The State
9pm, Channel 4
After the period plotting of Wolf Hall, writer-director Peter Kosminsky returns to the 21st century for this hot-button drama, screening over the next four nights. Informed by first-hand testimony, it follows four young Brits as they abandon their lives in the UK to join Islamic State in Syria. Stranded in a coercive but also oddly beguiling world of absolutes, each initiate has to reconcile their idealised religious fantasy with the reality. Graeme Virtue
Dragons’ Den
8pm, BBC2
Non-fans of the Den might baulk at its celebration of successful entrepreneurs as obnoxious lords and ladies before whom lowly aspirants must grovel. However, it’s reluctantly irresistible. The new dragons are vitamin baron Tej Lalvani and cashpoint mogul Jenny Campbell, while the hopefuls comprise the cocky, the clueless and the completely overwhelmed by nerves. Among the pitchers this week is a company offering organic products for the nut-averse. David Stubbs
From Russia to Iran: Crossing the Wild Frontier
8pm, Channel 4
Following his epic yomps along the Nile, across the Himalayas and from Mexico to Colombia, Levison Wood tackles the Caucasus Mountains, the mighty barrier that separates Russia from Georgia and Azerbaijan between the Black and Caspian seas. It is traditionally a region as volatile as it is spectacular, and Wood starts with what was always going to be one of the trickier bits: visiting the recent battlefields of Chechnya. Andrew Mueller
BBC Proms 2017: Bach’s St John Passion
8pm, BBC4
Prom 49 is one of a number of performances this year to mark the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. It finds conductor John Butt leading his Dunedin Consort in a complete performance of Bach’s St John Passion. Soloists include Sophie Bevan, Nicholas Mulroy and Matthew Brook, while the Proms audience is offered the opportunity to join in the choral singing, a reflection of the piece’s church roots. Jonathan Wright
Astronauts: Do You Have What It Takes?
9pm, BBC2
This series – in which 12 candidates tackle an astronaut selection programme – is the anti-Apprentice. These are pleasingly modest but seriously accomplished individuals (surgeons, quantum physicists, nuclear engineers etc) who understand that the journey is as important as the destination. Along the way, everything from mental agility to buried personality traits are probed – and it’s quietly fascinating. Phil Harrison
How the World Made America
9pm, History
A new two-part documentary covering the relationship between America and overseas settlers, with immigration patterns leading to a diverse range of settlers setting up home stateside. Over two centuries of interwoven immigrant tales, the United States has been moulded into the country it is today. Hopefully the second part won’t get anywhere near these last few months, to try to end on a relatively positive note. Mark Gibbings-Jones
Killing Spree: Michael Ryan
9pm, Crime & Investigation Network
It was 30 years ago this week that Michael Ryan, an unemployed labourer and antique dealer, murdered 16 people in and around the Hungerford area, shooting and injuring 15 others. Ryan eventually turned his gun on himself, meaning his motives remain a mystery. Here, former friends and eyewitnesses speak about what happened, while experts piece together a disturbing profile of the man. Ben Arnold
Film choice
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (David Yates, 2011) 7.30pm, ITV
Harry Potter’s magical school years conclude in a tale of Dark Knight-like gloominess. The last battle, pitting Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Hermione (Emma Watson), Ron (Rupert Grint) and their Hogwarts mates against vile Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) and his horrible hordes is done on an epic scale, as if crossbred with The Lord of the Rings. Paul Howlett
Far from the Madding Crowd (Thomas Vinterberg, 2015) 8.05pm, BBC1
Thomas Hardy’s tale of passionate 19th-century Dorset country folk gets a handsome and rather more respectable treatment than might be expected of the director of Festen. But Carey Mulligan is marvellous as the headstrong young Bathsheba, juggling three suitors – smitten landowner Michael Sheen, Matthias Schoenaerts’s devoted shepherd and Tom Sturridge’s cocky sergeant – while maintaining her independence. PH
Tommy (Ken Russell, 1975) 12.35am, BBC2
A loud and lurid screen version of the Who’s rock opera about a deaf, dumb and blind kid who is transformed into a Christlike pinball player. It’s as tastelessly excessive and ludicrous as anything in the Russell canon, with a host of grotesque characters overpowering Roger Daltrey’s gormless Tommy, including Keith Moon’s horrible Uncle Ernie, Elton John’s Pinball Wizard, Tina Turner’s astounding Acid Queen and, best of all, Oliver Reed’s unforgettable teddy boy. PH
The Hunter (Daniel Nettheim, 2011) Sunday, 11pm, BBC2
As a lone figure wrestling with existential angst in the Tasmanian wilderness, Willem Dafoe is in his element here. He’s a Clint Eastwood-like mysterious stranger in town, hired by a shadowy and clearly none-too-trustworthy corporation to stalk the supposedly extinct Tasmanian tiger. He grows close to the grieving Lucy (Frances O’Connor) and her two children, and encounters neighbourly Jack (Sam Neill), while warring factions of loggers and environmental activists face off. PH
Today’s live sport
Premier League Football: Tottenham Hotspur v Chelsea 3.30pm, Sky Sports Main Event Coverage of the match at Spurs’ new home, Wembley Stadium.
WTA Tennis: Cincinnati Final 7pm, BT Sport 1 The final of the Western & Southern Open, where previous winners include Serena Williams.
ATP Masters Tennis Final 9pm, Sky Sports Action The Western and Southern Open men’s singles final.
