Ireland’s Wild River: the Mighty Shannon
8pm, BBC2
Naturalist Colin Stafford-Johnson undertakes this journey into the life of the Shannon, the longest river in Britain and Ireland. In part, it’s a celebration of diversity — the wildlife that is revealed as the waters recede and so on — but also of the complexities of change: how some wild birds are no longer heard, but how one shouldn’t point the finger at the wild mink. Silence doesn’t exactly rule (Stafford-Johnson likes to chat), but this is nonetheless a peaceful and enthralling show. John Robinson
The Holiday Airport: Sun, Sea & Scousers
8pm, Channel 5
Cheggers voices this fly-on-the-wall series based at Liverpool John Lennon, dubbed “the holiday airport”. Two thousand staff and thousands of daily travellers populate this plot in Speke, the 13th-busiest airport in the UK. Sue is accompanying son Callum to a snowboarding championship in Geneva, while retired prison officer Ron and his wife Elaine are heading for a romantic weekend. Elsewhere, Lily and Rose round up a raucous bunch – with a combined age of 788 – for a ladies’ jaunt to Torremolinos. Ben Arnold
OAP Internet Virgins
8pm, Sky1
The title sounds ruder than the reality in this new series, where vloggers teach oldies how to use the internet. This week’s teachers are twin jokers Niki and Sammy, who describe themselves as “content creators” (those are their own fingers doing the quoting). But the real star is 84-year-old George, who cares for his wife full-time and would like to find recipes and music. He educates the young ’uns about Perry Como and making the most of their time, while freeing up a few hours of his own. Hannah Verdier
Superhospital
9pm, ITV
If the hospital doc has become a TV staple it’s not without reason: by definition, almost everybody passing through the doors is experiencing one of the crucial dramas of their life. This final instalment of a series shot inside Royal Derby Hospital features all the standard – but nevertheless compelling – tropes: anxious patients; expectant parents; doctors contemplating life-altering decisions. It also, commendably, remembers that undersung work is scarcely less vital, turning a spotlight on the Royal Derby’s catering manager. Andrew Mueller
Married at First Sight
9pm, Channel 4
Week two of the turbo-dating experiment, in which “science” – this is one of those shows that presents knowledge as an unknowable but omnipotent deity, to be feared and appeased – is so confident that it’s better than online dating, it forces its matches to marry immediately. Tonight, the volunteers, having been paired by a committee of experts, have their every emotion analysed as they walk down the aisle. The obvious question: is sex on a first date acceptable if that date is your wedding? Jack Seale
Big Brother: the Live Final
9pm, Channel 5
It’s been a funny old series of Big Brother. This year’s housemates were textbook attention-seekers, but they got more than they bargained for when BB brought back a batch of vintage faces. Who could compete for screen time against screeching Nikki Grahame, natural villain Helen Wood, and escapee Brian Belo? Still, here comes the final, handled with expertise by Emma Willis, who’ll reveal this year’s winner. The sooner this bunch vacate the house, the nearer the world is to the far juicier Celebrity Big Brother. HV
Wayward Pines
9pm, FOX
The big reveal promised by Wayward Pines has not disappointed; this is not the Twin Peaks/Truman Show-derived series it set itself up to be, but an altogether grimmer, gripping yet ambivalent saga in which Wayward Pines may represent humanity’s only hope. Tonight, Pilcher/Dr Jenkins warns Ethan that he cannot hold off the “reckoning” due to his charges in custody. Meanwhile, the youth of the town, led by Jason, are getting restive and look to take matters into their own hands, with bloody consequences. David Stubbs
Film choice
The Man Whose Mind Exploded (Toby Amies, 2012)
12.30am, Film4
Documentary-maker Amies ventures into the little Brighton flat of the extraordinary Drako Zarhazar, and comes out with a sweetly compelling life story. The tattooed, pierced Drako, amnesiac after a road accident, lives only “in the now”; his cramped home is plastered with penis pictures and photo mementoes of a rich past that encompassed working with Salvador Dalí and performing at the London Palladium. A loving portrait of a lovable eccentric. Paul Howlett
The Double Life Of Véronique (Krzysztof Kieslowski, 1991)
10pm, Sky Arts
Sandwiched between his awesome Dekalogue and the Three Colours trilogy, the great Polish director crafted this moving, challenging tale. It has two identical young women, one in Poland, the other in France, living oblivious to each other, yet mysteriously connected. Both are musicians, both have weak hearts, and when Veronika collapses during a concert, Véronique’s life changes. Through this otherworldly device of spiritual twins, Kieslowski elucidates our own lives, and he’s well served by Irène Jacob in a delicately nuanced dual role. PH
Today’s best live sport
Golf: The Open Championship The Old Course, St Andrews hosts its 29th Open Championship, although injury is set to deny Rory McIlroy the chance to defend his title 9am, BBC2
International Test Cricket: England v Australia Lord’s plays host to the second Ashes Test between the sides. 10am, Sky Sports Ashes
