Welcome to the Paradises!
Alright, humes? Don't worry - I haven't landed a responsible new job as a lollipop cat. I've merely dressed up in all the clobber in tribute to Pauline Paradise, who retired from lollipop duties in the opening scenes of ITV1's Love and Marriage. Pauline - who's played by Gavin's mum off Gavin & Stacey - was a bit gutted that none of her family seemed to give a monkey's about this momentous occasion. In fact, by the end of the episode, she was so fed up, she'd disowned them all and left home. Blimey! Touchy or what? Part of Pauline's problem stemmed from her husband, Silent Ken - who barely uttered a word throughout the entire show. At first, I felt a lot of empathy with Ken. I always relate to humes who prefer to sit quietly instead of jibber-jabbering all the time. I mind my own business, and I'll thank everyone else to mind theirs, thank you very much. All the same, Ken was a bit too quiet - even for my tastes - so I can kind of see why Pauline might prefer to hang round with someone a tad more communicative. For now, she's moved in with her sister Rowan (Celia Imrie), who's married to Gavin's dad off Gavin & Stacey. (Hang on! Isn't that a bit weird?) But she's also embroiled in a mild flirtation with widower Peter, who's been trying to woo her with Dylan Thomas poems. Meanwhile, the rest of the Paradise brood have various problems of their own. Some examples? Son Kevin has turned to crime in a bid to solve his money woes. Bad Kevin! And daughter Heather is trying for a baby but not having much luck. (There's always someone trying for a baby and not having much luck in these dramas, isn't there?) Oh, and poor old Granddad fell out of a hammock and didn't even make it as far as the end credits. Never mind, mate - I reckon you're better off out of it... Want to help a cat become Top Dog, humes? Help me see off that pesky pigeon Pete on my favourite app, TVcheck. You can download version 2 from Google Play or iTunes. Don’t delay - ruffle some feathers today!