The Secret Life of the Zoo
8pm, Channel 4
The behind-the-scenes look at Chester zoo continues, with ageing penguins Spike and Rudd slowing down, leaving staff with difficult decisions to make about their future. A pair of tigers and their cubs must move to a new enclosure, so the big-cat team help them stay calm, and two Cambodian sun bears arrive at the zoo. Meanwhile, at the insect house, a tarantula described as “a bit of a douche” prepares to risk his life with a new mate. Hannah Verdier
Happy Valley
9pm, BBC1
Sarah Lancashire returns in Sally Wainwright’s gripping but somewhat hardcore crime thriller set in Yorkshire’s Calder Valley. The appalling Tommy Lee Royce is safely behind bars, but who is his mysterious lady visitor and what does she want? Meanwhile, a case of sheep-rustling quickly gives way to something far more sinister, plunging our heroine back into another grim investigation. Wainwright’s writing is brilliant, but Lancashire’s jaw once again must remain set against the coming horrors. Roll on spring. Julia Raeside
The Real Marigold Hotel
9pm, BBC2
A final instalment of sweaty pottering in India. At the end of most celeb travelogues, the stars collect their fees and return to Surrey; here they genuinely seem to be considering retirement in this strange new land. That means facing two fundamentals: mortality and house prices. In Varanasi, the holy city of the dead, Jan Leeming and Roy Walker light candles for departed loved ones. Other stretches of the episode consist of footage of Bobby George looking at flats: “That tap’s on the piss!” Jack Seale
The Great British Benefits Handout
9pm, Channel 5
The latest series from C5’s production line of benefits-themed programming has a whiff of gameshow hucksterism about it. Three families on benefits are offered a suitcase full of cash – £26,000 each, barely a banker’s bonus – to sign off from state support. The idea seems to be that by providing some hitherto unachievable financial autonomy, each family will have the option to escape the benefits trap, while the producers must be secretly be hoping that they squander a life-changing opportunity. Graeme Virtue
Surviving Alcatraz: Escaping the Rock
9pm, Yesterday
The escape, in 1962, of three convicts from the “unbreakable” Alcatraz prison in San Francisco Bay has given rise to a film and a lot of speculation. Did they survive, or drown? Three Dutch scientists with the requisite 3D-modelling skills think there’s enough science to suggest they might have made it, and try to build a raft to test their suspicions. It’s enjoyable (look out for cop Mike Dyke), although what they discover can’t change the one indisputable fact: “They were never seen again.” John Robinson
Professor Green: Hidden and Homeless
9pm, BBC3
Following on from his well-received doc on male suicide, which aired last autumn, the rapper – real name Stephen Manderson – returns to BBC3 to host a one-off on the growing number of young Brits without a fixed abode. As the title implies, the focus is on the “hidden homeless” – that is, those living in hostels and sofa-surfing – although he also explores the challenges facing rough sleepers. It’s a complex issue, but Manderson can be relied upon for empathy and insight. Hannah J Davies
The Docklands Bomb: Executing Peace
10pm, BBC4
Twenty years ago today, the IRA ended a 17-month ceasefire by bombing London’s Canary Wharf. The explosion killed Inam Bashir and John Jeffries, injured others and caused an estimated £100m of damage. This film tells the story of the bomb, its political repercussions and the efforts to bring those responsible to justice. There are interviews with the then-head of the Met’s anti-terrorist unit, plus some of the mandarins from London, Dublin and Washington who rescued the peace process from the rubble. Andrew Mueller
Film choice
Terms of Endearment
(James L Brooks, 1983) 10.25am, More4
Shirley MacLaine and Debra Winger play chalk-and-cheese mother and daughter finding family relations interminably difficult. Thankfully, Jack Nicholson’s nutty astronaut Garrett Breedlove steals the schmaltzy show. A classic Hollywood emotional rollercoaster, building to Winger’s box-of-hankies finale.
300
(Zack Snyder, 2006) 9pm, ITV2
This vivid, silly reimagining of the 480BC battle of Thermopylae, in which 300 legendarily tough Spartans fought a squillion Persian soldiers, is based on Frank Miller’s comic book, which explains its hilarious excesses. Gerard Butler plays King Leonidas, who, along with his computer-enhanced footsoldiers, goes to war wearing only swimming trunks, a scarlet cape and a snarl. Paul Howlett
Today’s best live sport
One Day cricket: South Africa v England More action from the ODI series, this time from SuperSport Park in Centurion. 11am, Sky Sports 2
World Cup skiing Coverage of the World Cup in Trondheim, Norway, featuring the HS140 ski jump. 11.45am, Eurosport 1
T20 cricket: India v Sri Lanka Action from Pune. 1.50pm, Sky Sports 1
FA Cup football: West Ham United v Liverpool Klopp’s Liverpool visit London’s East End for a replay. 7pm, BT Sport 2
