Satellite choice
FAMILY FILM
Dolittle, BT TV/ Sky Store/Virgin Movies ROBERT DOWNEY JR dons a Welsh accent for a child-focused and very expensive-looking adventure for the man who talks to animals.
HISTORICAL DRAMA
The Great, Starzplay (via Amazon & Virgin) TONY McNAMARA, the writer of The Favourite, brings a rebellious and modern perspective to the Russian imperial court for this punky, funny drama about the rise of Catherine the Great and her husband, Peter III (Nicholas Hoult).
CLASSIC TALE
Tess Of The D’Urbervilles, 8pm, BBC4 EASY on the eye if occasionally a little lacking in power, this adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s novel has Gemma Arterton (pictured) as the heroine. In the first part, penury forces peasant Tess Durbeyfield to seek out the help of her rich ‘relatives’, the D’Urbervilles.
PHARAOH’S TOMB
Tutankhamun In Colour, 9pm, BBC4 THE colourised footage of the tomb’s discovery certainly brings the story to life in this new documentary, but what really puts it over the top is the knowledge of its presenter, Elizabeth Frood. We also hear from the Countess of Carnarvon about the Fifth Earl, who bankrolled the whole enterprise.
CAPITAL CRIME ME
Gangs Of London, 9pm, Sky Atlantic THE finale of Sky’s gangster drama, which has featured some sensational action across its nine-episode run, although the humann drama has often felt dull by comparison. The Wallaces are in hiding in the last episode, and Elliot (Sope Dirisu, pictured) has a big choice to make.
HAUNTED HOUSE
Portals To Hell, 9pm, Really IF YOU were building a spooky theme park, you’d want to model some of it on the Patterson Inn in Denver, Colorado — it really looks the part. Tonight, Jack Osbourne dives into the creepy history of this late-19thcentury former family home, and keeps an eye out for spirits.
PAST TIMES
Outlander, 9pm, More4 TOBIAS MENZIES’S Frank returns — in flashback, of course — as Brianna’s trip to the past triggers reminiscences about her dad’s later years. Otherwise, tonight’s new episode mostly focuses on Brianna (Sophie Skelton) and her mixed fortunes in the Scotland of yesteryear, and keeps tabs on Roger as he follows her through the stones.
AIRBORNE THRILLER
7500, Amazon Prime THIS tense thriller is one of many films to have bypassed cinemas this summer, and arrives on Amazon today. You feel every inch of Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s pain here, as he plays a pilot trapped in the cockpit when his flight is taken over by terrorists, in a claustrophobic story that unfolds in efficient fashion and makes a virtue of its low budget.
BEST BEFORE?
Eating History, 10pm, Sky History OLD SMOKEY and Josh Macuga (pictured) open and eat old food in this new series, which will be reassuring g to anyone who’s ever worried about a slightly out-of-date lasagne. It’s silly but fun TV,V withith theth duod scoffing ffi 72-year-old cereal (‘a little salty’) and 40-year-old Tabasco sauce (‘my hands are numb’).
SCARY MOVIE
The Clearing, 10pm, Sky Premiere ACTION horror starring Liam McIntyre and Aundrea Smith as the father and daughter who are caught up in a zombie apocalypse while on a camping trip in the woods.