PICK OF THE DAY

Dark Angel

9PM, ITV Dark and absorbing, this factbased, two-part drama tells the story of Mary Ann Cotton, who, in 1873, was hanged for murdering three of her husbands. As if that weren’t enough, it’s thought she had as many as 21 victims – including all but two of her 13 children. Joanne Froggatt is coolly effective as Mary Ann, who appears to be a loving wife, mother and daughter, recently returned to the family home on the northeast coast. But it soon becomes clear that Mary Ann has aspirations for a better life – and is prepared to do anything to achieve it.

The Moonstone

2.15PM, BBC1 ‘Whatever happened that night, it ruined two lives – mine one of them.’ Showing daily, this five-part adaptation of Wilkie Collins’s novel (which is credited with inventing the modern detective mystery genre) stars John Thomson and Sarah Hadland in a story packed with cliffhangers, tragedy and intrigue.

Saving Africa’s Elephants: Hugh And The Ivory War

9PM, BBC1 Having discovered the plight of Africa’s poor beleaguered elephants, Hugh FearnleyWhittingstall travels to South Africa for the second and concluding episode, exploring the shocking consequences of poaching on yet another magnificent animal – the rhino.

Chris Tarrant: Ice Train To Nowhere

9PM, CH5 Chris Tarrant returns with a new, four-part series, which he begins by embarking on an epic, seven-day journey along the Alaska Railroad. Starting at the historic port of Seward on the south coast, he heads deep into the heart of Alaska, wondering why a railway was even built in this remote, frozen wilderness in the first place.

Joanne Froggatt