The ABC Murders
9pm, BBC One
The Agatha Christie veteran Sarah Phelps dramatises the queen of crime’s fiendish murder mystery, hailed on its publication as “a baffler of the first water”. An ageing Hercule Poirot (played here with added heft by John Malkovich) is contacted by a killer who tours the country by train, leaving a copy of the ABC railway guide at the scene of each murder. As Poirot tries to investigate, he is humiliated by the police and taunted by the “faceless beast” of a murderer. The suspense is exquisite and the production is fantastic. Continues tomorrow. Mike Bradley
The Midnight Gang
7.30pm, BBC One
David Walliams writes and stars in another bittersweet Christmas comedy. It tells the story of Tom, who winds up in a children’s ward, where he joins a secret gang that goes on midnight adventures in the hospital, making dreams come true. Alan Davies, Haydn Gwynne and Mark Heap have a ball. MB
Royal Institution Christmas Lectures 2018
8pm, BBC Four
Professors Alice Roberts and Aoife McLysaght deliver this year’s lessons, an institution in their own right. Despite every human’s genetic uniqueness, we have more in common with our next-door neighbour – and indeed with armadillos, sharks and fruit flies – than one might assume. Continues on Thursday and Friday. Jack Seale
Ken Dodd: How Tickled We Were
9pm, BBC Two
All manic energy and improvised lines, the late Ken Dodd was, as this celebration reveals, a funnyman other comedians feared to follow. No wonder. Here, brilliantly, Dodd pokes fun at his own daffy image: “At one time, there was only Noël Coward and me doing this sort of stuff … ” Jonathan Wright
Big Fat Quiz of the Year 2018
9pm, Channel 4
It would not be Christmas without Jimmy Carr’s annual quiz and, given the news cycle, there is much for him to smirk at, from Danny Dyer’s Brexit bashing to the royal wedding. The teams include Richard Ayoade, Noel Fielding and Claudia Winkleman, with Jon Snow and Charles Dance playing quizmasters. Hannah Verdier
Marilyn: The Last Sessions
10pm, Sky Arts
This thoughtful documentary is based on the transcripts of the sessions Marilyn Monroe underwent with the psychoanalyst Ralph Greenson. Footage of Monroe soaking up the attention of press cameras is ironic, given her insecurity, identity crisis and death from an overdose aged 36. David Stubbs
Film choice
Open Range (Kevin Costner, 2003), 6.10pm, Paramount Network
Director and star Kevin Costner’s Charley Waite, haunted by the civil war, and Robert Duvall’s Boss Spearman are cowboys riding into confrontation with Michael Gambon’s rancher. There is real strength in the relationship between Charley and Boss, and in Charley’s romance with teacher Sue (Annette Bening). Paul Howlett
Live sport
Test cricket: South Africa v Pakistan 7.55am, Sky Sports Cricket. Day one of the first Test.
Premier League football: Fulham v Wolves 12noon, Sky Sports Main Event. Brighton v Arsenal is at 5pm, followed by Watford v Chelsea.
Horse racing: Kempton 1pm, ITV. The King George VI steeplechase is the day’s highlight.
