A Frozen Christmas
7.05pm, Channel 4
Ah, the power of Disney, even this deep into the 21st century. The success of the 2013 film Frozen led to a massive, positive knock-on effect for the ice-sculpting business, which is expected to see a 50% increase over the festive season. This documentary looks at the work of some of the pioneering luminaries of ice sculpting, the processes that go into their bespoke works and how eight-ton glaciers are transformed with the use of precision machinery, chainsaws and samurai swords. David Stubbs
Royal Institution Christmas Lectures 2015
8pm, BBC4
Over the past 190 years, some eight generations of children have been enthralled by the Royal Institution’s talks on matters scientific, from speakers including David Attenborough, Carl Sagan, and (quite a long time ago) your actual Michael Faraday. This year, space medicine expert Kevin Fong, with help from British astronaut Tim Peake, will be explaining how astronauts actually get around up there. Continues tomorrow and Wednesday. Ali Catterall
Big Cats: An Amazing Animal Family
8pm, Sky1
Though the schedules are rarely parched by a dearth of nature documentaries focusing on big cats, they are reliably compelling viewing, thanks to the beauty of the creatures concerned, and because many of us keep a relative of these remorseless predators in our homes. This series, presented by Patrick Aryee, surveys the genus in its entirety, illuminated by glorious photography – beginning, tonight, with the first known felines, and their descendants, who skulk among us still. Andrew Mueller
John Bishop’s Gorilla Adventure
9pm, ITV
Although its title sounds as though it was devised by a room of primates bashing away at typewriters, this one-off fronted by the Liverpudlian comic isn’t the terrible sleb travelogue you might expect. Eschewing his usual monkey business, Bishop meets the vets who have dedicated their lives to protecting mountain gorillas in Rwanda, Congo and Uganda. He’s no Attenborough, but he is a witty guide, and it’s not long before he’s spotted similarities between adolescent apes and his teenage sons. Hannah J Davies
Gogglebox 2015
9pm, Channel 4
Here come the hot-takers. If it wasn’t so reliably entertaining, there might be something depressing about an extended best-of clipfest from a reality series that already relies on recontextualising existing material. But in a year when C4’s sofa-focused soap won an NTA award and continued to expand its influence and viewing figures (admittedly with the help of some celebrity specials), it would be churlish to deny Leon, June, Steph, Dom and the rest a commemorative victory lap reliving the highs and lows of 2015’s telly. Graeme Virtue
Michael Palin’s Quest For Artemisia
9pm, BBC4
The Artemisia here is Artemisia Gentileschi, the extraordinary yet overlooked female baroque artist who flourished in 17th-century Italy. The starting point for Palin’s exploration of Gentileschi’s life is his fascination with her brutal painting Judith Slaying Holofernes. From there, Palin follows the trail of her known works through Naples, Rome and Florence. Many have long been attributed to others – suspicions that they couldn’t have been the work of a woman have only dissipated depressingly recently. AM
Scream Queens
10pm, E4
In spite of the killing spree unfolding around them, episode 10 of the pacy, snarky slasher comedy from American Horror Story showrunner Ryan Murphy finds the girls of Kappa Kappa Tau celebrating Thanksgiving. Queen bee Chanel heads to Chad’s for the holiday, where a surprise guest causes a stir. Back on campus, Dean Munsch stages her own impromptu celebrations, but it’s not long before her students are accusing each another of being the murderous Red Devil. Killer stuff. HJD
Film choice
Rise of the Planet of the Apes (Rupert Wyatt, 2011) 6.55pm, Film4
This hefty prequel to the sci-fi remake tells the story of a super-intelligent chimpanzee. He’s called Caesar – but Spartacus would be more accurate, as he leads an uprising against humanity. Excellent effects, and heartfelt performances from James Franco, Freida Pinto and John Lithgow. Paul Howlett
Behind the Candelabra (Steven Soderbergh, 2013) 9pm, BBC2
Michael Douglas is a revelation in Soderbergh’s biopic of Liberace. It’s based on the autobiography of his lover (beautifully played by Matt Damon), and traces the relationship from their first quivering encounter in Las Vegas to the shabby conclusion: a fascinating, bitterly funny portrait of a gilded world. PH
The Omen (Richard Donner, 1976) 12.50am, Channel 4
When people call young Damien a little devil, they ain’t kidding. Quality horror, this: scary without resorting to gore, the hair-raising Ave Satani theme song screeching away in the background, with a cast – including Gregory Peck, Lee Remick and David Warner – that take it all very seriously. PH
Today’s best live sport
Test Cricket: South Africa v England More action from Durban. 7am, Sky Sports 2
Premier League Football: Manchester United v Chelsea Stragglers Chelsea visit Old Trafford. 5pm, BT Sport 1
Championship Football: Middlesbrough v Sheffield Wednesday A second tier game from the Riverside Stadium. 5pm, Sky Sports 5
Darts: World Championship More from Alexandra Palace. 7.30pm, Sky Sports 1
