding parties which calls for brownies and lots of fresh flowers.
Add in some game-keeping, sailing and a music festival and we’ll see Cairngorm in summer is anything but quiet.
SCOT SQUAD, BBC1, 10.35pm
It’s time for the Bamnesty. This is Chief Inspector Meikelson’s latest headline-grabbing strategy: an amnesty where “bams can come in with all their bam paraphernalia” which will allow the Scot Squad to “help the people bams are being bams to.”
If you’re the touchy type who objects to a certain type of criminal being called a “bam” then you won’t like this episode, which is laden with “bams”, but then you clearly have no sense of humour so wouldn’t be watching anyway.
Meikelson also hires a PR company to help with the police’s image and lots of time is spent choosing colours for their media campaign. They eventually settle on “bluey blue”. This is “real policing”, Meikelson assures the cameras.
And there’s a disturbance at a local supermarket where a dwarf in a hoody has taken offence at the other customers’ attitudes towards him. He protests to the police he only wanted to buy “scones to put on ma granny’s grave.”
Away from the trouble, gentle Community Support Officer Ken Beattie is out helping the prostitutes, bringing them sandwiches and “a change of socks”. I wonder what he thinks prostitutes actually do?
LONDON SPY, BBC2, 9pm
This is a brilliant new drama series based on the strange death of MI6 agent, Gareth Williams, whose body was found locked in a bag in his bath.
Once you realise – which happens quite quickly - that this is the inspiration for the story, you can assume how the first episode is going to end. This detracts from the tension somewhat, but it’s still a fine drama and I’m greatly looking forward to the remaining four episodes.
The story opens with Danny, a young man living in a grotty flat with his friends. He has a dead-end job, hangs out with his pals, and goes out clubbing: in short, he seems completely normal. Is he the “London spy” of the title, I wondered? Is this down-at-heel life all part of his cover?
But no, the “spy” comes to his rescue one morning when he falls out of a club, rather sweaty and disorientated. The spy is jogging past on a bridge and gallantly Danny to his feet and offers him his water bottle.
Danny is gay and soon can’t stop thinking about this mysterious stranger and so waits on the bridge each morning till they meet again. A sexual relationship slowly develops between them – happening very slowly as Alex is wary of revealing too much about himself, yet they’re soon in love and planning a weekend away. It’s at this point that Alex vanishes and
Danny begins to realise that “Alex” isn’t who he said he was.
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