Satellite choice
FILM DRAMA Roman J. Israel, Esq, 5.45pm, Sky Premiere
LEGAL drama buoyed by a compelling performance from Denzel Washington (pictured) as the title character, a talented but shambolic lawyer who faces a fascinating dilemma that could reboot his mid-life.
CRICKET Sri Lanka v England, 9.30am, Sky Cricket & Main Event
ENGLAND lost the 2014 one-day series against Sri Lanka 3-2 at home, with Jos Buttler scoring a brilliant 100 in 61 balls in a losing cause at Lord’s. Buttler is joined by Sam Curran, his brother Tom and Olly Stone in England’s 16-man squad.
DESERT ADVENTURE Lost In The Desert, 6pm, Talking Pictures
GRIPPING drama, following young Dirkie (Wynand Uys, son of director Jamie) and his terrier, Lolly, as they fight for survival after being stranded in the Kalahari desert after a plane crash. It’s the sort of film that may have haunted you if you saw it as a child.
STEPS INTO THE PAST Dancing Cheek To Cheek, 8pm, BBC4
LEN GOODMAN handles the moves and Lucy Worsley dons the costumes in a fun, three-part history of dancing in Britain. They begin with a look at the 17th century, when dancing was all the rage — chiefly because it gave the sexes a rare chance to chat.
NUMBERS GAME Hannah Fry’s Mysterious World Of Maths, 9pm, BBC4
A NEW, three-part series from Dr Fry (pictured above), now firmly installed as the friendly and accessible face of maths on BBC4. Her precise subject this time is the very nature of maths — was it invented or is maths something intrinsic to the universe that we are slowly discovering?
COMEDY CONTEST Taskmaster, 9pm, Dave
IT’S the show’s 50th episode tonight, but only one question will be on everyone’s minds: will Rhod Gilbert be able to manufacture another excuse to show that semi-naked picture of Greg Davies? Stay tuned to find out. Otherwise, in tonight’s funniest task, the comics enthusiastically write and stage a soap opera cliffhanger.
FUNNY MAN Comedy Legends, 9pm, Sky Arts
BARRY CRYER digs into his vast memory banks for these new profiles, starting with Tommy Cooper. ‘He loved wrong-footing people,’ recalls Barry, reflecting on the precision that lay behind Cooper’s seemingly chaotic act and on stories of his stinginess (‘the kindest definition is mischievous’).
ON-DEMAND MOVIE Bad Samaritan, Sky Store
THIS so-so thriller has two charismatic stars in David Tennant and Robert Sheehan, but keeps them apart too long. Sheehan (Misfits) plays a valet who uncovers Tennant’s very sinister secret.
DODGY DATING Vogue Williams: For Love Or Money?, 10pm, W
IN THE first of a punchy and eye-opening series, Irish model Vogue Williams (pictured) explores sugar dating, in which older men exchange money for ‘companionship’ — it’s where ‘romance meets finance’ as one website puts it. There are times when it sounds alarmingly like prostitution.