PLANET EARTH: A CELEBRATION

BBC One, 8.00pm

“We are living in extraordinary times [but] the natural world can provide a source of inspiration and escape in moments of crisis,” states David Attenborough reassuringly at the beginning of this hour-long special. It’s essentially a greatest hits combining some of the most famous (and infamous) moments from Planet Earth II and Blue Planet II but a very classy one, as you would expect, and boosted by a new score from Hans Zimmer and Jacob Shea in collaboration with the Mercury Prize-winning rapper Dave.

It’s easy to dispute Attenborough’s claim that this is nature as a form of escapism and inspiration. While the dancing flamingos picking their way literally through thin ice are a delight, as is the oh-soclever octopus outwitting the sharks hunting him, this remains nature red in tooth and claw with lions and snow leopards fighting desperately for survival. As if that were not all emotional enough, Attenborough and co can’t resist heading back to their most notorious moment: those unforgettable scenes with the baby iguanas and the racer snakes. After these months of living through a pandemic, it feels a lifetime since we were all glued to the box by those reptiles. Sarah Hughes

pm Handmade in Africa The creation of a Maasai wedding necklace. Last in the series (S)

7.30 The Joy of Painting (S) 8.00 Africa with Ade Adepitan Ade explores Tanzania, Ethiopia, and Somalia (AD) (S)

Flamboyance: the best of Attenborough’s BBC nature films

Me and My Penis: artist-curator Ajamu X

All or Nothing: Tottenham Hotspur – Harry Kane