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Turning on the puppet power

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PUNTERS can have their Wednesday night fill of horse-racing from Happy Valley in Racing Night Live (World 8.30pm), while on the other terrestrial channel four psychics experience major problems in a close encounter with five puppets of a particularly nasty kind in Puppet Master (Pearl 9.30pm, Original Running Time 90 minutes).

These Pinnochios-with-attitudes are the creations of master puppeteer William Hickey (The Name of the Rose ), who has discovered the secret of life and used it to give his puppets soul.

Trouble is, he forgot to provide them with a Jiminy Cricket each, so not only do they not have any conscience about telling lies, they're pretty blase about mass slaughter too.

Tunneller has an irritating habit of boring holes in people, Leech Woman drains her victims of blood, Blaze has a gleaming hook for one hand and a razor-sharp knife for the other . . . you get the picture.

A SOUND alternative is the first episode of a new Ruth Rendell Mystery An Unwanted Woman (STAR Plus 8.30pm). The series, by British crime-writer Rendell, may not quite be Inspector Morse, but it's well put together and the stories suitably baffling.

George Baker (I, Claudius ) stars as burly West Country detective Chief Inspector Wexford and Detective Burden is his suspicious sidekick.

Their newest case involves the strange deaths of two old ladies.

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