British Telly

The journalist goes in search of emotional closure at the Hindu Kumbh Mela festival. Plus: a transatlantic twist on Dragons’ Den. Here’s what to watch this evening

9pm, BBC OneJournalist Amol Rajan has been “in a bit of a funk” since his father died three years ago. Rajan gradually realised that his mother, a practising Hindu, “seemed to have an emotional toolkit that I lacked”. Has this lack of faith made it harder to come to terms with bereavement? With this question in mind, he travels to India to take part in the Hindu festival Kumbh Mela. Initially, he’s slightly overwhelmed by the intensity of the pilgrimage, not to mention emotionally triggered by seeing so many older Indian men who remind him of his dad. And he’s soon faced with more tragedy, as a crush causes 30 deaths. In the wake of this new sadness, can he find closure? Phil Harrison

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An insight into the Valencia floods and how we need to prepare for climate catastrophes. Plus, Jordan Gray’s fun new sitcom. Here’s what to watch this evening

9pm, BBC One

The anatomy of a modern climate catastrophe is revealed in this sobering documentary about the appalling floods that hit Valencia in October 2024. The first part of the film deals with the events as they were experienced by the citizens, 228 of whom didn’t live to tell the tale. But there’s also an insight into how humanity will have to adapt to increasingly volatile weather as failures in forecasting and preparation are laid bare. Phil Harrison

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Julian Fellowes’s New York-set period drama returns for a third series. Plus: was nurse Helen Smith murdered in Saudi Arabia in 1979? Here’s what to watch this evening

9pm, Sky AtlanticJulian Fellowes’s New York-set costume drama continues to underwhelm in its third series. Somehow, it’s never quite racy or absorbing enough to excuse its lack of literary weight, plus some of the dialogue feels like a parody of period potboiler tropes. Ada (Cynthia Nixon) has become heavily involved in the temperance movement – which isn’t suiting Agnes (Christine Baranski) at all. Elsewhere, George’s railroad plan is in danger of hitting the buffers. Phil Harrison

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It’s the penultimate episode of the Brink’s-Mat series, which concludes on Monday. Plus, things are about to get explosive in The Handmaid’s Tale. Here’s what to watch this evening

9pm, BBC One

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The tennis champion tells her own incredible life story. Plus: Uma Thurman’s far-fetched transatlantic thriller. Here’s what to watch this evening

11.10pm, BBC One

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Is this eccentric documentary about the retired TV host about to become a cult classic? Plus: Alison Hammond meets Tony Bellew. Here’s what to watch today

• ‘I am Jesus!’: the TV brilliance of Noel Edmonds

9pm, ITV1Noel Edmonds is an unusual man. On the face of it, this series simply documents his attempts to open a bar-restaurant in New Zealand with his wife, Liz. But the fun is in the journey not the arrival. Edmonds is obsessed with new-age woo, spending time on his “crystal bed” and practising a workout regime he calls “tranquil power”. He’s also startlingly excited about his nail gun, calling it “a sex toy”, and regards Liz as “an earth angel” believing she was “a gift from the cosmos”. An eccentric cult classic in the making. Phil Harrison

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The standup makes a smart dig at a broken system that undervalues disabled people. Plus: Heston Blumenthal’s documentary about bipolar disorder. Here’s what to watch this evening

10pm, Channel 4“Play off your cerebral wotsit. We can make shitloads of money.” Drug dealer Ewen (Ryan McParland) has spotted an opportunity. Can he persuade Rosie Jones’s skint charity worker Emily to go into partnership with him? After all, he points out, as a disabled woman she’s effectively invisible. It’s a neat premise to underpin this sitcom (co-created by Jones and Peter Fellows) and entirely consistent with Jones’s screen persona, which balances rage, charm and gleeful transgression. It’s also a smart dig at a broken system that routinely writes off disabled people’s capacity to be autonomous, economic actors but still forces them to beg for state support. Funny and pointed. Phil Harrison

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Grab the tissues as Davina and Nicky help Simon and Lisa look for their relatives in a new series of Long Lost Family. Plus: the Repair Shop goes to Glasgow. Here’s what to watch this evening

9pm, ITV1A new run of this affecting, long-running series which uses a mixture of fancy DNA technology and old-school sleuthing to reunite people with their biological families. We begin with Simon who, in 1966, was left in the outside toilet block of a mother-and-baby home in south Wales. We also meet Lisa, who almost 60 years ago, was left in another baby’s pram. Can Davina McCall, Nicky Campbell and their team help the pair find some answers about their origins? Expect tearful revelations. Phil Harrison

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A documentary tells the story of a disturbing Japanese reality TV show. Plus: should a 73-year-old cattle farmer get her first tattoo? Here’s what to watch this evening

10pm, BBC FourTheJapanese comedian Tomoaki Hamatsu thought he was going to an audition. But when a producer asked him to strip naked and carry out a series of challenges, it turned out he wasn’t being told the truth. In fact, he was being filmed and broadcast to 15 million people. Amazingly, he stayed in the room for 15 months. This documentary tells the story of an unsettling 1998 experiment. Phil Harrison

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West Mercia police attempt to find the killers who beat a delivery driver to death. Plus: a gripping Tudor mystery. Here’s what to watch this evening

9pm, BBC TwoAfter DPD driver Aurman Singh was beaten to death while on a delivery in Shrewsbury, the police assessed the shocking level of violence involved and surmised that robbery wasn’t the motive. Stretched across the week, this gripping true-crime series follows the West Mercia police as they track the suspects, make arrests, then realise the roots of the crime run much deeper than they thought. Phil Harrison

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Multiple hypothetical injuries as four drivers get a wake-up call in Pile Up: World’s Biggest Crash Test. Plus, a fun charity football match and more villainy in The Gold. Here’s what to watch tonight

9pm, Channel 4Every day, thousands of people get into their cars with minimal understanding of the risks they’re taking. This documentary is a spectacular corrective to that, staging a multi-car pile-up and enlisting four drivers to remotely control real cars. The results are striking and the aftermath is fascinating as the crash scene is pored over and the extent of the (thankfully hypothetical) injuries is assessed. Phil Harrison

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An exploration of the financial affairs of Harry Windsor and Meghan Markle. Plus, a shameful and seldom-told story from the aftermath of the second world war. Here’s what to watch tonight

8.30pm, Channel 5The Sussex Squad may have largely disappeared from British public life, but they still seem to arouse tabloid fury. Hence, this unnecessary documentary on the exiled couple’s financial affairs. The sources of their wealth don’t seem too mysterious: inheritance, a massive Netflix deal and a payout from the publishers representing the Sun newspaper won’t have hurt. But clearly it’s time for another stir of the pot. Phil Harrison

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Lee Mack’s excellent family sitcom explores empty nest syndrome. Plus: Alison Hammond bonds delightfully with Lenny Henry and Sam Thompson’s on a mission. Here’s what to watch tonight

9pm, BBC OneLee Mack’s broad family sitcom switches things up for its 14th series by jumping a few years forward. The kids are grownup and gone, which means that Lee (Mack) and Lucy (Sally Bretton) are empty nesters and looking to downsize. When they view their “for ever home” it, of course, turns into a farce of a broken toilet, koi carp and the couple pretending to be brother and sister. The laughs may be light, but they are consistent. Hollie Richardson

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Fans of the 90s comedy drama are in for a treat as the duo take a deep dive into their pasts in DNA Journey. Plus: Rosie Ramsay showcases her trotting skills. Here’s what to watch this evening

9pm, ITV1

It’s a nostalgia-fest for Cold Feet fans, as Fay Ripley and Hermione Norris are the lively pair tracing their genealogy for this fascinating series. While Norris was one half of the hit 00s show’s posh couple on screen, in reality it’s Ripley who has the more high-class background, with her journey starting at St Paul’s Cathedral in London. Norris, on the other hand, begins hers in the Butchers Arms in Durham, where a relative who was a miner died in shocking circumstances. Hollie Richardson

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Survivors of Flight 149 share chilling testimony as they prepare for their day in court. Plus: a millionaire ex-model needs a new house. Here’s what to watch this evening

9pm, Sky Documentaries“I’m on a British Airways passenger flight, where’s the champagne? Then there’s this moment when you think: ‘Fuck, they’re bombing the aeroplane.’” That’s the account of one of the survivors of the hostages captured by Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein’s forces when a civilian flight landed in Kuwait in 1990. This startling documentary hears such testimonies as the survivors prepare to take the British government and BA to court to seek “justice and the truth”. Hollie Richardson

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Confessions of ex-prison guards are woven with the story of two incarcerated brothers who recall torture so cruel it’s hard to fathom. Here’s what to watch this evening

9pm, BBC TwoWhen the reign of Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad came to an end in December 2024, the image that went around the world was of political prisoners being released after years of confinement and torture. This film follows the story of two incarcerated brothers, matching it with the confessions of more than 40 former regime operatives, from intelligence officers to prison guards. They describe actions so dark and cruel, they are hard even to comprehend. Jack Seale

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Fuelled by his own experience, the chef bids high to spark an educational reform. Plus: Jane Austen’s Emma takes shape on the page. Here’s what to watch this evening

9pm, Channel 4Love or loathe him, there’s no denying that Jamie Oliver has used his profile more than most to campaign for better opportunities for young people. This time, though, it’s personal. Oliver, who has dyslexia, is calling for educational reform to ensure dyslexic children aren’t left behind. He speaks to pupils who feel “stupid, worthless, dumb” as he did, teachers who say training isn’t fit for purpose and dyslexic celebrities such as Holly Willoughby. This leads to a meeting with the secretary of state for education, Bridget Phillipson, who is presented with voice notes from dyslexic people: “I hated being me, I hated school, I hated life.” Is it enough to make change happen? Hollie Richardson

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A race against time for the Met as the underworld attempts to shift £26m of gold. Plus; Kiell Smith-Bynoe guest stars as an insufferable digital marketer in cosy crime charmer Death Valley

9pm, BBC OneThe Bafta-nominated 80s crime drama based on the wild true story of the Brink’s-Mat robbery returns. The police hunt for the other half of the stolen £26m gold bullion is the longest and most expensive investigation in the Met’s history. This second series is inspired by theories of what happened to it, starting in Tenerife, where John Palmer (Tom Cullen) has started a timeshare business. The top cast is back, including Stephen Campbell Moore and Hugh Bonneville, and look out for Jack Lowden in a later episode. Hollie Richardson

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An archival feast for fans of the legendary US singer-songwriter. Plus, a soft landing for Whovians as Ncuti Gatwa, Billie Piper, David Tennant and Karen Gillan feature in a documentary about the making of the show. Here’s what to watch this evening

8.40pm, BBC TwoIt’s basically a Billy Joel night for megafans to get lost in on BBC Two, with his 100th show at Madison Square Garden last year and a vintage recording from 1978 airing later in the evening. But first: a warm-up with these archive clips of Joel performing over the years, with the likes of Uptown Girl, Piano Man and Just the Way You Are, along with interviews and appearances. Hollie Richardson

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Justin Spitzer’s comedy drama about exhausted doctors and nurses starts. Plus: the final part of Joanna Lumley’s riparian odyssey. Here’s what to watch this evening

10.40pm, BBC OneIf Scrubs met Abbott Elementary, you’d get something like this American hospital mockumentary series (but lower your expectations a wee bit). It’s from Justin Spitzer – who created Superstore and wrote for The Office – and Eric Ledgin, and follows the dedicated if exhausted team at an underfunded hospital in Oregon. It gets straight into the chaos, with new nurse Matt trying to get through his first day. Hollie Richardson

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Best family? Best storyline? Jane McDonald is host as the soaps battle it out. Plus: juicy drama in Marie Antoinette. Here’s what to watch this evening

8pm, ITV1It is a hard time for the soaps right now, so it was nice to see them get some love at the annual awards show at the weekend (after all, that live EastEnders episode was undeniably a great feat). Did the Dingles beat the Slaters to pick up the best family award? Did Mercedes McQueen’s powerful acceptance of her bowel cancer win scene of the year? And which storyline was the best: Belle’s domestic violence in Emmerdale or Paul dealing with motor neurone disease in Corrie? Jane McDonald is on hosting duties as we find out. Hollie Richardson

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The rapper gives a taster from her new album along with some old favourites. Plus: tension mounts on the low-budget race of a lifetime. Here’s what to watch this evening

11.40pm, BBC OneBefore she sets off on a European tour and curates this year’s Meltdown festival at the Southbank Centre in London, multi-award-winning Little Simz gives us a taster with this electrifying session at Maida Vale Studios. She will perform six hits – some from her new album, Lotus, along with a few picks from her back catalogue – and chat with Clara Amfo about her struggles to make the album, collaborations and what’s ahead. Hollie Richardson

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Byron is a working-class teenager desperate for a different life. Plus: a great art series continues with Lubaina Himid. Here’s what to watch this evening

9pm, BBC Three

Millennials, prepare for a nostalgia rush as this rollicking adaptation of Paris Lees’ memoir takes us back to the time of Nokias, Zombie Nation and total hedonism. Life is “one big fucking party” for everyone except Byron (a brilliant breakthrough for Ellis Howard), a working-class teenager desperate to escape constant homophobia and hopelessness. Sex work leads Byron to Nottingham’s underground scene and a fun-loving group called the Fallen Divas. But the party can’t last for ever … It’s a bold and captivating opening episode that doesn’t flinch from exploring the big issues (Byron is only 15 when being paid for sex) and tells the story with authenticity and humour. Hollie Richardson

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The extraordinary story of history’s most famous female author continues. Plus: Nathan Fielder’s awkward social experiment. Here’s what to watch this evening

9pm, BBC Two

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The retired racer heads to Hanoi to mark 50 years since the end of the war. Plus: more crime-solving fun with Timothy Spall in Death Valley. Here’s what to watch this evening

9pm, Channel 4

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