Great Ormond Street
9pm, BBC2
Five-year-old Herb has a rare immune disorder, nemo syndrome, and can’t fight off infections. Unless he has a bone marrow transplant, he won’t make 10, but this treatment may lead to his death. Such are the cruel dilemmas on Fox and Robin wards at Great Ormond Street. As doctors here discuss, sometimes the medics push treatment too far, prolonging suffering, but that’s because every so often a child survives against the longest odds. As this new series begins we follow three young patients facing uncertain futures. Jonathan Wright
Hive Minds
8.30pm, BBC4
BBC4 turns the lighting down on what is clearly the Only Connect set and wheels in similarly quirkily named teams to compete in head puzzles. And, in another piece of gameshow pilfering, the Blockbusters hexagons are dragged out of retirement to represent the “hives” of answers which the contestants must seek. Fiona Bruce doesn’t have the sass of a Coren Mitchell but she’s a safe pair of hosting hands and most of the LOLs come from the excellent nerds lining up to take on the hive. Julia Raeside
Child Genius
9pm, Channel 4
It’s round three of the battle to find Britain’s brainiest offspring and the mini Einsteins are tested to the limit with a comprehension and extreme spelling test. Even Thomas, the 12-year-old who reads economics textbooks for fun and has stormed to the top of the class so far, is feeling the pressure to perform. Meanwhile Giovanni, he of the very pushy dad, is also hoping for a place in the semi-final. Two children will be eliminated at the end, which is harsh on them and their rather keen parents. Hannah Verdier
Undercover
9pm, Dave
It’s day 274 of Operation Piccolo, with doofus copper Chris (Daniel Rigby) no closer to bringing down the Sarkissian crime family from within. But the attempted assassination of patriarch Ara suddenly sows suspicion throughout the entire clan, endangering his flimsy cover. With the end of the first series looming, there’s a distinct sense of escalation, with Rigby’s go-for-broke performance – with echoes of Simon Pegg at his most endearingly panicky – helping punch up nods to movie classics Reservoir Dogs and Miller’s Crossing. Graeme Virtue
Empire
9pm, E4
Despite one too many musical interludes and a corny extended metaphor around the leonine qualities of the Lyon brothers, Fox’s hip-hop-themed drama has also seen thrilling twists aplenty. This first season finale is no exception, as Hakeem, Andre and Jamal learn which one of them rap mogul dad Lucious (Terrence Howard) has chosen as his heir. That’s not the only drama unfolding, either: mum Cookie continues to plot her dominance and preposterously named artiste Black Rambo is on the warpath. Hannah J Davies
Not Safe For Work
10pm, Channel 4
Funny and scathing in equal measure, NSFW is a hybrid of This Life, Fresh Meat and The Thick Of It, only possibly better than that sounds. Tonight, Katherine’s short-term solution to Danny’s incompetence comes home to roost, when “London” sends a waspish troubleshooter called Martine to see what’s going on. Meanwhile, a rough night leaves Danny hungover in shorts and with some unexpected childcare responsibilities – which, uncharacteristically, works out very well for him. John Robinson
Imagine – Toni Morrison Remembers
10.35pm, BBC1
She’s been called “America’s national writer” and was the first African American woman to win the Nobel prize. Despite this, her books are still banned in some schools. As Alan Yentob says, Morrison “may be establishment, but she’s still 100% radical”. Here he meets the author, uncovering a rich seam of the US black experience, while Jessye Norman and Angela Davis bear testament. “I always felt,” Morrison reflects, “like a partial, or fraudulent, American. And finally, just a black person.” Ali Catterall
Film choice
The Go-Between (Joseph Losey, 1971) 2.35pm, BBC2
LP Hartley’s novel of doomed love, as adapted by Harold Pinter. The strength of the film is in the perfect evocation of time, place, and social milieu: pre-first world war rural Norfolk. Julie Christie and Alan Bates are the lovers defying class strictures; Edward Fox the horrified upper-class gent, and Dominic Guard the boy acting as the go-between, marked for life by the experience. Paul Howlett
The Greatest (Shana Feste, 2009) 11.45pm, BBC1
Carey Mulligan is sweetly compelling as Rose, a student grieving for her boyfriend (Aaron Johnson) who died in a car crash just after they made love for the first time. When she discovers she is pregnant, an awkward bond with his parents (Susan Sarandon and Pierce Brosnan) develops. Shana Feste’s family drama leaves too many questions hanging, but is full of powerful performances. PH
Today’s best live sport
Tennis: The Swedish Open The tennis calendar continues after Wimbledon with this clay-court tournament. 10am, BT Sport 2
Cycling: Tour De France The race resumes after a rest day with a 167km journey from Tarbes to La Pierre-Saint-Martin. 1.30pm, ITV4
T20 Cricket: Yorkshire Vikings v Worcestershire Rapids North Division fixture between the sides. 6pm, Sky Sports Ashes
Athletics: The Spitzen Leichtathletik Luzern Tongue-twister of an athletics meeting. 6.30pm, British Eurosport
