MOTHERLAND, BBC2, 10pm
THIS sitcom is the most effective contraception I can imagine.
Julia is hiring a nanny who needs an extortionate rate of pay so she can recruit her own nanny.
And Kevin is feeling insecure because another mop-headed father has been invited to join the super-mummies at the good table in the café, and this new chap manages to be a far more stylish “Sad” (Stay-at-home-dad) than him.
At least there’s respite in the form of a kids’ party at the local pool. Julia is looking forward to dumping the kids and getting back to work, but then she learns the precious little treasures must be supervised in the pool. There’s no way of leaving. She’s trapped in a screeching, screaming, chlorine-tinged hell. The Alpha Mummies manage to strut by the pool in their bikinis and flirty sarongs, but even worse is the horror of sticky, floaty, hairy things bobbing in the water. “Have you ever looked directly into the eye of a pool filter?” asks Anna in quiet horror.
THE TRUTH ABOUT MUSLIM MARRIAGE, C4, 10pm
THIS documentary looks at the legal status of Muslim marriage in Britain, and claims many Muslim women do not realise their ceremonies are not recognised as legal under British law.
Myriam Francois leads the investigation, which is based on a widespread survey of Muslim marriages in the UK.
When a particular religious wedding ceremony is not legally recognised, the seemingly easy solution is to participate in a quick civil ceremony: say a few words, sign a few papers and you’re done!
But we see that some Muslim women are reluctant to go through with this.
It is quite noble to disdain the civil procedure if you are devout and confident in your religious ceremony, but is it practical, given that it may leave some women without the legal recognition of a married person?
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