When David Hockney left Bradford Grammar School for art college he did so with the good wishes of the staff, and some advice, ringing in his ears. Enthusiasm for art alone would not secure him a lasting career, the 15-year-old was told, so he should be sure to learn other skills.

More than 60 years on, with 400 solo exhibitions to his name, and works that sell for tens of millions of dollars, it is fair to say those well-meaning teachers got it wrong about the subject of David Hockney - Sky Arts Special (Sky Arts, Monday-Tuesday from 9pm).

The free-to-view channel has brought together four films to celebrate the man crowned “Britain’s greatest living artist” by his interviewer, Melvyn Bragg.

The sage of The South Bank Show has interviewed Hockney many times. While clips from these encounters are seen, it is a series of sit-downs over the last year in Hockney’s studio in Normandy that form the backbone of the new films.

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The first, A Celebration (Monday, 9pm) is a soup-to-nuts look at the artist’s life and most famous works. Among the contributors are Hockney’s sister, Margaret (source of the school story), and the designer Celia Birtwell. He has painted Birtwell often, the best known work being Mr and Mrs Clark and Percy.

Birtwell recalls how at the time of painting the portrait, between 1970-71, the couple were going through a difficult time, which can clearly be seen in the distance between them. She also tells the story behind the cat in the picture. The couple had two cats, fat Percy and sleek Blanche. It was actually Blanche in the painting, but Hockney thought Percy had a better ring to it, so Percy it was.

Hockney has always had a finely tuned instinct for what works. The public agree, going by the huge turnouts at his exhibitions. Accessible does not mean simple, though. As one critic says, the way Hockney talks about his works makes them seem far less complex than they are.

Like Picasso, the artist he calls “the greatest”, Hockney has always been open to trying new things, be it photography, video installation, collages, or drawing on his iPad. Lately he has returned to painting, with a favourite subject the blossom trees that surround his home in Normandy. “I’m on a roll at the moment. I can’t stop,” he tells Bragg.

Bragg, however, is for stopping - The South Bank Show at least. The Hockney series is unofficially his last SBS. At 83, he has put in quite the shift - 45 years on one arts programme must be some kind of record. Maybe Sky Arts should think about a celebration of all things Bragg.

Back for a third series is Starstruck (BBC3, Monday, 10pm and 10.20pm). You must remember this. One of the comedy hits of lockdown. Jessie and Tom. Handsome movie star meets ordinary bod. They laugh, they lark about, they fall in love? The very same.

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Rose Matafeo, who writes and directs as well as stars as Jessie, managed to steer her creation through the tricky waters of a second series without too much fuss.

The new series opens with a lovely, bittersweet montage of the various stages of a relationship, before cutting to a wedding reception two years later. Did the couple live happily ever after, as seemed to be the case at the end of the last series? See for yourself.

Starstruck has lost none of its charm. The chemistry between Jessie and Tom (Nikesh Patel) still fizzes as much as it first did, and the third series has some new characters in the mix, among them a Scots electrician by the name of Liam.

There are at least two good reasons to watch Puppy School for Guide Dogs (Channel 5, Friday). First, it is an informative look about the charity’s work. It is also a chance to spend an hour ooh-ing and ah-ing over puppies, and who doesn’t want to do that?

Mel Giedroyc narrates as the programme explores what makes a good guide dog. With a success rate of 60%, a lot will not have what it takes. Eva, a Lab Retriever, is at nearly at the end of her training but there are still some tests to pass. In one, she has to walk past a cake and not dash off to snaffle it. Easy-peasy, eh? It’s not like Labs adore their grub.

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Ella, a golden retriever, is starting her shift, and what a labour it will turn out to be. At the other end of the process, Dash is heading towards retirement and taking his own sweet time about it. Never was a dog more inaptly named. Before he can take up permanent residence on the couch, Dash’s human has to welcome a new dog into the home and hope the pair get on.

Throughout the hour we see the huge differences the dogs make to people’s lives, doing the big things (like making work and careers possible) and the small but vital stuff (helping their human get dressed). What wonders they are.