Call the Cleaners: New ITV show promises to be a clean sweep

Yes, we know what you’re thinking: “Not another programme about cleaning! It’s bad enough having to do it without watching others in action!”

You have our sympathy, but for some reason it appears that TV executives believe we can’t get enough of such shows, and so here’s another to add to the list.

Call the Cleaners is a six-part series narrated by actress Patricia Hodge, whose plummy tones make her sound more like the lady of the manor than the skivvy employed to ensure the toilet always shines brightly.

Goodness only knows what she thought of some of the sights we get to witness while she was recording her commentary.

Among those featured is Shaun from Somerset, who leads a house clearance team. Sometimes they find a few gems among the rubbish that you suspect may sell well to collectors but this is certainly not Antiques Road Trip.

Here, Shaun and co have been brought in by a landlord whose long-standing tenant has finally moved out.

The problem is, they haven’t taken all their stuff with them, and it appears that they haven’t thrown anything away during the past 20 years either. Cue scenes of vomit-inducing rot and squalor.

Meanwhile, in London, sisters Yvonne and Angela reveal that they’ve been cleaners for two decades but even they haven’t seen anything as filthy as the flat they’ve been asked to spruce up.

Plus, mother and daughter Maxine and Jasmine deal with a hoarder. They — and any viewers — need a strong stomach to cope with what’s ahead.

Call the Cleaners starts on Tuesday, September 19 at 8pm on ITV.