A top dog groomer from Wythenshawe is currently competing to be crowned the best in country on BBC One’s newest reality show.
Tom Heaton-Clarke, 27, describes himself as “a typical Manchester lad”, but his love for dogs and years of training saw him be named Rising Star at The British Dog Grooming Championships in 2018, and has landed him a spot as one of the youngest contestants on the new series Pooch Perfect UK, which first aired on BBC One last Thursday.
He was scouted by the show’s producers at a dog grooming competition last year, and has said that being on the show – which sees 16 professionals compete in a string of themed challenges to create epic transformations of beloved pets – was “daunting”, but that presenter Sheridan Smith put him at ease right away.
Speaking on his experience with the show, Tom said: “To walk in and have all the lights on you, and to have never groomed in that atmosphere before, it was daunting. It’s like going to a grooming competition, but the amount of stress times 10 – you have no idea what you’re in for.”
He continued: “[But] Sheridan was the best part. I grew up watching Two Pints of Larger and I just remember her as Janet from the show, so when I saw her in person, I got a bit star struck,
ADVERTISEMENT
“[But] she’s dead down to earth and she really put me at ease, so nice, I wish I could go to the pub with her.”
Watch fur fly as 4 new groomers duke it out in our Poochy Parlour and take on the formidable (and extremely cute ?) Alaskan Malamutes! Airing tonight at 8pm on BBC One #PoochPerfectpic.twitter.com/Qlri6dsfUq
Tom – who has his own pet Poodle called Badger – had two chances up against the clock to impress judges Colin and Verity on The Dogwalk by bathing and brushing a fluffy Alaskan Malamute, and delivering a puppy Schnauzer’s first groom.
ADVERTISEMENT
His efforts will be shown in tonight’s episode at 8pm on BBC One.
Tom originally wanted to work in a kennel re-homing dogs, but instead fell in love with dog grooming when he was training for his animal care qualification, and after volunteering for a number of shelters in Denton and Tameside, he worked his way up in the grooming business following an apprenticeship in Altrincham.
During lockdown, the expert groomer converted his garage at home into his salon, Tom’s Dogs, where he says he has clients in the neighbourhood that watched him grow up at school.
ADVERTISEMENT
He is keen to encourage dog owners to find aptly-qualified and registered dog groomers, and urges his customers to book regularly to avoid matting, which can often happen when a dog is neglected, adding: “I always educate owners in that the dog’s welfare is the priority and that they need to keep on top of the appointments.”
Pooch Perfect UK / BBC One
“I’m so proud of myself to get on the show,” Tom continued.
“There’s a lot of tough competition and I know a lot of groomers in the country, so to be considered good enough, that alone was a proud moment for me,”
“And so to win the show against all those tough-competition groomers, that would be a dream come true.”
___
You can watch Pooch Perfect UK tonight on BBC One at 8pm, and you can catch up on BBC iPlayer.
Trending
Rúben Amorim’s Man United press conference interrupted by Old Trafford roof leaking – again
Danny Jones
Manchester United manager Rúben Amorim has been given plenty doses of reality since arriving at Old Trafford but surely there can’t be any more telling than the stadium’s roof leaking into his press conference?
Poetic irony timed to perfection.
Not only did the new head coach have to sit in front of journalists as he tried to wrap his head around another Premier League implosion following the 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth – a team now sat in fifth, it’s worth noting – but he also got to witness the condition the stadium first hand.
And when we say first hand, we mean literally right in front of his face.
In case you wanted a summary of how much work there is to be done at Man United, the roof started leaking during Ruben Amorim’s press conference. 💦
In this instance, not only was the leak internal but Amorim’s post-match press conference was actually briefly interrupted as drops of water fell on the desk in front of him.
You can hear reporters asking what it is (they knew full well) before United’s press officer can be heard off-camera asking them to quickly move on. Sports writer Sanny Rudravajhala quipped, “A new meaning to the leaks at #mufc”, in reference to dressing room talk and lineups still being fed to the media.
Make what you will of Amorim‘s expressions in this moment but let’s just say he can’t have been expecting to have to worry about things like this when he accepted the job.
A penny for the Portugueseman’s thoughts when he looked up and saw that leak coming from the ceiling:
The moment Ruben Amorim's press conference is interrupted by a leak at Old Trafford pic.twitter.com/gqc8fW20Om
Although many are deeply reticent to let the iconic Theatre of Dreams go after more than a century of history and sporting memories, scenes like this certainly go a long way to arguing the case for a whole new home ground rather than simply renovating as it appears to be in such a sorry state of disrepair.
But even with a brand-new state-of-the-art footballing arena, it doesn’t do anything to address improving performances on the pitch as even with eye-watering sums invested in the squad over recent years, they still look way off it and serious work needs to be done for them to catch up with the pack.
You can watch the highlights from Man United vs Bournemouth below:
The leaking roof wasn’t the only thing raining down on Amorim as the derby day high was followed by a frustrating festive low.
Featured Images — BeanymanSports (screenshot via YouTube)
Trending
A new study has revealed the exact age that ‘hangovers from hell’ begin
Clementine Hall
Still nursing a Christmas hangover? There might be a reason for that.
That’s because a new study has officially revealed the exact age that “hangovers from hell” start and begin to ruin our lives.
Picture this, you’re a 20-something-year-old who’s woken up after a night of heavy drinking only to feel a faint headache and a craving for greasy food. One fry up and one lucozade later, you’re feeling right as rain by 3pm and ready to go again.
Fast forward a few years and a glass of red wine or two will knock you out for days as you reach for the paracetamol and hide away from any bright light whilst you swear to never ever drink again (until the next weekend).
Gone are the days where you could stay out all night and only feel a slight hangover the next morning.
But at what age does this drastic decline take place? When does our ability to handle alcohol slip through our sticky, tequila covered fingers? Well, a new study carried out by greeting-card company Thortful has found that the age of 34 is where it all starts to go downhill.
A new study has revealed the exact age that ‘hangovers from hell’ start / Credit: Kraken Images (via Unsplash)
A survey of 2,000 people aged from 18 to 65 found this to be the age where hangovers really start to sting and you begin to question whether that last gin and tonic was really worth it, and it doesn’t just stop there, as age 35 was found to be the year when hangovers last for two days which is the ultimate punishment.
We all know there’s nothing worse than rocking up to work on a Monday morning still feel hazy eyed and more dehydrated than a cactus.
Sadly, it’s not until age 37 when we finally learn from our mistakes (supposedly) and start to recognise our limits – with the consensus being that people feel ‘too old’ to go out at age 38, and subsequently start to feel more drunk after just two drinks at age 39.
At least it’ll be a cheap night out.
Long gone are the days when you would wake up feeling fresh as a daisy / Credit: Kinga Cichewicz (via Unsplash)
The science behind it is as follows – Dr. Deborah Lee of Dr Fox Online Pharmacy, said little research has been conducted on the severity of hangovers with regards to ageing, but explained they worsen due to ‘the breakdown of alcohol and the persisting presence of its toxic metabolite – acetaldehyde – in the body’, the Metro reports.
“Hangovers are likely to worsen with age because the activity of the key enzymes involved in alcohol breakdown becomes less efficient with age,” Dr Lee explained.
“Also, older people have less muscle and more fat, plus the distribution of water within the body alters as we age.
“The end result is higher levels of blood alcohol which take longer to metabolise.”
So, if you’re still in your 20s and deliberating whether or not to have that extra shot of tequila then use this information to your advantage and go for it, as sooner or later that extra sip might have you bed bound and out of action for a few days, so enjoy it whilst you can.
Emily Sergeant -
14th January 2021 
