Hinterland
9pm, BBC4
Even by the standards of a noir that delights – if that’s the right word – in bleakness, tonight’s episode of Welsh detective saga Hinterland is dour. Not only is Mathias investigating the murder of a bus driver, he’s also dealing with Mari Davies’s death and a visit from his wife Meg, who says, “Our life is frozen, it’s killing us.” Do the choices made by an ex-soldier offer the possibility of inner peace? Tough going, but well worth the effort. Jonathan Wright
Michael McIntyre’s Big Show
7.05pm, BBC1
More live wittering to look forward to as McIntyre continues to flog his variety show, this week roping in Peter Jones from Dragons’ Den to play his Send To All game, in which the comedian sends a text to Jones’s entire contacts book to reap hilarious results. Elsewhere, there’s “extreme flamenco” from fusion dance troupe Los Vivancos, music from Rod Stewart and James Morrison, pranks on members of the public and standup from Romesh Ranganathan. Ben Arnold
Britain’s Got Talent
8pm, ITV
Let the kids stay up late and, if you haven’t already, surrender to the joyous light entertainment of the mighty BGT. Ant and Dec expertly shepherd the contestants on and off the stage as the auditions continue. Although this year hasn’t been rich in dancing dogs, there have been some moments of wow, including 12-year-old belter Beau Dermott and impressionist Craig Ball, who can sing Miley Cyrus’s Wrecking Ball in a variety of voices. What will this week hold? Hannah Verdier
Play To The Whistle
9.15pm, ITV
Acceptable banter with intermittent sporting references as the quiz series continues. Tonight’s guests include Jonathan Ross and Chris Kamara, the famously haphazard Sky football pundit. The quiz itself is fair enough, and reveals Frank Lampard to be capable of justifying his alleged genius-level IQ in his solo round. Still, Jonathan Ross is a far better host than guest, and Kamara is wont to seize the limelight whenever possible, making for uncomfortable viewing. John Robinson
The Rack Pack
9.30pm, BBC2
Comedy-drama about the rise of snooker and the fall of Alex “Hurricane” Higgins, who ignited during the power cut-ridden 70s, a symbol of the reckless flamboyance of the decade. He is undone by Steve Davis, protege of Barry Hearn. It’s a story frequently told in one-liners – “Flair player? That just means you miss.” However, Luke Treadaway brilliantly conveys Higgins’ auto-destructiveness, while Will Merrick eventually gets beyond Davis’s cultivated robo-nerd image. David Stubbs
9/11 Firehouse
9.40pm, More4
Ten House, the nearest station to the former Twin Towers in New York, was considered by other stations to be a “soft option”, cosily nestled in the sort of upscale financial district where callouts were less likely. All that changed on 9/11, when they were given the tragic opportunity to show their mettle. This highly moving documentary recalls that day, featuring interviews with surviving firefighters and rare stills and footage taken in and around the towers. DS
Bill Hicks: Revelations
11pm, GOLD
“You’re in the right place: it’s Bill.” This 1993 set from London’s Dominion Theatre – like Hendrix, Hicks initially found more love in the UK, after galloping up on the coattails of grunge – is historic. But how dated, even rather innocent, it all feels now; this cowboy-preacher taking potshots at power – Bush Sr, rather than Bush Jr – and Christian fundamentalism during the last decade of relative peace and quiet. It’s great, sure, but very much a show of its time. Ali Catterall
Film Choice
The Sweeney (Nick Love, 2012) 9pm, Channel 4
Well, if you need a proper London geezer to star in your remake of the 1970s TV series, it has to be Ray Winstone – he’s certainly much more at home here than in biblical epics like Noah. He replaces John Thaw as DI Jack Regan, with Ben Drew as his sidekick, Carter. It’s all leather jackets and dodgy eastern Europeans and shooters, and if you don’t like it, you’re nicked.
Being John Malkovich (Spike Jonze, 1999) 9pm, W; 12.15am, GOLD
Out-of-work puppeteer John Cusack takes a clerical job in a weird old Manhattan office block, where he discovers a portal that leads straight into the head of John Malkovich, the movie star (playing himself), before dumping him in a ditch beside the New Jersey turnpike. “Surreal” doesn’t do justice to Jonze’s subversive comedy, scripted by Charlie “Anomalisa” Kaufman.
Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino, 1994) 10pm, Dave
Tarantino’s savagely amoral tale takes three staples of the thriller genre – the gangster and the boss’s wife; the pug’s One Last Chance; the lovers’ doomed heist – and interweaves them with giddy pace and complexity. The characters talk the quintessential Tarantino talk, and walk the walk too: Uma Thurman’s icy femme, Mia; Harvey Keitel’s Mr Wolf; Tim Roth’s Pumpkin; and John Travolta a revelation as gunman Vincent Vega, talking burgers and toe-jobs on the way to the
hit with cool partner Samuel L Jackson.
Today’s Live Sport
Snooker: The World Championships 10am, BBC2
The semi-final continues at the Crucible.
Premiership Rugby: Northampton Saints v Bath 2.30pm, BT Sport 1
The top-flight encounter at Franklin’s Gardens.
Premier League Football: Arsenal v Norwich City 5pm, Sky Sports 1
Champions League-chasers Arsenal host relegation-threatened Norwich.
