All the trimmings

If there was an award at this year’s National Television Awards for the most fucked-up series, then Nip/Tuck would have to be the winner. Series three has managed to be even more twisted than the last – and let us not forget that season two climaxed with granny-grabbing teenager Matt discovering that not only was his older, life coach girlfriend bedding her adopted son, but also that she used to be a man, while Christian was raped and mutilated by masked slasher The Carver.

Not only have the cases of the week been more disturbing than usual (elderly women demanding surgery, men wanting breasts), they’ve also been incredibly topical (a face transplant that didn’t take, the tragic separation of co-joined twins). And the private lives of the surgeons are madder than ever. Matt, who already has considered going gay, beating up a transsexual and divorcing his dad, is now dating a neo-Nazi, while mum Julia is thankfully taking things slowly with the bisexual, soldier-shagging new partner in the practice. Sean had had enough, and went to work as a surgeon for the witness relocation programme – but following the shockingly ambiguous fate of his new identity girlfriend and her son, he’s returned to force crazy Quentin out of the surgery. And as for Christian, after a brief dalliance with being the responsible member of the team, he’s back to sleeping around and degrading fatties. He thinks he was jilted at the altar by porn star girlfriend Kimber – little realised she has in fact been nabbed by The Carver. We’re hoping for a happy ending for Kimber – especially now we’ve discovered the identity of the serial slasher. But this being Nip/Tuck, the crazier the plot, the better – and no one, or any part of their body, is really safe…