PICKS OF THE DAY

Animals: Big Cats, 8pm, BBC1

The final programme of the three-part documentary focuses on the scientists who are studying wild cats in more detail than ever before – and the groundbreaking discoveries they are making along the way. Professor Alan Wilson (left) has been researching the cheetah, using hi-tech collars to rewrite what is understood about the fastest animal on land – revealing that its speed is not its greatest weapon. In order to study the sprinting abilities of the fantastic specimens, Wilson built his own plane from scratch just to keep up with them. There is also a look at cat conservation, with stories including that of the Iberian lynx. Just five years ago this was considered the rarest cat on the planet. Now, though, numbers are increasing in the wild.