PICK OF THE DAY

Doctor Who

6.45PM, BBC1

‘We don’t get aliens in Sheffield.’ Written by Chris Chibnall of Broadchurch fame, the highly anticipated new series finally arrives with the 13th Doctor coming to Earth with a bump in South Yorkshire. But this is not just any new incarnation of Britain’s favourite extraterrestrial.

This is, of course, the first female incarnation, played with energy, humour and feistiness by Jodie Whittaker, who is joined by Bradley

Walsh, among others. The crackly black and white days of William Hartnell’s first Doctor seem light years away…

Philippines: Island Treasures

7.15PM, BBC2

Two-part series following Mike Dilger and Rico Hizon as they tour the Philippines, one of the world’s greatest biodiversity hotspots, in search of rare wildlife and rich culture. They begin on the stunning island of Palawan, home to the critically endangered red-vented, or Philippine, cockatoo.

Mediterranean With Simon Reeve

8PM, BBC2

Simon Reeve returns with a typically illuminating new four-part series. This time, he’s exploring the Mediterranean, a sea of wild extremes, where extraordinary wealth meets shocking poverty. He begins in Malta, a tiny country doing its best not to be overwhelmed by tourism and corruption.

Great Canal Journeys

8PM, CH4

Refusing to be held back by her ongoing struggles with dementia, Prunella Scales persuades her husband Timothy West to embark on a new waterborne adventure, this time on the River Nile. To begin the ninth series, they travel from Luxor to Aswan, exploring the dramatic history of this ancient waterway.