In search of the answer

THIS looks like being a night of awkward questions. For example, A QUESTION OF SPORT (BBC1, 7.30pm) includes among its guests the former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson.

“Tell me, Paul,” presenter Sue Barker is bound to ask as she introduces tonight’s teams, “that second goal you conceded against Croatia in 2006.What in the name of God were you playing at..?”

Plus of course we have the PM bring grilled by Julie Etchingham in THE LEADER INTERVIEWS – TONIGHT (ITV, 8pm).

In fact, Boris is going to be grilled on both sides, so to speak, because moments after that he’ll be miraculously teleporting to Southampton for – will this stuff ever end? – THE BBC PRIME MINISTERIAL DEBATE (BBC1,

8.30pm), where it’ll be Nick Robinson’s turn to put him and Jeremy Corbyn on the spot.

But the most important question of the night, I hope, will be posed on THE GRAHAM NORTON SHOW (BBC1, 10.40pm), where the guests include the multitalented Jodie Whittaker, star of BBC sci-fi favourite DoctorWoke.

“So you’ll be back in the Tardis for another series, Jodie, in just a few weeks’ time,” I trust Graham will begin.

“Might I inquire, will the storylines be as relentlessly, soul-crushingly, condescendingly, box-tickingly politically correct as they were last time?

“Or are there radical plans to make the programme semiwatchable again?”

Admittedly, he may say no such thing.Also on Graham’s sofa – and given what ought to be an easier time, since he’s been a wee bit poorly of late – is the great Sir Michael Palin, talking about his recently published North Korea Journal.

It’s an absorbing account of his trip last year to a land famously shrouded in secrecy, to film what became a fascinating Channel 5 series (available now on streaming service Britbox, by the way).

As you can imagine, the mission posed significant challenges even for TV’s most seasoned globetrotter.

Earlier, this week’s edition of THE GADGET SHOW (Channel 5, 7pm) has had to overcome a challenge it increasingly faces at this time of year. Namely, to focus on items that haven’t already been featured on the countless other What To Buy People For Christmas shows that invariably shoot up now all over the place.

Previews of the programme, sadly, are never made available, but it does sound as though the team have had a decent crack at it.

We’re promised a particular focus on tech-themed ideas for the kitchen, designed to make preparing Christmas dinner at least slightly less stressful.

Mine would be to chuck Alexa in the sink.