An episode of multiple strands, this week’s Mongrels sees overstuffed moggy Marion addicted to catnip, a narcotic substance that, in a brilliant opening scene in a nightclub, has him dance like his tail’s on fire. Meanwhile, cold-hearted pigeon Kali discovers that her long lost friend has discovered God, vacuous canine Destiny sniffs London’s hindquarters in search of a mate, and Nelson the posh fox unwittingly adopts a sickly fox cub whose ailments range from repetitive strain injury to Dane Bowers syndrome. In fact, episode two has more than one appearance from a minor celebrity, with Paul Ross proving a good sport in a scene that has him eating from a dustbin while a collection of puppets attempt to recall who he is. In a nod to Family Guy, Mongrels regularly pokes fun at other television shows, and these live-action sequences often provide the biggest laughs, with a joke at the expense of Hollyoaks, plus a scene which imagines what a remake of Lady And The Tramp would look like if it were directed by Mike Leigh. Decadent cat Marion is an entertaining character, but Kali the pigeon and Destiny the dog are less well-rounded, and a little too self-serving and unpleasant to win our sympathy. Nevertheless, Mongrels makes for fun, undemanding Tuesday night viewing, and it continues to show occasional sparkles of genuine imagination and wit. And while some jokes truly are below the belt (I can only hope Dane Bowers wasn’t watching), they evoke a guilty chortle.
