Born to Kill
9pm, Channel 4
This intriguing four-part drama, co-written by Kate Ashfield and Tracey Malone (Rillington Place), comes with some pedigree. Daniel Mays co-stars as Bill, who starts a relationship with the mother of teenager Sam. Jack Rowan plays this seemingly decent and self-possessed young lad who is living under the impression that his father is dead. In fact, he is still alive, violent and about to be released on parole. Meanwhile, it becomes clear that Sam himself is in the grip of psychopathic, homicidal tendencies. David Stubbs
Joanna Lumley’s Postcards
8.30pm, ITV
She may own one of the most supernaturally posh voices in broadcasting, but Lumley is also a good egg with a sense of humour. Her new series combines reminiscences of her more exotic travels with fresh insights; in the first episode she journeys along the Nile, through Egypt and into Sudan. There, she visits Nubian queen Qalhata’s tomb and meets a local beauty queen and former refugee who is mentoring upcoming Sudanese models. Sharon O’Connell
Mind Over Marathon
9pm, BBC1
Gearing up for the London Marathon, which takes place this weekend, is a daunting enough prospect for anyone – but this two-part documentary will put in stark perspective the struggles of most wheezing joggers. Nick Knowles follows the preparations of 10 runners who are beset by various mental health problems, and who are competing in the race under the auspices of Heads Together, the mental health campaign fronted by Princes William and Harry. Andrew Mueller
Dial ’B’ for Britain: The Story of the Landline
9pm, BBC4
Victoria Coren Mitchell narrates this delightful history of the UK’s phone network. En route, she discovers an early act of phonebox vandalism in 1907 (because the kiosk swallowed the money), Subscriber Trunk Dialling (or, er, STD for short), and the switchboard operator who tried in vain to connect a call to the “Countess of Eire” – later to realise the caller was asking for a quantity surveyor (“She had a bit of a plum, this lady”). Ali Catterall
Kirsty Wark: The Menopause and Me
10.45pm, BBC1
A tricky subject is explored by the Newsnight presenter, with a little help from Les Dawson clips. As well as discussing her own experience of going through the menopause – and undergoing a bone density scan to see if coming off HRT might have affected her long-term health – Wark talks to Kaye Adams, Jennifer Saunders and one poor woman who, until she found a sympathetic treatment, was experiencing more than 80 debilitating hot flushes a day. Graeme Virtue
New Girl
9.30pm, E4
When the Manic Pixie Dream Girl fell out of fashion, Zooey Deschanel instead became the oh-so-quirky protagonist of her own sitcom, which – thanks to its Friends-ish warmth and unchallenging setup – is now on its sixth series. However, as it begins, its very premise is up in the air: Schmidt and Cece are looking for a place of their own, a project that Jess (Deschanel) is hindering. Plus, Nick’s back in town and Winston looks out for Aly’s sister. Hannah J Davies
Guerrilla
9pm, Sky Atlantic
John Ridley’s black power drama hits its second episode. With Marcus, Jas and Dhari on the run, DCI Pence (Rory Kinnear, scarier than he has ever been on screen before) doesn’t much care who gets hurt in his pursuit. His malevolence is merely a prelude to not one, but two scenes of gruesome violence, genuinely shocking in a drama that otherwise tries to reel you in. Flawed, notably in its glossy production design, but certainly worth persevering with. Jonathan Wright
Film choice
Solaris
(Andrei Tarkovsky, 1972) Thursday, 12.40am, Film4
Based on the novel by Polish author Stanislaw Lem, this cult sci-fi movie was considered the Soviet riposte to 2001: A Space Odyssey. It certainly matches the cerebral scheme of Kubrick’s film, although it lacks the visual pyrotechnics. Cosmonaut Donatas Banionis is sent to a space station on the planet Solaris to investigate why most of the 80-odd crew have died, and finds that the whole planet is a sentient force mirroring human desires. It’s a long, hypnotic voyage, well worth viewing alongside Steven Soderbergh’s snappy 90-minute remake. Paul Howlett
Darkman
(Sam Raimi, 1990) 9pm, Film4
Raimi’s weird, occasionally wonderful horror-thriller stars Liam Neeson as synthetic skin specialist Dr Westlake. Left faceless and near death by horrible gangster Larry Drake, he uses his skills to become the gruesome avenger, Darkman. Some splendid Batman-style atmospherics abound, although oddly disjointed, with awkward shafts of daft humour. PH
Live sport
Snooker: The World Championship 1pm, BBC2 The first round approaches its conclusion at the Crucible.
Cycling: Tour of the Alps 1.30pm, Eurosport 2 Coverage of stage four, which takes the riders on a journey from Bolzano to Cles in Italy.
Europa League Football: Manchester United v Anderlecht 7.30pm, BT Sport 2 The quarter-final second leg from Old Trafford.
