Tribes, Predators & Me
9pm, BBC2
A new three-part series presented by wildlife photographer Gordon Buchanan. The conceit is that while he has visited the habitats of many dangerous creatures, Buchanan doesn’t have to live alongside them; and, he has realised, some people do. Tonight, he spends time with the Waorani, a tribe who live deep in the interior jungles of Ecuador and whose most sacred ritual involves the capture and release of the immense green anaconda. Buchanan, a respectful and clearly respected visitor, is invited to participate. Andrew Mueller
Heston’s Dinner In Space
6pm, Channel 4
In the kind of project that Heston Blumenthal and his team relish – pardon the condiment-based pun – the gastronome teams up with the UK Space Agency, the ESA and Nasa in the hope of revolutionising space food, known previously for being predominantly dehydrated this and powdered that. (Yes, it already sounds like one of his menus.) Blumenthal creates seven new dishes to be sent up to the International Space Station, the brief being to take British astronaut Tim Peake on a nostalgic trip back to his childhood. Ben Arnold
Great Canal Journeys
8pm, Channel 4
TV’s most twinkly couple, Prunella Scales and Timothy West, return to the water for more boat journeys. First up, they’re off to Sweden to travel the Göta Canal – or as it’s more poetically known, on account of its 58 locks, the “Divorce Ditch” – a coast-to-coast route that takes the couple from Gothenburg to the Baltic Sea, via waterways surrounded by forests and spectacular lakes. It’s the most gentle travel show imaginable, yet poignant in the way it shows Scales’s struggle with Alzheimer’s disease. Jonathan Wright
The Night Manager
9pm, BBC1
Gripping penultimate episode of the series. Now in very deep indeed, Pine is summoned to play the part of Andrew Birch at Roper’s stronghold, “The Haven”. What seems to be brewing here is a version of the country house murder, with added RPG elements: remote location, mutual distrust and a very nice twist in the tale. Hugh Laurie still looks too genial to be “the worst man in the world”, but he may have something up his sleeve next week, when the series loops back to where it started: Cairo. John Robinson
Doctor Thorne
9pm, ITV
Last in the series. The doctor gets a letter about some exposition that’s happening in a minute and goes to get his hat. All the characters are in Greshamsbury, and we know because they keep saying so. Rebecca Front drags things into the realms of believability with the sheer force of her acting, and Richard McCabe buckles in with Nicholas Rowe to help her. But, oh, the words, like lead weights pulling on every tongue. Julian Fellowes is actually able to slow time with his unique lack of pace. Julia Raeside
Turkey’s Harsh Paradise
6pm, Nat Geo Wild
Huge tectonic upheavals gave Turkey its truly diverse habitats; in turn giving rise to an astonishing array of wildlife. This great-looking documentary follows some of those species, which must navigate the freezing winters and baking summers; from the Anatolian wild goats – “crack mountaineers” with amazing balance, living literally on the edge – to “alien-like” African softshell turtles, with their snorkel-like snouts, one seen here fighting off an impertinent rival while trying to cop off with a ladyfriend. Ali Catterall
Marvel’s Agents Of SHIELD
9pm, E4
After their traumatic intergalactic field trip, SHIELD and Hydra revert to recruitment mode. In Colombia, Daisy encounters a whizzy Inhuman who could give the Flash a run for his money, while power-hungry Malick attempts to clarify who – or indeed what – Hydra retrieved from the inhospitable planet Maveth. Director Coulson also gets some face time with the US President (William Sadler, reprising his role from Iron Man 3) who, like many viewers, seems a little confused by SHIELD’s current outlaw status. Graeme Virtue
Film Choice
I’m So Excited!
(Pedro Almodóvar, 2013), 10.30pm, BBC4
A passenger plane, circling and on the verge of crashing, is a pointed metaphor for the plight of Spain in Almodóvar’s satire. In a parody of Hollywood disaster films, cameo performers Penélope Cruz and Antonio Banderas are the ground staff who leave Madrid-to-Mexico flight 2549 fatally compromised; with economy class drugged into unconsciousness, the action unfolds around the cockpit, the seven exotic passengers in business class and the three air stewards who attend them. Paul Howlett
Nine To Five
(Colin Higgins, 1980), 1.15am, Film4
Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Dolly Parton are an unlikely trio of office workers out to punish their smarmy, sexist boss, the hilarious Dabney Coleman. Serious equal-ops points are made without slowing the pace of some jolly farce: first they think they’ve poisoned him; later he’s chained up and force-fed TV soap operas. But it’s left to paternal company chairman Sterling Hayden to enforce the feelgood factor. PH
Pan’s Labyrinth
(Guillermo del Toro, 2006), 2.05am, Horror Channel
Del Toro’s mesmerising fantasy expertly weaves grotesque fairytale into the brutal reality of post-civil war Spain. It centres on young Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) who, stuck with her mother (Maribel Verdú) at a fascist camp run by her sadistic stepfather (Sergi López), uncovers a hidden labyrinth leading to the magical satyr, Pan. A nightmarish quest ensues that spills into the real world. A work of stunning power and imagination. PH
Today’s best live sport
Premiership Rugby Union: Exeter Chiefs v Northampton Saints
With Leicester Tigers v Saracens to follow. 12noon, BT Sport 1
T20 World Cup Cricket: Sri Lanka v West Indies
Action from Banglalore. 1.30pm, Sky Sports 2
•Table Tennis: National Championships
The last day from Hatfield. 3pm, ITV4
Premier League Football: Manchester City v Manchester United
Can United damage City’s title hopes? 3.30pm, Sky Sports 1
