PICK OF THE DAY

TSUNAMI

9PM, CH5 ★★★★

Dr Xand van Tulleken (right) and archaeologist Raksha Dave present a new, nightly three-part account of the Boxing Day tsunami of

2004 that left more than 250,000 dead, including 149 Britons. There are scientific explanations of the earthquake and the waves that followed it, and testimony from those who survived. In part one, we hear from journalist Dendy Montgomery, who was on Banda Aceh in Sumatra when it began. The walls started shaking ‘like rubber,’ he recalls, then shows us footage of what it was like outside.

SECRET SPENDERS

8.30PM, CH4 ★★★

The free-spending habits of cash-strapped families are monitored for this new series, before Anita Rani confronts the guilty with evidence of their irresponsible ways and offers a path to salvation. Here, mum Helen is weary of the empty bank account – could husband Andy’s collectible habit be to blame?

CHINA’S MAGIC WEAPON

9PM, BBC2 ★★★★

The United Front Work Department is the bland and bureaucratic name for what President Xi Jinping calls China’s ‘magic weapon’. The UFWD ploughs its budget into spreading Chinese power around the globe, and the methods this riveting oneoff uncovers makes for eyeopening and alarming viewing.

SUMMER OF WILD WEATHER: IS WORSE TO COME?

9PM, CH4 ★★★ We’re not even out of August, and this summer has already set records for floods and high temperatures. What is going on? This one-off tells the global story of extreme recent weather events, asks to what extent climate change is responsible, and what will come next.