Satellite choice
MUSICAL MATINEE Fancy Pants, 12.45pm, 5Spike
BOB HOPE and Lucille Ball buddy up for this musical, inspired by Ruggles Of Red Gap, a novel by Harry Leon Wilson. Hope plays the actor who steps up to play the role of British butler for a U.S. family as they prepare to host President Roosevelt — and who wins over the family’s daughter to boot. (Freeview 31, Sky 160, Virgin 154)
PAY-PER-VIEW MOVIE Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie, BT TV/Sky Store/Virgin Movies
A CHILDREN’S animated comedy that’s more sophisticated than its title suggests, this follows two school friends who accidentally transform their annoying teacher into a superhero.
FOOTBALL Liverpool v Spartak Moscow, 7pm, BT Sport 2
THE Reds need at least a point after wasting a 3-0 lead in Seville. They left Moscow with a 1-1 draw in September, despite playing Philippe Coutinho, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah. Over on BT Sport 3, Spurs, already winners of Group H, play Cyprus’s APOEL at Wembley.
MISSILE TECHNOLOGY Machines Of War, 8pm, Yesterday
TO FIRE something the size of a family car from an underwater vessel is an engineering challenge and just part of the technological puzzle behind the development of cruise missiles. They are the first subject of an interesting new series that manages a sober tone.
PRIZE PAINTER Landscape Artist Of The Year 2017, 8pm, Sky Arts
FRANK SKINNER and Joan Bakewell (pictured) host a double bill that reveals the winner and follows them as they enjoy their prize: painting the view from Noel Coward’s Jamaica home. So many contests end so quickly after the winner is announced, so this is a nice change.
GREAT APES Dian Fossey: Secrets In The Mist, 9pm, National Geographic
SIGOURNEY WEAVER, who played Dian Fossey in Gorillas In The Mist, narrates this finely crafted new three-part profile of the conservationist. Weaver’s narration really brings this to life, along with the still incredible footage of Fossey with the wild gorillas.
CHARMING SITCOM Detectorists, 10pm, BBC4
WILL Toni forgive the sweet but idiotic Lance? It’s the penultimate episode of Mackenzie Crook’s beautifully handled comedy, and it says a lot that this is a much more important storyline than all that stuff about solar panels and gold being stolen by magpies. We know it isn’t treasure that will actually make Lance and Andy happy.
FILM THRILLER The Deal, 10pm, Sky Premiere
STEPHEN DORFF (pictured) stars as a U.S. banker who buys Peruvian government debt so his firm can profit from it. A drama that explores the social impact of unscrupulous money deals.
COMEDY GENIUS The Undiscovered Peter Cook, 11pm, BBC4
FOR this sparkling gem of a film, Victor Lewis-Smith is allowed into Peter Cook’s home — which has been sealed by his widow since his death — and it’s a treasure trove of writings and recordings. There are many revealing stories here — and also an awful lot of bad language.