European Rugby Challenge Cup: La Rochelle v Exeter
7.30pm, Sky Sports 1
Live coverage of this European Rugby Challenge Cup fixture from La Rochelle’s Stade Marcel-Deflandre. Exeter look the part, in as much as their previous match in this competition was a convincing 33-13 win over Connacht, who had previously dished out a 48-12 pasting to La Rochelle. However, last time out, La Rochelle knocked off Bayonne, who had previously done the same to Exeter. A finely balanced pool, in other words. Andrew Mueller
The Railway: First Great Western
8pm, Channel 5
“There’s the right way, there’s the wrong way – and there’s the railway.” In the opener of this new series, staff at First Great Western attempt to keep their enormous train set from derailing during last winter’s biblical storms, amid scenes bearing an uncanny resemblance to The Poseidon Adventure: flooded lines, 30ft-high waves battering sea walls, and the chaos that ensues after the track through Dawlish is washed away. At least, as Network Control’s tireless Dave Slater observes while gratefully accepting a cuppa, “there’s tea”. Ali Catterall
Beyond Magic With DMC
8pm, National Geographic
Illusionist Drummond Money-Coutts has the sort of backstory that reads like a novel (of the Jeffrey Archer stripe): heir to the Latymer baronetcy and its fortune, the 28-year-old was introduced to conjuring as a boy via London’s oldest magic shop, situated beneath Coutts bank in the Strand. And in common with bankers, he’s very good at making things disappear. Tonight, DMC explores what wartime military tactics owe to the conjurer’s art, as both involve camouflage, coding and deception. And sawing people in half? AJC
The Fall
9pm, BBC2
The second series of The Fall has been all about boundaries. Tonight’s game of cat and mouse sees Gibson invading Spector’s space, accessing his family home in search of clues and the upper hand. It’s all incredibly tense, as Spector’s hubris and vanity pushes him into ever tighter corners. When the body of a woman is discovered in woodland, Gibson fears the worst for Rose Stagg, but she emerges from the scene with some interesting ideas about how to move the investigation forward. John Robinson
Castles – Britain’s Fortified History
9pm, BBC4
Over three episodes, historian Sam Willis charts the story of Britain’s castles, a tale of conquest, colonisation and civil war. We begin with 1066 and all that, when William brought the wherewithal to construct a basic motte-and-bailey castle when he came a-calling. Norman castles, “utterly alien” to the locals, were symbols of oppression, but they could also cause problems for the monarchy, being fortified power bases for ambitious barons. Sieges figure heavily. Jonathan Wright
A Very Grumpy Cat Christmas
9pm, Lifetime
The cute but curmudgeonly internet star is voiced by Parks And Rec’s Aubrey Plaza in what is probably the world’s first – and last? – meme-themed flick. Lonely 12-year-old Chrystal (Megan Charpentier) develops an unlikely bond with the stony-faced feline but is their friendship enough to save an ailing pet store from ruin? Is this a parody of low-budget telly movies or a shameless money-spinner masquerading as an achingly meta tie-in? Either way, surprising amounts of un-grumpy festive cheer. Hannah J Davies
Babylon
10pm, Channel 4
It’s a profoundly bad day for the Met. As Liz’s gambit to shoulder the responsibility of keeping the commissioner’s multiple affairs secret starts to backfire, chaos befalls the communications department and a gleeful Finn positions himself strategically. Meanwhile, the police are closing in on the bomber, and a shooting by the armed response unit outside a nightclub makes a bad day just that little bit worse, particularly for Banjo, who is starting to suspect Davina is playing away. Ben Arnold
Puppy Love
10pm, BBC4
The increasingly enjoyable comic drama continues with charity trustee Jepherson Denomer visiting the Wirral peninsula, with social mountaineer Naomi desperate to make everything run smoothly despite the continually erratic enthusiasm of her problem pup. With Jep’s elderly canine companion in tow, it’s Nana V who finds herself sharing common ground with the VIP. Not that life is especially sunny Chez Fazackerley, thanks to the unerring medical knowhow possessed by innominate hound No Name. Mark Jones
