Matron, Medicine and Me: 70 Years of the NHS
9.15am, BBC1
To celebrate the NHS arriving at its 70th birthday, this series of fist-bumps to Aneurin Bevan’s baby is stripped across the week. Tonight’s episode is anchored by Lucy Alexander, whose daughter’s journey through treatment for transverse myelitis is explored via the experts, carers and support staff who treated her. It’s unapologetically uncritical but also functions as a warning never to take this flawed but miraculous institution for granted. Phil Harrison
Forces of Nature with Brian Cox
9pm, BBC1
After exploring the universe on BBC2, Prof Brian Cox brings his pop-science roadshow to BBC1 for a four-parter that addresses the big questions. Why are planets spherical? How do icebergs float? And how much thundering orchestral bombast can you cram into one documentary? Sonic and visual hoopla aside, Cox unravels knotty topics such as gravity, electromagnetism and the “potato radius mystery” with surfer-like chill. Graeme Virtue
Brief Encounters
9pm, ITV
ITV could be on to something with this new comedy-drama, which is set in 1982 Sheffield and has faint echoes of Coronation Street and The Full Monty. It sees Stephanie and best friend Nita (ex-Corrie star Angela Griffin) answer an Ann Summers ad to run lingerie parties, which unite a group of frustrated females. Meanwhile, Steph’s husband Terry has been laid off – but he’s hostile to her new moneymaking idea. Great soundtrack, too, from one of pop’s best ever years. David Stubbs
Life and Deaf
9pm, BBC4
Tina Costi is expecting a baby; football-mad husband Marios is gearing up for a crucial match; and Abigail, 30, is facing life-changing surgery. What they all have in common is the St John’s Deaf Club in north London, and in this fascinating, funny and warm film (scored almost entirely with British Sign Language) we follow their progress, whether in the maternity ward, getting a cochlear implant fitted or on the pitch – where some language is universal. Ali Catterall
Wild France with Ray Mears
8pm, ITV
Given the recent ferocity in Marseille, inattentive viewers may presume Ray Mears’s latest excursion involves mingling with Russian ultras. Thankfully, the outdoorsman instead explores the breathtaking array of life throughout France, from snowcapped mountains to rolling plains. Tonight he learns how Alpine farmers in Vanoise National Park transport milk from goat to table and meets a rare bearded vulture atop the Alps. Mark Gibbings-Jones
Rich Kids of Instagram
9pm, E4
There’s more to being a rich kid of Instagram than pouting for selfies, dressing up dogs in Louis Vuitton and spending your dad’s cash. Oh, hang on, no there isn’t. But to be fair, this bunch of international playboys and girls do work for a living, whether that’s designing dresses, selling flats or hosting fabulous events. Sadly, there’s not much excitement in this show as early nights and spa days are all the rage. These kids really don’t know they’re born. Hannah Verdier
Ray Donovan
9pm, Sky Atlantic
Liev Schreiber returns as lawyers’ enforcer Ray who, haunted by childhood abuse, “solves problems” – almost exclusively by hitting them with a baseball bat. Last season, Ray attempted to fix his father’s financial woes by shooting a restaurant full of Armenian hardmen (spoiler: it doesn’t seem to have worked). Meanwhile, Abby, the rock of his world – when he’s not shagging other women in his flat full of photographs of skyscrapers – receives bad news. John Robinson
FILM
For Whom the Bell Tolls, (Sam Wood, 1943), 3.55pm, Film4
A slightly soft adaptation of Ernest Hemingway’s hard-fisted novel; it eschews the politics of an American fighting for a partisan unit in the Spanish civil war for some straightforward derring-do and traditional Hollywood romance. Still, with Gary Cooper as the hero and Ingrid Bergman as the freedom fighter he falls for, it succeeds through sheer star appeal. It was Katina Paxinou, though, who won an Oscar for her earthy old peasant woman. Paul Howlett
SPORT
Tennis: Wimbledon 2016 The second week of the tournament gets under way. 11.30am, BBC2
Cycling: Tour De France Gary Imlach presents coverage of stage three, 223.5km from Granville to Angers. 2pm, ITV4
Elite League Speedway: Swindon Robins v Coventry Bees The top flight meeting from Abbey Stadium. 7.30pm, Sky Sports 1
