Motherland
10pm, BBC Two
Frenemy at the gates. The scabrous sitcom about school-mum rivalry continues, with the usually heroically apathetic Julia (Anna Maxwell Martin) abruptly inserting herself into the organisation and execution of a fundraising night in an attempt to ingratiate herself with an old friend. Will the Auction of Promises go off without a hitch? With Liz (Diane Morgan) manning the bar while nursing a grudge against alpha mum Amanda, probably not. Graeme Virtue
The A Word
9pm, BBC One
It’s not too late to join series two of this family drama, following the fortunes of those close to Joe, a post-punk-loving autistic child in the north of England. Tonight, Joe starts a new school, which means a lengthy commute and the mild peril of a change to his routine. Paul’s experiences with Mark seem to be drawing him closer to his co-worker Sophie. Meanwhile, Maurice (Christopher Eccleston) employs Ralph at the brewery, with a few not completely unforeseen consequences. John Robinson
Rick Stein’s Road to Mexico
9pm, BBC Two
Stein keeps on tootling down the Californian coast, now taking in LA and San Diego. In Hollywood, he tries the lamb’s kidney dish Charlie Chaplin used to eat daily, and the Korean-Mexican street snacks that form part of the food-truck scene. Closer to the border he meets a septuagenarian sea-urchin diver and a fishmonger whose story has a stinging twist. This area is reliant on immigration; Stein, with his knack for being gently righteous, is unequivocally pro. Jack Seale
Saying Goodbye
10.45pm, BBC One
Every day in the UK, more than 100 young people lose a parent. In this Children in Need film, those either bereaved or preparing for a death talk about their experiences. Among them are Imogen, 12, and her sister, Madeleine, nine, whose mother has secondary cancer. Tragically, their father also has Huntington’s and they’re facing the possibility that they may have inherited either disease. Their understanding and resilience is remarkable. Sharon O’Connell
Music on 4: The Great Songwriters
12.10am, Channel 4
While Wayne Coyne may have become something of a caricature of himself in recent years – getting matching tattoos with Miley Cyrus, engaging in online spats with Erykah Badu, sacking his bandmate and so on – the Flaming Lips mainman has written more than his share of dazzling pop gems over the course of the group’s three-decade-long career. Here, the band reflect on creativity, songwriting and their love of performance. Sophie Harris
Finding Escobar’s Millions
10pm, Discovery
New series in which two former CIA operatives seek the modern El Dorado that is the fortune of Pablo Escobar. When Escobar met his unlamented end in a shootout with Colombian police in 1993, the drug kingpin may have been the wealthiest criminal in history – many believe that he buried cash around Colombia. Ben Smith and Doug Laux begin their search in Barrio Escobar, the entire neighbourhood in Medellin built with some of that money. Andrew Mueller
The Deuce
10pm, Sky Atlantic
The last in David Simon and George Pelecanos’s fine series, which has tracked the advance of the early-70s porn industry into the mainstream through the eyes of Maggie Gyllenhaal’s Eileen. There are still victims, however, as we sadly see tonight, while the pimps are starting to find things tough. Meanwhile, Vincent, who only ever really wanted to run a bar, finds that he is getting in far deeper with Rudy than he would care to. More, please. David Stubbs
Film choice
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (Oliver Stone, 2010) 6.20pm, Film4
In this belated sequel, Michael Douglas’s Gordon Gekko, the lizard of 80s Wall Street, is out of jail, eschewing his former greedy ways and seeking reconciliation with his estranged, charity-worker daughter (Carey Mulligan) while her partner, renewable energies investor Shia LaBeouf, falls under his spell. Can the Gekko really change his spots? Paul Howlett
Live sport
Tennis: ATP World Tour Finals More from the season-closing men’s tournament at the O2. 2pm, BBC Two
International football: England v Brazil Gareth Southgate’s Russia-bound team embark upon another challenging friendly. 7.30pm, ITV
World Cup football: Republic of Ireland v Denmark The second leg of the play-off from the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. 7.30pm, Sky Sports Main Event
