TV review

Bodysnatchers (BBC1)

DONAL MacIntyre found himself in an impossible position while undercover to expose the illegal trade in rare animals and birds. The lives of the very creatures he'd come to save were jeopardised as his plan to catch the criminals was put into action.

Posing as the millionaire owner of an animal park, he bought two baby orang-utans in Indonesia and was travelling by car to the airport, where they'd be smuggled through customs in a piece of luggage. The babies were crammed in a small box inside a bag and, with temperatures soaring, faced dying from the heat or the home-made sedatives they'd been given to keep them quiet.

If MacIntyre had blown his cover, the police wouldn't have been able to identify the corrupt airport officials aiding the crime. The journey through heavy traffic seemed endless, and he was powerless to help the orang-utans. "I'm frightened they may be dying in front of our eyes," he said.

When the traders decided to call off the deal, MacIntyre needed all his wits to secretly guide the police to their location. They were arrested, but one baby died, despite the desperate efforts to revive it.

Illegal trading seemed so widespread - he investigated in South Africa and India too - that you wondered how much MacIntyre could do to help the situation. His efforts led to arrests and animals being rescued, but it was a drop in the ocean. More widespread, co-ordinated action is needed to stamp out this trade. If you have the money, any animal can be bought, no matter how rare or endangered it is.

The parasites and viruses on the loose in Bodysnatchers, a truly skin-crawling documentary series, were killers more deadly than any wild animal. John caught what he thought was flu on a trip to Manhattan last year. But he had strange swellings in his groin and armpits. He was so weak he could hardly walk. The doctors' diagnosis was bubonic plague, which wiped out millions in the Middle Ages. Gangrene set in and his feet were amputated in a life-saving operation.

The news was no better for radio show host Al Kresta after bacteria invaded his leg through a cut. Once inside, it pumped out poison into his body. The bug was literally eating his leg. At one point, he was told, the infection was proceeding at one inch an hour.

His leg was amputated to stop it spreading further. The doctor told Al that he was sickest person he'd ever treated that had survived. That was, however, small consolation for what he'd been through.

Side By Side By Sondheim,

Harrogate Studio

DINNER-theatre remains rare in this country mostly, I suspect, because of the lack of plays that make a suitable accompaniment to all the eating, drinking and being merry. In Side By Side By Sondheim, director Hannah Chissick has found the perfect theatrical concoction, in a celebration of the work of composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim. And, if you don't want to eat, some evenings are offering just champagne, canapes and a show.

The upstairs Studio makes an oh-so-intimate setting for 40 dining theatregoers, four performers and a musical director at the piano. After champagne, canapes and main course (excellently prepared by Tully's Basement Bistro), the performance begins. It's a bit like having your own private cabaret as Peter Alexander's presenter introduces Sondheim the man and his music through a trio of exceptional performers (Gareth Snook, Rosalie Craig and especially Josie Walker) running through a selection of his songs.

Some you'll recognise (Send In The Clowns, for one), others will be unexpected treats. Sondheim - known for shows such as Company, Follies, West Side Story and A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum - doesn't just write songs, he writes mini-dramas whose lyrics are wonderfully witty and wise. The setting in this small space helps you appreciate their brilliance even more at close quarters. By the time the final number has been sung, just like little Oliver Twist you'll be asking for more - not of the food, delicious as it was, but of Sondheim songs.

Steve Pratt

* Runs until January 3. Tickets (01423) 502116.

Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Darlington Civic Theatre

LET'S get the negatives out of the way quickly: the songs were a bit dull and the storyline was so vague it was almost non-existent. But that really doesn't matter because what people want from pantomime is sparkly costumes, smiling faces, awful jokes and lots of slapstick, and this production has them in spades.

Lisa Riley puts in a pleasing performance as the Ring Mistress of the circus, although she really needs a more powerful voice to pull it off successfully. Young critics Jenny and Emily thought she was quite good - better than she is on the telly. Darlington's Steve Luck makes an impressive dame, all six foot three of him in gorgeous costumes, looking just like Vanessa Feltz in the finale.

The stars of the show are Danny Adams and Clive Webb as Silly Billy and Bozo the clown. The kids loved them, and their well-rehearsed slapstick routines also had the grown-ups falling about. The front rows watched in trepidation as they spread the tarpaulin for the decorating scene, with good reason - they use real water! The brilliantly executed plug song, the Twelve Days of Christmas, had the principals tearing about and scrambling over the seats trying to retrieve the twelve gifts from the audience. Hilarious. I waited all the way through for my chance to cry "Oh no it isn't!" but it never came. It's a good family panto, though, and well worth a visit. Oh yes it is.

Sue Heath

l Runs until Jan 18. Box Office (01325) 486555