There’s no getting round it, it’s been A Week, but BBC One had the perfect antidote on Thursday night, with the launch of Pooch Perfect.
The new dog grooming competition proved to be soothing viewing for many, helping people to take their minds off lockdown and the distressing events in the news.
Hosted by Sheridan Smith, Pooch Perfect is based on an Australian format of the same name, and sees 16 competitors battling it out for the title of the nation’s top dog groomer.
Each week, the groomers reveal their creations on The Dogwalk, where the judges - Colin Taylor and Verity Hardcastle - deliberate over the canine contenders, and their owners are given the chance to see their newly transformed dogs for the first time.
Essentially, it is The Great British Bake Off for dogs, and it proved to have the perfect ingredients for those watching...
Viewers also went barking mad for host Sheridan, with Pooch Perfect marking the actor’s first primetime presenting role.
Sheridan, who co-hosts the show alongside a dog called Stanley, said she was warned not to add to her collection of dogs while filming the show.
“I have six dogs already and I was warned not to bring any dogs home from filming before we started,” she told the PA Media news agency earlier this week.
“There was many a time where I wanted to, but I promised my mum, no more livestock, because I also have donkeys.”
Sheridan’s dogs also made headlines of their own when they made an, ahem, amorous appearance during their owner’s interview on This Morning earlier this week.