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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Hollie Richardson Jack Seale Priya Elan Graeme Virtue

TV tonight: dragons, swords and James Norton in a return to Westeros

Matt Smith as Daemon Targaryen with long white hair and a scar wears layered armor with ornate shoulder plates
Up to scratch … Matt Smith is back as Daemon Targaryen in House of the Dragon. Photograph: HBO Max/PA

House of the Dragon

9pm, Sky Atlantic
It’s easy to forget what last happened in the disappointingly dull Game of Thrones prequel two years ago. But the bloodiest naval battle in Westeros history – the Battle of the Gullet – actually kicks season three off with a bang. The Targaryen civil war finally gets into full gory swing, with Alicent (Olivia Cooke) and Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) orchestrating their moves for the Iron Throne. Yes, there are still too many dislikable characters moping around, and it’s not a great sign when the only one you feel anything for is a fire-breathing dragon. But there’s no denying the wow factor of epic sword clashes like this one – and there are plenty more promised ahead. Plus added James Norton! Hollie Richardson

Secrets of the Celebrity Sex Tape

11.05pm, Channel 4
Silly season has officially started with this series telling the stories behind the most infamous celebrity sex tapes. The first to hit the headlines? Rob Lowe in 1988 with a 16-year-old and her older friend. But there was also a leaked private tape of US broadcaster Jayne Kennedy and her husband. HR

Millionaire Superyacht: Why Ships Sink

8pm, BBC Two
Seven lives were lost in 2024 when the superyacht Bayesian sank in a storm off the coast of Sicily, when other large boats nearby stayed afloat. Was the problem its unusually large mast, another design flaw or something more surprising? Eyewitnesses and experts give their view as this documentary offers a detailed examination of the case. Jack Seale

Dover 24/7: Britain’s Busiest Port

8pm, Channel 4
The border control team find a potential package of cocaine secreted in a truck of frozen chicken. The officers go into a temperature-controlled room to search the rest of the vehicle, but it’s so cold that they can only manage one chicken box at a time before frostbite sets in. Priya Elan

999: On the Front Line

10pm, Channel 4
This real-life Casualty following the West Midlands ambulance service continues. Outside Tesco, Danni and Lisa pick up an unconscious drug addict who’s suspected of having overdosed, but his buddies refuse to vacate the ambulance, while odd couple Parker and Courtney try to find the source of a patient’s elevated heart rate. PE

Polar Park

Midnight, Channel 4

If you enjoyed the recent surrealist whodunnit This Is Not a Murder Mystery, there is more art-related slaying in the latest French import from Walter Presents. It sees a celebrated crime novelist head to a snowy Alpine village to shake off his writer’s block – only to stumble on an eerie murder styled after Vincent van Gogh. Graeme Virtue

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