Poldark
9pm, BBC1
A new series of the brooding coastal drama opens with Poldark preparing for his trial. Both Demelza and Elizabeth are determined to try to influence the outcome, but how tough will the judge be? There are lighter moments with the arrival of snooty, dog-carrying heiress Caroline, as well as a dark twist. But on to more important matters: fans of Poldark’s habit of whipping his top off will be relieved to know they won’t have to wait long for a sighting of that torso. Hannah Verdier
Roald Dahl’s Most Marvellous Book
6.30pm, Channel 4
“People say I’m a Poundland Roald Dahl,” says host David Walliams, smirking like a Quentin Blake illustration – an appropriately wily intro to this rundown of the crotchety genius’s greatest hits and the celebrities plumping for them in this vote-off. Highlights include Jarvis Cocker reading from Fantastic Mr Fox and Rik Mayall’s extraordinary rendering of George’s Marvellous Medicine on Jackanory (“It felt like he broke the BBC,” muses Johnny Vegas). Ali Catterall
A Very British Deterrent
8pm, BBC2
In July, parliament voted to renew Trident, thus maintaining the UK’s position as a nuclear-armed nation. This riveting documentary revisits the genesis of the status – the 1950s and 60s, when Britain, determined to remain a force in the world, scrambled to secure its seat at the top table of global powers. The most ardent Atlanticist may bristle at the irritation with which the US occasionally regarded its partner in “the special relationship”. Andrew Mueller
Speed With Guy Martin
8pm, Channel 4
For one day in May, 90 miles of route 318 in the Arizona desert is closed to host the Nevada Open Road Challenge. It’s reputedly the fastest road race in the world, having claimed five lives since it began in 1988. In this first of the new series, our genial mutton-chopped hero is going to compete in his three-year-old Ford Transit, souped up to be able to compete but in dire need of repairs. Take note Top Gear: this is how you do a motoring show. Ben Arnold
Victoria
9pm, ITV
The sleek – if largely fictive – period drama continues, with Jenna Coleman’s Queen Vic under pressure from her uncle Leopold to marry cousin Albert. Of course, we all know how the story ends, but for the moment Victoria remains obsessed with her prime minister, Lord Melbourne – a man who was, by all accounts, more of a mentor figure to the young monarch. As the Chartists begin the first of many uprisings, can Leopold convince her to keep it in the family? Hannah J Davies
BattleBots
8pm, Spike
In the US, as here, televised mechanical grappling has recently been revived after years away: its version of Robot Wars is the same idea, with predictable differences in execution. The competitors are sterner, as are the bellowing, heavily hairsprayed presenters and commentators. But in a starker arena with no house robots and simple perimeter hazards, the fights are awesome. Painful as it is to admit, the best of these machines would marmalise their British rivals. Jack Seale
Jay Leno’s Garage
7pm, Dave
The Top Gear tribute from the most famous chin in chatshow history continues, as Leno delves deeper into Californian car culture. Tonight’s peek at automotive LA includes a history of low-riders, the Peterson Car Museum’s secret celebrity stash, and Leno hanging with Japanese hot-rodders. As with last week’s opener, petrolhead pandering outweighs entertainment value, making this an affair mainly for those born clutching a copy of Redline magazine. Mark Gibbings-Jones
Film choice
The Wolf Of Wall Street
(Martin Scorsese, 2013), 9.30pm, Channel 4
Scorsese has a high old time of it, revelling in the debauchery of Wall Street’s drugs-and-sex-addled stockbroking princes, as described in the (surely overblown) memoir of trader – and later convict – Jordan Belfort. It’s done with great skill and fizzing energy, but is basically Goodfellas without the violence and, pretty much, the humour. Leonardo DiCaprio exerts all the star appeal he can but still, over the course of nearly three hours, fails to make Belfort likable. Paul Howlett
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
(David Fincher, 2011), 10pm, ITV4
After the twisty chills of 2009’s Swedish adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s mega-seller, such a swift US remake seemed superfluous, but in the event it’s a success. David “Seven” Fincher is a natural fit for the novel’s gloomy nastiness and Rooney Mara rivals Noomi Rapace as the haunted, brilliantly resourceful Lisbeth Salander, though Daniel Craig radiates a tad too much Bond aura as the investigative journo Mikael Blomkvist. PH
Today’s best live sport
One-Day International Cricket: England v Pakistan 10am, Sky Sports 2
The final game of the series from Cardiff’s Swalec Stadium.
Formula 1: Italian Grand Prix Live 12 noon, Channel 4
Fast-car action from the Autodromo Nazionale Monza.
World Cup Football: Slovakia v England 4.30pm, ITV
The nation tries to contain its wild excitement as the Sam Allardyce era begins.
