Satellite choice
SCI-FI HORROR Life, 1.15pm, 8pm, Sky Premiere
GIVING a hostile alien life form the human name Calvin doesn’t stop it being any less nasty. Jake Gyllenhaal (pictured), Rebecca Fergusong and Ryany Reynolds y are three of the astronauts on the International Space Station who find themselves in peril when life from Mars escapes.
FOOTBALL Sheffield United v Bristol City, 7pm, Sky Football & Main Event
THE Blades, having returned to the Championship this season, are already pressing hard for promotion again thanks to the prolific goalscoring partnership of Leon Clarke and Sheffield-born Billy Sharp. Going into tonight’s match, only goal difference separates them from third-placed Bristol.
MEN AND MOTORS The Grand Tour, Amazon Prime
JEREMY CLARKSON, Richard Hammond and James May return for a new run of their big-budget, globetrotting car show. The first stop is Switzerland, where the ‘boys’ compare fast motors. Joining them for new feature Celebrity Face Off are Ricky Wilson and David Hasselhoff — who’ll be the fastest?
IN SEARCH OF CHRIST Robert Powell On The Real Jesus, 9pm, History
ROBERT POWELL, who starred in the 1977 series Jesus Of Nazareth, goes in search of Jesus for this new series, comparing the Gospels with the record of history. It’s a mildly disjointed affair — Powell isn’t in it enough, strangely — but it offers plenty of interesting insights.
KIDNAP THRILLER Prisoners, 9pm, More4
FROM director Denis Villeneuve, this atmospheric, disturbing drama stars Hugh Jackman as a distraught dad whose daughter and her friend have been abducted. Jake Gyllenhaal plays the cop who is assigned to the case, while Paul Dano is the local man who suffers most under the finger of suspicion.
HER ROYAL HIGHNESS The Crown, Netflix
NETFLIX’S magnificent drama paints a nuanced portrait of Elizabeth II in its second season, delving deeper into her marriage to Prince Philip and addressing rumours of infidelity in a way that’s both respectful and dramatically interesting. Claire Foy (pictured) is fantastic in the central role — removed yet vulnerable, but seemingly less so with every passing year — and Matt Smith is a similarly layered delight as Philip. Later in the season, it becomes more purely historical, but no less watchable.
WORLDWIDE HIT Classic Album: American Pie, 10pm, BBC4
THE recording and impact of Don McLean’s 1971 album is dissected in this edition of the always interesting series. The title song was one of the last pieces of the album to fall into place, as McLean reveals: ‘I knew it wasn’t finished. I had this big song I needed to get out.’
FUNNY LADY The Interviews: Julie Walters, 10pm, Yesterday
CLIPS of Acorn Antiques, Educating Rita and the short-lived ITV series Wood And Walters are the icing on top of this collection of interviews with Julie Walters. There’s a lot in there, too, about her time as a nurse — which provided her with plenty of material for comedy.
SCENIC ISLES Alan Cumming’s Edge Of Scotland, 10.05pm, PBS America
THE Scottish-born actor lives in New York City these days and seems genuinely delighted by the chance to unwind in Scotland’s Western Isles for this documentary. It’s full of lovely encounters, such as one with a woman who remembers him from Take The High Road.