Babs
8pm, BBC1
An oddly structured biopic on the life of Barbara Windsor from Tony Jordan, featuring two versions of the EastEnders actor (played by Jaime Winstone and Samantha Spiro) retracing key events in her past both alone and together. From a difficult childhood to forging a stage career and becoming a Carry On pinup, all the milestones are here. They’re presented in a way that’s occasionally laboured but mostly endearing – with a cameo from the woman herself. Hannah J Davies
Mexico: Earth’s Festival of Life
8pm, BBC2
Thankfully no mention of building big walls in this vivid new three-parter, which deploys drone footage to explore the sprawling landscape, culture and wildlife of Mexico. First up are epic mountain ranges and the transvolcanic belt, home to thirsty black bears, ingeniously evolved orchids and gangs of pickpocket coatis. There is also a surprisingly peaceable pilgrimage to the region where more than 80% of tequila is made. Graeme Virtue
The Durrells
8pm, ITV
It is Louisa’s birthday but this brings no cheer. Not only does she miss Larry and have unresolved feelings over Sven, but she’s starting to feel her (unstated) age. Meantime, spots assail Margo’s face, Leslie thinks melons are an essential photography prop and Gerry has a new tutor. A sun-drenched comedy-drama that, in making Louisa and the family’s bohemianism front and centre, breathes new life into Gerald Durrell’s Corfu memoirs. Lovely. Jonathan Wright
Dara and Ed’s Road to Mandalay
9pm, BBC2
Comedians Ed Byrne and Dara O Briain embark on a brand-new adventure, a 3,500-mile march from Malaysia to Myanmar. Today’s opening leg takes in Malaysian marvels; it’s a nation retaining traditional charms while enjoying an economic boom. From Kuala Lumpur’s unsettling beauty pageant for chickens to shadow puppetry in Kota Bharu, and mentoring the nascent Malaysian standup scene, there’s much to enjoy. Mark Gibbings-Jones
Betroffenheit from Sadler’s Wells
9pm, BBC4
In 2009, actor Jonathon Young’s daughter and her cousins died in a fire. This extraordinary, Olivier award-winning production – written by and starring Young and choreographed by Crystal Pite –explores the after-effects of such a tragedy (betroffenheit means “extreme shock” in German). It combines dance, song, puppetry and spoken word to deliver a profoundly moving and ultimately hopeful meditation on loss, addiction and grief. Ali Catterall
The Last Alaskans
9pm, Discovery
A return of the series that follows the struggles of the families permitted to live in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, spread across seven cabins. This season sees Tyler and Ashley Selden and Charlie Jagow commit to life in the refuge and its bracing challenges. For Tyler and Ashley, this includes the birth of a child. As for the environment, it’s not snow that’s the problem but the lack of it, rendering transportation such as dog sleds useless. David Stubbs
Life Under Sharia
10pm, Viceland
An investigation of Islamist fundamentalism in the country where the phenomenon is potentially most worrisome. Indonesia is the world’s biggest Muslim nation by population: a fraction of 1% of 257 million people heeding the call of Islamic State, or some similar organisation, is a nightmarish prospect. Suroosh Alvi travels across Indonesia, experiencing the reality of sharia as it is being presently applied and meeting the people resisting it. Andrew Mueller
Film choice
Kajaki, (Paul Katis, 2014), 10pm, BBC2
Paul Katis’s nerve-shredding debut feature tells the true-life story of an incident during the Afghan war in 2006, when British paratroopers on patrol in Helmand province blundered into a minefield left by the long-evacuated Soviet army. It’s not about traditional war-movie heroics (though the soldiers are brave enough), just a horribly tense and realistic account of desperate men in a nightmarish predicament, fighting for their lives. Paul Howlett
Prometheus, (Ridley Scott, 2012), 10.25pm, Channel 4
As Ridley Scott’s latest Alien chapter, Covenant, hits the screens, here’s the long-awaited prequel to the original that explores the genesis of the malevolent space creature. Noomi Rapace’s Dr Elizabeth Shaw is the new Ripley figure among the crew – including movie-stealing Michael Fassbender as android David – of the Prometheus, on a mission to locate the extraterrestrials who may once have visited Earth. It’s a hugely ambitious, spectacular, at times viscerally revolting film; its breathtaking vision blasts it over the weird narrative lapses. Paul Howlett
The Runaways, (Floria Sigismondi, 2010), 1.30am, Film4
Never mind Bananarama re-forming – here’s the story of punky US girl band the Runaways, with Kristen Stewart as guitarist Joan Jett and Dakota Fanning as singer Cherie Currie, the pair recruited by boorish pop promoter Kim Fowley (Michael Shannon) in mid-70s Los Angeles. It all gets a zingy, engaging treatment in Italian music video director Sigismondi’s debut feature. Paul Howlett
Live sport
ODI Cricket: England v Ireland The second game of the series from Lord’s. 10.30am, Sky Sports 2
Horse Racing: Newmarket Coverage of today’s meeting, including the 1000 Guineas at 3.35pm. 1.30pm, ITV
Premier League Football: Arsenal v Manchester United Two former heavyweights battle for Champions League spots. 3.30pm, Sky Sports 1
