Horizon: First Britons
8pm, BBC2
Science is gradually revealing the secrets of our forebears. And many of these secrets are pretty flattering. This documentary explores Britain as it was 3,000 years before Stonehenge was constructed. Britain wasn’t an island at this point but instead was part of Doggerland – the vast earthmass of Ukip’s nightmares, as it connected Britain to mainland Europe. We were a surprisingly sophisticated bunch: cultivating animals, wearing nice clothes and practising rudimentary farming techniques. Phil Harrison
Britain’s Spending Secrets
9pm, BBC1
Anne Robinson presents a two-part look at how money is spent at various points of Britain’s yawning income gap, from the single unemployed mum buying a high-APR fridge-freezer to the billionaire splurging £12m on a third home. Despite flashing a trigger warning for anyone with an ounce of compassion, this is a largely uncritical view of Britain’s wealth divide. That is, until the segment where a suburbanite with a firmly entrenched “let them eat Greggs” mindset visits a lower-income family. Mark Gibbings-Jones
Return Of The Giant Killers: Africa’s Lion Kings
9pm, BBC2
Down in Botswana there exist a pride of lions so crazy hungry, they’ll take on the impossible. To wit: elephants – the one other species “trapped in this smouldering wasteland”. Even more jaw-droppingly, as evinced here, they occasionally succeed – albeit while resembling insanely optimistic kittens leaping on the backs of Great Danes. Before we get to that showdown, however, we join the rookie cubs being taught to hunt. Astonishing and somewhat traumatic. Ali Catterall
Confucius: Genius Of The Ancient World
9pm, BBC4
Final instalment of a three-part series in which Bettany Hughes has chronicled the life and works of three intellectual titans of yore. Having previously examined Buddha and Socrates, she travels to China to follow the physical and philosophical trail forged by Confucius, whose thinking underpins the world’s most populous country. His rambles across China in search of explanation for the chaos of his times give Hughes the opportunity to combine a lecture with an engaging travelogue. Andrew Mueller
Witnesses
10pm, Channel 4
Episode five of the French police procedural, and Paul is at the mercy of Kaz Gorbier. It is, of course, down to Sandra to work out where her colleague is being held. Perhaps the least satisfying instalment to date, principally because there’s something a little schlocky about Gorbier’s serial-killer persona – Alice Cooper makeup does not in itself make a man truly scary – which clashes with the show’s bleak atmospherics. Still, the plot twists tonight are more than enough to make you keenly anticipate next week’s finale. Jonathan Wright
The Americans
10pm, ITV Encore
The excellent drama about Soviet agents embedded in 1980s America returns for season three. The Afghanistan war – “Russia’s Vietnam” – is hotting up and pressure is growing on Elizabeth and Philip to groom their daughter for the cause, leading to tensions between the couple. As ever, sex plays a big part in their espionage, with Philip enjoying some kama sutra action with Martha for the sake of world communism, while Elizabeth must endure a brutal dust-up with two FBI agents. David Stubbs
Top Coppers
10pm, BBC3
A parody 80s cop show, borrowing tropes from both US and UK police series, with some amazing cameos and a script laced with mostly weak gags. The deliberately hammy style sails too close to Toast. You can feel the good intent bubbling under but failing to surface because no one seems able to hit their comic stride. Although the two leads are very likable and tonight’s opener features the unbeatable Paul Ritter as their villainous arch nemesis, an ice-cream and drug distributor, it misses by a mile. A great shame. Julia Raeside
Film choice
Casino Royale (Martin Campbell, 2006) 9pm, ITV2
The new but distinctly retro James Bond era kicked off with this crunchy, gripping tale of how Bond earned his “00” prefix. Daniel Craig brings a brutal physicality – and Jason Bourne-informed self-doubt – to the role, with Mads Mikkelsen’s Le Chiffre a villain to savour and Eva Green a frozen-vodka-cool Vesper Lynd. A wry sense of humour, too – as when 007 emerges from the sea in his natty blue bathers. Paul Howlett
Today’s best live sport
International Cricket: South Africa v New Zealand Another one-day international from SuperSport Park in Centurion. 11.25am, Sky Sports Ashes.
WTA Tennis: The Western & Southern Open Coverage of the second round on day three of the Western & Southern Open at Lindner Family Tennis Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. 4pm, BT Sport 1
Premier League U-21s Football: Everton v Liverpool The youngsters from the red and blue halves of Merseyside do battle. 6.45pm, Sky Sports 1
