PICKS OF THE DAY
Music: The Rolling Stones: Charlie Is My Darling, Sky Arts, 11.50pm
This musical gem is the extended cut of Peter Whitehead’s excellent film – the first documentary about The Rolling Stones. It was intended as a screen test for the band, to see how their musical charisma would translate into film. The footage was shot during the band’s second tour of Ireland in 1965, just weeks after (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction reached No.1 in the charts, with gigs in Belfast and Dublin. The restored version is an intimate, behind-the-scenes diary of life on the road with the Stones: Charlie Watts, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards (all left), Brian Jones and Bill Wyman. We see them on-stage and backstage, where they discuss their futures.
Food: Secrets Of The Fast Food Giants, C5, 7pm
French-born actor, radio presenter and winner of Celebrity MasterChef 2016, Alexis Conran (left) investigates how takeaway shops keep us coming back for more – and what we can do to get more for our money. In this opening episode, Alexis is joined by Essex takeaway lovers Rob and Della. They join in taste tests and DIY cooking experiments to help him demonstrate the tricks and hints he learns on his travels. His first mission is to get inside the world of fried chicken.
Film: The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies, Film 4, 9pm
Peter Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy comes to its conclusion with this lavish fantasy adventure, starring Martin Freeman, Ken Stott (both above), Richard Armitage, Cate Blanchett and Ian McKellen. Bilbo and his dwarf friends face enemies on all sides. They must fight orcs, trolls and each other if they are to keep hold of their gold. Meanwhile, Gandalf faces an ancient evil.
Documentary: Gazza, BBC2, 9pm
This final part of the Paul Gascoigne story charts the life and career of a footballer whose on-field brilliance was rivalled by a troubled private life. It’s the mid-90s, and Gascoigne (above) and girlfriend Sheryl are now tabloid fodder thanks to his instability off the pitch. On it, England’s failure to qualify for the 1994 World Cup deepens the player’s woes. His career is on a high at Euro ’96 but he is rocked by injuries and scandal.
Documentary: Murder In Soho: Who Killed Freddie Mills, BBC4, 10pm
With access to previously unseen home movies, Simon Dales’s engrossing film delves into the murky worlds of post-war boxing and 1960s Soho, offering an intimate portrayal of hero Freddie Mills (right), who rose from fairground boxer to become lightheavyweight champion of the world. In July 1965 he was found shot dead in the back of his car. Fifty years after his death his relatives still challenge the coroner’s verdict of suicide, maintaining he was murdered.