DIY SOS: Homes For Veterans
8pm, BBC1
Nick Knowles and his team of in-joking tradespeople aren’t always easy company, but from its initial premise, the show has stealthily become a philanthropic concern – righting wrongs caused by trade incompetence, tragedy and the like. So it is tonight, as the crew aim to renovate a street of derelict Manchester properties and make them fit for former soldiers suffering from PTSD. The houses throw up some unexpected problems, but Princes William and Harry are both on hand to lend a royal shoulder. John Robinson
Restoring Britain’s Landmarks
8pm, Channel 4
The Landmark Trust charity is custodian of a wealth of fascinating buildings around the country, which it has restored and now offers as holiday accommodation. This fly-on-the-wall series follows the conservation experts and craftsmen whose task it is to bring these buildings – from lighthouses to castles – back to their former glory. This week it’s a glorious but derelict villa in Lyme Regis, once owned by a feisty 18th-century businesswoman and later by author John Fowles. Ben Arnold
The Apprentice
9pm, BBC1
Here comes Suralan with his annual quest to find a new Apprentice and this year he’s joined by a new aide, Claude Littner, the no-nonsense bad cop who usually only comes in to scare people at the interview round. Sugar sets the 12 would-be business legends a classic challenge by sending them down to Billingsgate market to buy fish to cook and flog on the streets of London. While one team targets city workers, the other heads to Camden to trap some tourists. As ever, one contestant will be told: “You’re fired!” Hannah Verdier
The Face Of Britain By Simon Schama
9pm, BBC2
Continuing his terrific series on portraiture, Simon Schama turns his attention to celebrity. He begins with the “extraordinary national trauma” that followed the death of Princess Diana. “The camera ate her up even before the multitudes did.” How did we get to a point where this can happen? Schama searches for clues by considering images of, among others, Sir Francis Drake, artist George Romney’s muse Emma Hart and those whose images adorned cigarette cards. Jonathan Wright
Alexander Armstrong In The Land Of The Midnight Sun
9pm, ITV
In this three-part documentary, the new voice of Danger Mouse places himself in some actual peril by undertaking an 800-mile journey around the Arctic Circle. Beginning in Norway, Armstrong goes skinny-dipping in freezing water, spends a night in an ice hotel, and rides a Ski-Doo accompanied by the strains of a Bond soundtrack. An affable and inquisitive tourist, the Pointless host remains calm and debonair, even when a historically notable storm upends his Scandinavian itinerary. Graeme Virtue
You, Me And The Apocalypse
9pm, Sky1
The end-of-times comedy drama continues as Slough bank manager Jamie (Mathew Baynton) tries to find his birth mother while the authorities continue to mistake him for hacking mastermind Ariel. Meanwhile Father Jude (Rob Lowe) and Sister Celine (Gaia Scodellaro) save a young girl from an angry mob only to find out she has a surprising secret. It set an agreeably silly tone from the off and the performances, coupled with the impending jeopardy, keep this crackling like a space rock entering Earth’s atmosphere. Julia Raeside
The Only Way Is Essex
11pm, ITVBe
Between endorsing everything from hair extensions to detox plans, running their own business empires, and cropping up on every other reality show on telly, it’s a wonder that the Towie gang have had time to film a new series. And yet, the perpetually dramatic permatanned crew who sparked Britain’s love affair with scripted reality are on to their 16th outing now. Lockie and Danielle remain estranged, relations between Jess and Lauren are far from reem, and new girl Verity continues to cause a stir. Hannah J Davies
Film choices
In Time (Andrew Niccol, 2011) 9pm, 5*
Time is money in this intriguing sci-fi tale: it’s set in a futureworld where people’s lives are terminated at the age of 25, unless they can accrue extra years in their personal life bank by wheeling, dealing and robbing. How this might conceivably work is tactfully ignored, and Niccol settles for conventional action mechanics, with Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried on the run, and Cillian Murphy the fey and vicious villain. Paul Howlett
The Aviator (Martin Scorsese, 2004) 10.55pm, TCM
Scorsese’s expansive biopic of the aircraft designer-cum-movie maker Howard Hughes follows him from the making of Hell’s Angels in 1930 to aerial triumph in 1947. It’s a honed and polished entertainment that presents him pretty much as an all-American hero (but what about the fascist politics?), with Leonardo DiCaprio impressively intense as Hughes and Cate Blanchett a knockout as Katharine Hepburn. PH
Today’s best live sport
Test Cricket: Pakistan v England Misbah-ul-Haq’s Pakistan should present England’s Ashes winners with a tough test in the UAE. 6.30am, Sky Sports 2
ATP Masters Tennis: The Shanghai Masters Coverage of the fourth day’s play at the Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena in Shanghai. 6.30am, Sky Sports 3
International Cricket: India v South Africa Coverage of the second match of the five-game series, held at Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore. 8.45am, Sky Sports 1
