Rivers with Jeremy Paxman
8pm, Channel 4
Retired from savaging politicians, Paxman has been released into the wild. This vanity series now finds him being faintly aggressive about waterways (“Pathetic,” he says on finding the source of the 97-mile Tweed). Investigating the Borders life proves more enjoyable, though. He shears a sheep or two, remains professionally sceptical at Merlin’s Grave and visits the former residence of author Sir Walter Scott. JR
Call the Midwife
8pm, BBC1
It’s October 1962 and Dr Turner’s eldest doesn’t like the look of this row between the Russians and the Americans. “Neither do I, son,” replies his father, glumly, as the Cuban missile crisis unfolds. And while there are heartwarming moments and (minor spoiler alert) the world avoids Armageddon, the cold war backdrop seems to chill an unusually downbeat episode that sees Sister Mary Cynthia battling mental illness and the midwives encountering FGM for the first time. JW
SS-GB
9pm, BBC1
Second instalment of this superior adaptation of Len Deighton’s novel. It was always going to be compelling, articulating as it does the great counterfactual of modern British history: what if Germany had conquered the UK in 1941? Who would have resisted? And who – like Detective Douglas Archer – would have compromised with his occupiers and his principles? Tonight, Archer finds the squeeze tightening from both rebels and overlords. AM
The Good Karma Hospital
9pm, ITV
There is an obvious influence on this medical drama, set around the tropical beaches of southern India: the trouble is, the script and acting are so flimsy they make Death In Paradise look like Line Of Duty. Multiple plots and the inherent urgency of hospital treatment don’t help when everything’s so pat, although there’s a flicker of intrigue this week thanks to a theme of rich or western people thinking they can exploit the locals. JS
Homeland
9pm, Channel 4
If season six of the erratic war-on-terror drama initially felt like a knockoff of The Night Of (with the newly NYC-based Carrie defending a young black Muslim accused of inciting hatred via online videos), last week’s shocking climax reset the board. With the hawkish spymaster Dar Adal clearly itching for a fight with Iran, is it time for the nominally CIA-free Carrie to come in from the cold, especially as she is already secret BFFs with president-elect Keane? GV
Oscars 2017
11.30pm, Sky Cinema Oscars
Hosted for the first time by comedian Jimmy Kimmel, this year’s Academy Awards look set to be dominated by La La Land, which has received 14 nominations. The event, however, is likely to be overshadowed by political controversy; Iranian director Asghar Farhadi, whose The Salesman is nominated for best foreign film is boycotting the awards following Trump’s “Muslim ban”. That probably won’t be the only protest. DS
Britney Ever After
9pm, Lifetime
This majestic biopic sees Australian actor Natasha Bassett playing Britney Spears throughout the ups and downs of her life. It’s all here: Britney’s start on The Mickey Mouse Club, the moment Justin Timberlake dumped her and that time she held a snake aloft at the VMAs. Particularly laughable are the faux ’NSync, and you can expect a certain level of outrage at the not-strictly-authentic Britney and Justin double denim moment. The whole thing’s a hoot. HV
Film choices
Two Days, One Night (Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne, 2014) 9pm, BBC4
Another deeply compelling slice of social-realist Belgian life from the Dardennes brothers. Marion Cotillard is Sandra, a downtrodden mother about to lose her minimum-wage job at a solar panel plant unless, over the course of a weekend, she can persuade her workmates to give up their much-needed €1,000 bonuses: a daunting, stress-laden task for a woman who has just returned from a nervous breakdown. This is trenchant, damning drama that would make a fitting companion piece to Ken Loach’s I, Daniel Blake. Paul Howlett
The Terminator (James Cameron, 1984) 11.15pm, Channel 5
Hard to resist Cameron’s early sci-fi classic, however often it shows: he squeezes every possible ounce of visceral action and special effects from the tricksy time-loop plot and tiny $6m budget. Arnold Schwarzenegger is superstardom-bound as the Terminator, an implacable cyborg sent back from a machine-ruled future to destroy Sarah Connor, who will give birth to a legendary freedom fighter and many a sequel. PH
Live sport
Snooker Shoot-Out 11.45am, ITV4 The fourth and final day’s play at the single-frame tournament, held at the Watford Colosseum.
Six Nations Rugby Union: England v Italy 2pm, ITV Eddie Jones’s side look to continue their undefeated run at home to the tournament outsiders.
EFL Cup Final Football: Manchester United v Southampton 3.45pm, Sky Sports 1
Wembley Stadium hosts the first batle for silverware of the season.
