Grand Designs: House of the Year
9pm, Channel 4
As the current series comes to a close, Kevin McCloud prepares to reveal the winner of 2017’s Royal Institute of British Architects house of the year. But before this year’s accolade is awarded, the final candidate from the final category is revealed, with the panel considering contenders for the minimalist home of the year. Nominees include dwellings on sites as varied as the former plot of a caretaker’s shed and a Persian-inspired courtyard. Mark Gibbings-Jones
How to Spend It Well at Christmas With Phillip Schofield
8pm, ITV
The festive season approaches and businesses are anticipating getting fat on the nation’s disposable income. Or, in these days of austerity, at least trying to persuade us to flash our credit cards. Still, presents and baubles will be bought, and here’s Phillip Schofield with consumer advice. Tonight’s first of three episodes explores toys, and Jonathan Ross talks retro gifts while “toyologist” Peter Jenkinson advises on what products will be popular. Jonathan Wright
The A Word
9pm, BBC One
Despite the fraught relationships, this is actually a fundamentally warm, funny and watchable series, which serves as an antidote to the excess of often ludicrously dark procedural drama to which the BBC seems addicted. Tonight, Maurice finds time for a competitive run, Ralph has a date and Paul and Alison are treated to a retreat to sort out their difficulties. Eddie, meanwhile, fumes about the assessments Joe must undergo to determine his “normality”. David Stubbs
Motherland
10pm, BBC Two
Episode four of Linehan, Linehan, Horgan and Walsh’s excellent comedy about the Ocado-flavoured trials of suburban motherhood, and Julia (Anna Maxwell Martin) is struggling to cope. In what is now a running gag, she calls husband Paul, who is super busy (read: enjoying punting and Pimms). He offers to send his parents to help, but Elizabeth and Geoff only aggravate Julia further, despite Kevin stepping in to offer his “expertise” with the elderly. Hannah J Davies
The Robot Will See You Now
10pm, Channel 4
It might feel natural to ask Siri to launch that chillaxed brunch playlist but would you feel comfortable talking to her about a breakup? Researchers from Manchester and Plymouth universities are exploring agony-aunt AI with Jess, a robot designed to offer advice to couples and families. Here, some brave volunteers find out if the cute little droid can apply algorithmic learning to knotty emotional problems. Graeme Virtue
Africa’s Super Snake
8pm, Nat Geo Wild
The African rock python is an awesome creature indeed, particularly pregnant mother Squeeze, a four-metre-long specimen who slithers her way around the KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, snacking on whole rabbits and searching for a place to lay a bellyful of eggs. The narration, as the hatchlings head out to an uncertain future, is Partridge-esque in its excessive reverence, a mild distraction from the stunning photography. Ben Arnold
Titanic’s Lost Sister
7.50pm, PBS America
The ill-fated Titanic had a lesser-known sister. She was called Britannic and she didn’t prove to be unsinkable, either – although she at least gave her owners a decent run for their money. Britannic also began life as a transatlantic passenger liner and managed a few successful voyages before the first world war sealed her fate. This doc follows oceanographer Robert Ballard as he investigates the 1916 sinking. Phil Harrison
Film choice
The Dictator (Larry Charles, 2012) 1am, ITV4
Sacha Baron Cohen is Admiral General Aladeen, the Saddam/Gaddafi-like ruler of oil-rich Wadiya. Threatened with US invasion, he flies to New York to address the UN, where he explains the benefits of tyranny and, escaping an assassination threat, hides out with a feminist organic store owner (Anna Faris). A more conventional comedy than Borat and co, it’s bad-taste but wincingly funny.
Live sport
Test cricket: India v Sri Lanka Coverage of the fifth day’s play in the second Test in Nagpur. 6am, Sky Sports Main Event
International women’s football: England v Kazakhstan World Cup qualifier from Colchester. 6.55pm, BBC Two
Premier League football: Watford v Manchester United United visit this year’s Premier League surprise package. 7.15pm, BT Sport 1
