Silver scooters

MY SON has driven several, including a threewheeler which seemed to be powered by a flux capacitor, and myself and Echo colleagues have tried out a few and narrowly avoided You’ve Been Framed moments.

So, it’s hardly surprising to learn Britain has more mobility scooters on its roads than anywhere else in Europe.

While scooters are a lifeline for its users, offering welcome independence, they’re causing chaos for some road users, especially with the number of accidents involving the scooters increasing.

With little in the way of regulation governing scooter use (drivers don’t need to pass a proficiency test and insurance is not compulsory), it’s proving to be a very grey area.

This documentary goes behind the scenes at South Yorkshire Police’s mobility scooter driving school, as cameras follow the lives of users in South Yorkshire, Derbyshire and North Wales. We hear from scooter users, including Peter Tomlinson, who is attending a safety awareness programme run by the police, as well as motorists and pedestrians who have fallen foul of this growing phenomenon.

Meanwhile, there’s a lively look at users, including one woman who rings her insurance company after an accident in church. She’d swerved to miss the bishop and crashed into the baptismal pool. “He got all his gown wet and everything,”

says the caller, who had to helped out of her predicament by the churchman.

Describing the scene as like a wing and prayer seems pretty accurate.

Mary’s Silver Service
(Channel 4, 8pm)

Mary Portas isn’t scared of a challenge – so it’s little wonder she’s done so well with this latest series, in which she’s trying to get retired generation to make use of their skills once more. As we check in with her for the final time, the pop-up agency has been up and running for two months, and a number of retired builders and tradesmen have been in touch looking for work.

Mary points her team, which includes ex-builder David and retired interior designer Anne, who worked on multimillion pound projects in Dubai and the UK, in the direction of a potential project in London, designing and refurbishing a two-bedroom house. It’s down to Anne and David to meet the clients to pitch for the job. But sparks start to fly during a trial run when the workers clash over the idea of micromanaging a group of strong wills with decades of experience.

Episodes
(BBC2, 10pm)

THIS is the comedy series that goes behind the scenes of a floundering sitcom which is taking a pounding from the critics but is again proving to be a hit with British and American viewers alike.

The award-winning show has already been commissioned for a fourth run. It focuses on British couple Sean and Beverly Lincoln, played by Stephen Mangan and Tamsin Grieg. Having created a Bafta-winning UK sitcom, the husbandand- wife team are lured to Hollywood to adapt their show for an American audience only to find they are forced to cast Matt LeBlanc in the lead role.

LeBlanc’s performance as a selfish and arrogant version of himself is arguably Episodes’ biggest selling point. Tonight, it’s the US actor’s career that’s causing problems. PUCKS! is finally pulled from the schedule, getting a mixed reaction from the creators and cast. Sean proceeds to deny all knowledge and carries on as normal, Beverley packs for her seemingly inevitable return to London, while Matt (true to form) seeks comfort in the arms of a 19-year old super-fan.