Robot Wars
7pm, BBC2
In spite of the flames, the mechanical violence and the baying crowd, there’s something quaintly innocent about Robot Wars. In a show peopled by family teams from suburbia, competitors treat their triumphs and disasters with eccentric good grace – a true amateur sport. As this series begins, a showdown between longtime triers Terrorhurtz and Sabretooth offers satisfaction for one team – compensation for 16 years of hitherto fruitless endeavour. JR
5 Gold Rings
6.40pm, ITV
Imagine the innuendo that would ensue if Mel and Sue were presenting this new hi-tech gameshow. Instead, hosting duties are in the safe hands of Phillip Schofield, who invites contestants to place gold rings on a lit-up floor when they spot correct answers to questions. The longer they last, the smaller their rings become, making the challenge more difficult. There’s £25,000 for the winning team and, sadly, nothing at all for the losers. HV
Top Gear
8pm, BBC2
The new series of Top Gear burns rubber, and this time Chris Evans is, as you may have heard, off the squad. So it’s down to the distinctly more likable Matt LeBlanc to forge ahead regardless, joined by co-geezers Chris Harris and Rory Reid. This week, Chris has the tedious task of test-driving the Ferrari FXXK at the Daytona circuit in Florida, and the three of them also race across Kazakhstan in three high-mileage cars. James McAvoy is this week’s guest in the studio. BA
SS-GB
9pm, BBC1
The third episode of an adaptation of Len Deighton’s counter-history set in a London occupied by Germany in 1941. It’s odd this hasn’t been televised before, combining as it does two staples of British TV: Nazis, and police procedural. The central figure is Douglas Archer (Sam Riley), a Scotland Yard detective who still believes himself a loyal servant to his fellow citizens, many of whom see him as a collaborator – propelling him, tonight, into ever murkier moral swamps. AM
The Bruce Forsyth Story: From the Palladium to the Palace
9pm, Channel 5
A competent biography, where hastily prepped talking heads are the price you pay for stirring clips and a well-shaped story. As Brucie’s many achievements are ticked off, the surprise for some might be his penchant for changing tack at the peak of his fame, like some sort of light-ent Bowie: both Sunday Night At The London Palladium and The Generation Game were ditched unexpectedly. JS
Rise of the Warrior Apes
9pm, Discovery
Early 1990s Uganda saw rumours of chimpanzees seizing parts of the Ngogo forest with a ferocity unprecedented in the animal kingdom. Anthropologist David Watts visited the region in 1993 and discovered the most complex chimpanzee society ever witnessed. Here, he shares the results of his astonishing study, including close-quarters footage of brutal power struggles that could almost make this natural history’s first political drama. MGJ
Suits
10pm, Dave
It’s season six finale time for the US series that revolves around polymath Mike Ross (Patrick J Adams), a wannabe lawyer with a photographic memory who manages to pass himself off as an attorney. Much of this season, which began with Mike in jail,
has revolved around his attempts to go legit. Will he finally become a lawyer? Will he get hitched to Rachel (Meghan Markle)? If these questions are confusing, a boxset catch-up binge might
be in order. JW
Film choices
London Road, (Rufus Norris, 2015), Sunday, 10pm, BBC2
The story of the 2006 Ipswich serial murders: the musical. It shouldn’t work, but it emphatically does. It’s adapted from Alecky Blythe’s National Theatre production, which used verbatim dialogue from the locals, police, survivors and the press who descended on the city. Olivia Colman and Anita Dobson add sterling everyday authenticity as residents Julie and June, and Tom Hardy is a minicab driver well versed in the MO of serial killers. It’s hugely inventive and gripping. Paul Howlett
King Kong, (Peter Jackson, 2005), 6.30pm, ITV2
With the Tom Hiddleston-led Kong: Skull Island stomping into view from Friday, here’s the Lord of the Rings-director’s handsome remake of the 1933 classic. At nearly three hours, it’s far too long, but a breathtaking action-adventure nonetheless. Jack Black is a hard-up director enticing penniless dancer Naomi Watts to Skull Island to make a movie, where they find a bigger co-star than they expected. Amid the mayhem, there’s a poignant relationship between the monster and the showgirl. PH
The Hunt, (Thomas Vinterberg, 2012), 9pm, BBC4
Mads Mikkelsen is Lucas, a newly divorced teacher in a small Danish town, where he is wrongfully accused of child abuse. There is no doubt here: he is an innocent man, trapped by a child’s random lie as the local community turns on him in rage and disgust. Vinterberg’s great skill is in making everyone’s actions understandable in a disquieting, terrifying drama. PH
Papillon, (Franklin J Schaffner, 1973), 11.30pm, BBC2
Classic jailbird drama based on Henri Charrière’s allegedly autobiographical book about escaping the savage French penal regime on Devil’s Island. Steve McQueen suffers beatings, starvation, solitary confinement and scurvy, and keeps coming back for more: a grittier version of his Cooler King. PH
Live sport
Premier League Football: Tottenham Hotspur v Everton 12.30pm, Sky Sports 1
Action from White Hart Lane with Sunderland v Manchester City to follow at 3.30pm.
Darts: UK Open 12.45pm, ITV4
The quarter-finals on the third day’s play at the Butlins Minehead Resort.
Athletics: European Indoor Championships 2.30pm, BBC2
The third and final day from the Kombank Arena in Belgrade.
