PICK OF THE DAY

SAVING LIVES AT SEA

8PM, BBC2 ★★★★

We’re back on the high seas with the brave RNLI volunteers who are constantly risking their lives to keep our waters safe. We begin this new, tenpart series in Porthcawl, where a group of young surfers are caught up in Storm Brendan, and their lives – and those of the crew who come to rescue them – are in grave danger.

It’s a situation that’s all in a day’s work for crew members such as Chris Missen (right). Meanwhile, an exhausted swimmer in the Bristol Channel causes the Portishead crew to take decisive action before it’s too late.

THE SECRET LIFE OF THE ZOO 8PM, CH4

★★★★ Chester Zoo is beset by relationship problems, with Andean bear Bernie banished to the neighbouring paddock by his grumpy mate, Lima, while pygmy marmoset Zoe and her new mate, Baldrick, are struggling to get along with the tamarins next door. But wait until you see the blood bath in the vampire crab enclosure...

SECRETS OF THE MUSEUM

9PM, BBC2 ★★★★

At the V&A this week, a Buddhist painting provides a mystery for the curators, while an impressive collection of children’s art goes on show. But the centrepiece of the episode is Josiah Wedgwood’s masterpiece, the Portland Vase, which is restored to its former glory before curator Catrin Jones puts it on display.

UNBELIEVABLE MOMENTS CAUGHT ON CAMERA

9PM, ITV ★★★

Alexander Armstrong narrates this selection of heart-stopping moments from around the world. Hold on to your hats as a man gets knocked out in a midair collision with an out-of-control fellow skydiver, before a young woman is pulled from her burning car on the M1. MIKE MULVIHILL