The Secret Life of 4 Year Olds
8pm, Channel 4
New series of the fly-on-the-wall doc that strikes fear into the heart of any parent with nursery-age children. This opener is all about how four-year-olds deal with emotions. They shine as always, with class clown Vinnie making friends with Victoria, who has just been given the all-clear from cancer. Meanwhile, dinosaur expert Noah tries to overcome his fear when he gets the opportunity to meet a life-size beast. Hannah Verdier
The A Word
9pm, BBC1
Peter Bowker’s The A Word returns to the Lakes and to the lives of the Hughes family and their music-obsessed, autistic son Joe, now seven and occasionally found on the roof of his primary school. To Paul and Alison’s shock, he uses the word “autistic” to describe himself for the first time, meaning they are finally going to have to confront it with him. It’s not going to be easy. Meanwhile, Becky has returned from travelling, with a humourless new boyfriend in tow. Ben Arnold
Rick Stein’s Road to Mexico
9pm, BBC2
In 1968, Rick Stein hit the States, road-tripping from San Francisco to Mexico. In this series, he retraces his footsteps, exploring the region’s cuisine along the way. He begins rather unpromisingly, comparing SF’s Fisherman’s Wharf to Southend. But, via tacos, fish stews, oysters and sourdoughs, things pick up quickly. Stein’s trump card remains the disarming, sometimes mildly goofy enthusiasm he retains for a good plate of food. Phil Harrison
Motherland
10pm, BBC2
Following last year’s pilot from Sharon Horgan, Holly Walsh and Graham and Helen Linehan, here’s a whole series, centring on struggling mums, competitive mums – and mums whose idea of party food is to mash “four caterpillar cakes into a human centipede”. In the hysterical opener, Julia (Anna Maxwell Martin, amazing) still can’t cope, having organised a “massive fuck-off” children’s birthday do. Meanwhile, Lucy Punch’s smiling shark Amanda is circling. Ali Catterall
The Fight for Mosul
10pm, Channel 4
Extraordinarily intimate account of the battle to retake Mosul from Islamic State, shot over several months from within a group of friends serving in one Iraqi special forces unit. Unsparing footage of the battle is intercut with the subsequent reflections of the men. It’s an astonishing portrait of urban combat, and a gripping portrayal of the universal, eternal truth of warfare – that soldiers fight first and foremost for the soldiers alongside them. Andrew Mueller
Walk of Shame Shuttle
10pm, E4
This desperate, low-budget reality show is a sort of Carpool Banter-oke: members of the public are given a lift to work by one of three presenters, on the condition that on the way they recount a horror story from a recent night out. This week’s legendary tales, all of which are underwhelming or have blatantly been made-up – in some cases, both – involve wardrobe malfunctions, wet beds, odd fetishes, sex toys and unexpected animals. The chat is weak. Jack Seale
Sick Note
10pm, Sky1
Are slackers born or made? This show stars Rupert Grint as Dan, a twentysomething malingerer who would prefer to be playing video games than be at work. When he is misdiagnosed by his incompetent doctor (Nick Frost), it could be the shock he needs to reboot his attitude before it’s too late. As the plot develops, though, we find that it’s difficult for a skiving, kind-of-untrustworthy leopard to change his spots. And yes, weirdly, that is Don Johnson. John Robinson
Film choice
Bridesmaids (Paul Feig, 2011) 9pm, ITV2
This hilarious and tender comedy stars co-writer Kristen Wiig as put-upon single girl Annie, who is losing her best friend Lillian (Maya Rudolph) to marriage and to rich Helen (Rose Byrne). Can she win her back as maid of honour at the wedding? There’s real pathos and charm here, but mainly laughs (particularly from Rebel Wilson’s Brynn).
Akira (Katsuhiro Otomo, 1988) 11.30pm, Syfy
This big-screen version of the Japanese manga is a sci-fi adventure set in (far-distant) 2019, when Tokyo is reduced to a near wasteland roamed by gangs of horrible bikers after a nuclear holocaust. Meanwhile, the army plans to use children with weird mental powers to wrest back control, the most dangerous of them being Akira. Shades of Blade Runner and The Warriors in vivid, violent animated life.
Live sport
International T20 cricket: India v New Zealand The final game of the series. 1.30pm, Sky Sports Main Event
Tennis: Andy Murray Exhibition Coverage from the SSE Hydro in Glasgow, where Murray faces Roger Federer for charity. 7.30pm, Eurosport 1
NBA: San Antonio Spurs v Los Angeles Clippers Coverage of the Western Conference match. 1.30am, BT Sport 1
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