At Home: Eugene’s empathy

“I’d say there wudda be a fair aul hum aff him, awright.”This was my friend, Eugene when referring to the hermit dubbed, ‘the world’s dirtiest man,’ who passed away last week at the ripe old age of 94 (ripe being the operative word).

Iranian, Amou Haji (RIP) apparently had an aversion to soap and water and ironically, passed away just a few months after having had his first wash in half a century.

“Hotchin,’” Eugene continued. “Did you see the photos of him?”

I confirmed that I had.

“Sure, he was shining wi’ dirt. It’s no wonder he died after that wash, the muck was the only thing holding him together.”

I shrugged in semi-agreement and attempted some empathy. “It sounds as though the man had a serious phobia or something, if he couldn’t wash.”

“Phobia?” Eugene scoffed. “Phobia? The best you could say about him was that he wasn’t wise but that’s no excuse.”

“I read too that the villagers where he lived had tried to make him wash a couple of times but he wouldn’t do it. That’s a man with a phobia if ever there was one. He lived in a hole too, apparently.”

“A hole?” Eugene’s eyebrows disappeared into his hairline. Then he frowned almost angrily. “They shooda filled his hole wi’ water and Jeyes Fluid and stirred him about in it with a big spoon.”

“Surely, Eugene,” I rolled my eyes. “That sounds like great humanitarian aid, right there.”

“If there was an aul boy living in a hole beside your house and he hadn’t washed in 50 years and if he smelled like a ripe badger wi’ a bad dose o’ the skitter and he was whinging that he didn’t like soap and water, you’d have been away luckin’ for sheep dip and don’t tell me you wuddent.”

“No, I wouldn’t have. The man clearly had issues.”

“YOU have issues,” Eugene barked.

“This isn’t about me, you clown.”

“I’m away to the shap, here. I’ll pick you up some Jeyes Fluid just in case.”

“Away you go.”

“Clown.”

True story, that. Now, on with the programming!

First up (and in no particular order) is Italia ‘90: When Football Changed Forever (Monday at 9pm on Channel4)…

A look back at the 1990 World Cup and how it affected England’s reputation in international football, in light of the growing hooliganism problem of the past decade. The first programme examines the beginning of the tournament, as the people of Sardinia awaited the arrival of English fans, as well as looking back over the state of football in the 1980s.

Alternatively, A Story of Bones (Tuesday at 9.30pm on BBC4)…

In her role as environmental officer, Annina Van Neel learns that Saint Helena’s planned airport sat on top of a mass burial site for 325 African slaves. As part of the development, their remains were exhumed and moved into storage, with no clear plan or timeline as to what would happen to them next. Haunted by this and her memories of growing up in Namibia under apartheid, and in spite of local opposition that considers her an outsider, Annina fights for a proper memorial for these forgotten victims.

Or, First Contact: An Alien Encounter (Wednesday at 9pm on BBC2)…

Blending cutting-edge scientific fact with fictional podcasts, media feeds and international news programmes, this drama-documentary tells the gripping story of an encounter with a mysterious alien object travelling through the solar system and explores how the world could respond.

And lastly, How to Survive a Dictator with Munya Chawawa shows Thursday at 10pm on Channel4…

Munya goes on a journey exploring the life of Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe, one of the world’s most notorious tyrants, looking for the man behind the monster.