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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
John Robinson, Ali Catterall, Mark Gibbings-Jones, David Stubbs, Hannah Verdier, Phil Harrison, Sophie Harris and Paul Howlett

Thursday’s best TV: Love, Lies & Records; Blitz: The Bombs that Changed Britain

Tom McKendrick in Blitz: The Bombs that Changed Britain, BBC Two.
Tom McKendrick in Blitz: The Bombs that Changed Britain, BBC Two. Photograph: BBC/Wall to Wall/Douglas Hartington

Ross Noble: Off Road
8pm, Dave

You know him as Ross Noble, lethargic Tyneside comedian. In fact, he has an alter ego: lethargic Tyneside comedian on motorcycle. A rider of some experience and talent, here he attempts to complete the Scottish Six Days Trial – a gruelling off-road challenge, involving long rides with intermittent obstacle sections. Noble (and team) find the right line between knowing glances to camera and serious engagement with an extremely difficult challenge. John Robinson

Love, Lies & Records 9pm, BBC One

When the mighty Rebecca Front does evil, she really goes to town. In the latest chapter of Kay Mellor’s multi-strand drama, Front’s panto villain Judy (boo, hiss!) has only gone and sent Kate’s husband-to-be a USB stick containing some incriminating footage. Can Kate possibly snatch it from underneath Rob’s bloodhound nose before he sees it? Meanwhile, the registrars prepare for the raid on Amir and Kristina’s wedding. Ali Catterall

Blitz: The Bombs that Changed Britain
9pm, BBC Two

Six months into the Blitz, few bombers had ventured as far as Scotland. That was about to change, as Clydebank fell under the gaze of German reconnaissance, resulting in 200 Luftwaffe bombers targeting the factories fuelling Britain’s war effort, along with tenement-lined streets housing thousands of factory workers. The tales of those who lived through the on slaught, and those who weren’t as fortunate, are told here. Mark Gibbings-Jones

Catching a Killer
9pm, Channel 4

This begins with a heartbreaking recording of the 999 call put through when Suhaib Mohammed, 19, is found dying of a gunshot wound in a bedroom in Milton Keynes. We follow the investigation that reveals the story behind the killing, one of drugs, revenge and gangsterism. Accurate as shows such as this are in depicting the meticulous decency of the police and the criminality of some immigrants, they sorely need counterbalancing with other stories. David Stubbs

Living the Dream
9pm, Sky1

The sun-soaked dramedy reaches its last episode with holiday park owners Mal (Philip Glenister) and Jen (Lesley Sharp) giving the place a makeover. Will it be enough to revive their fortunes? With $50,000 to find to keep the park open, they need to track down the co-owner to help them. Cue a wild goose chase, some tinklingly tense music and a right old caper. The cast are great and do their best with the lightweight and gently watchable material that’s on offer. Hannah Verdier

Storyville Laibach
For those about to rock … Laibach arrive in North Korea. Photograph: BBC/Tor Joerund F. Pedersen

Storyville: When Rock Arrived in North Korea 11pm, BBC Four

It makes perfect sense. If you’re a North Korean minister looking for a western band to play at your amusingly named Liberation Day, who better than Laibach? The Slovenian provocateurs’ shtick has always involved the hilariously deadpan appropriation of totalitarian iconography. But how will they handle the real deal? This remarkable film documents the results of this expedition and continually poses the question: who is manipulating whom? Phil Harrison

Born To be Free: Saving Russia’s Whales
11.25pm, Channel 4

The title might seem optimistic given the reality of the global trade in marine mammals – from the brutal capture of beluga whales to the grim conditions they’re kept in. But the plucky free-diving female Russian journalists who head up this DIY doc do bring a note of defiant hope to this investigation, which centres on a legal battle surrounding 18 belugas ordered, catalogue shopping-style, by Georgia Aquarium in the US. Sophie Harris

Click here to watch a trailer for Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me.

TV films

Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (Jay Roach, 1999), 9pm, Comedy Central

Yeah, baby, yeah, he’s back: the psychedelically-challenged superspy returns for a second duel with Dr Evil. The fizzy formula of the original – spy-spoof buffoonery in the swinging 60s – is reproduced. Roach again directs, Mike Myers again plays Powers and his nemesis (plus gruesome security man, Fat Bastard), while Heather Graham’s Felicity Shagwell replaces Liz Hurley as the savvy sidekick. What’s not to like? Paul Howlett

Live sport

Snooker: UK Championship Coverage of the ninth day at the Barbican Centre in York. 1pm, BBC Two

Uefa Europa League Football: Apollon Limassol v Everton With Arsenal v BATE Borisov to follow.5.30pm, BT Sport 2

Pool: Mosconi Cup The final day of the tournament regarded as the pool equivalent of the Ryder Cup. 6.30pm, Sky Sports Main Event

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