Digital choice
TENNIS Australian Open, 6am, Eurosport 1 & 2
THE opening Grand Slam event of the season is under way in Melbourne. Emma Raducanu crashed out of the warm-up tournament in Sydney in straight sets — can the U.S. Open champion raise her game on the biggest stage once again?
NEW TO FREEVIEW Alphas, 4pm, Pick
FOR a drama about superpowered crime-fighters, this U.S. show is pleasingly grounded. That’s partly because those crime-fighters are awkward characters, and their cases serve as a kind of group therapy. David Strathairn (pictured centre) plays the doctor in charge.
U.S. HISTORY Aerial America, 8pm, Smithsonian
THIS scenic series returns with a mix of history and geography lesson as we soar over the majestic coasts of the U.S., and hear about the arrival of early settlers. We learn about the movement from Siberia to Alaska and the Jamestown colonists, and visit the Golden Gate Bridge.
GREAT PAINTER Art On The BBC: Monet — The French Revolutionary, 9pm, BBC4
THE art historian Katy Hessel (pictured) draws on the BBC archive for this layered portrait of the French impressionist, addressing his financial impact in the modern day — when his work is no longer under copyright — and his rebellious youth. She brings a lot of energy and style to her curation.
LOOKING FOR LOVE Celebs Go Dating, 9pm, E4
A NEW series for the dating show, which features the usual smattering of reality show stars — the most promising is The Apprentice’s baby-faced Ryan-Mark Parsons — and one household name. This time around, that’s Ulrika Jonsson (pictured), who is happy to be matched with a younger man on Thursday’s episode.
SPANISH ADVENTURE La Fortuna, 9pm, AMC
A MARINE treasure-hunter finds a fortune and a Spanish diplomat tries to take it in this new drama series, which weaves a compelling spell from its first scene. A lot of that is down to Stanley Tucci as the treasure-hunter, plus the direction of Alejandro Amenabar (The Others). It’s a shame this show isn’t more widely available. (BT TV 301)
ON-DEMAND MOVIE Halloween Kills, BT Film Store/Sky Store/Virgin)
MASKED killer Michael Myers returns in the serviceable latest instalment of the horror franchise. It’s the second in a trilogy that concludes later this year with Halloween Ends, and original star Jamie Lee Curtis is also back.
FREEVIEW FILM After Earth, 11pm, 5Star
SCI-FI drama starring father and son Will and Jaden Smith. Stranded on a hostile Earth, Smith the younger embarks on a perilous obstacle course to secure rescue for himself and his father, whose legs are broken.
EARLY DAYS Taggart, 11.10pm, Drama
THE first-ever episode of the Glasgow drama is refreshingly nononsense, with neat glints of humour. When we first meet Mark McManus’s terse and easily irritated detective, he’s wearing a Big Daddy dressing gown. Every episode of the long-running show is also available on demand, through STV Player.