Advertisement

TV tonight: it's time for your new obsession – Gold Digger

Gold Digger
9pm, BBC One

A midlife crisis makes for intriguing drama in this new series. Julia Day (the excellent Julia Ormond) is newly single, taken for granted by her infuriatingly self-absorbed children and at a loose end in London on her 60th birthday. She meets Benjamin (Ben Barnes), a charming, much younger stranger in a museum. And before she knows it, she is following her instincts and taking a risk or two for the first time in years. But what are Benjamin’s motives? And how will Julia’s family react to his arrival in their lives? Phil Harrison

Ant Middleton and Liam Payne: Straight Talking
9pm, Sky One

Former SAS soldier Ant Middleton is “highly trained in tactical questioning”. For this series, he is applying that sledgehammer skillset to cracking the tough nut that is Liam Payne from One Direction. This road trip through Namibia feels like a mildly diverting holiday for both men. PH

First Dates
10pm, Channel 4

A new series of this hardy perennial. High stakes and a few nerves for our first couple – Dottie is 71 and hasn’t been on a date in 51 years. Elsewhere, James Corden fan Jessica finds herself gazing over her restaurant table at a date who looks exactly like James Corden. Which must be weird for everyone. PH

The Cockfields
10pm, Gold

The latest addition to the Meet the Parents subgenre, this new Mike Leigh-flavoured three-parter sees Joe Wilkinson ferry new girlfriend Diane Morgan over to the Isle of Wight for what will prove an interminably long weekend at his folks’, the ever-reliable Sue Johnston and Bobby Ball. Cue the casual bigotry. Ali Catterall

Scuffles, Swagger & Shakespeare: The Hidden Story of English
10.15pm, BBC Four

Language historian Dr John Gallagher examines English’s surging transformation from limited parochial tongue to rich global language, a shift facilitated by Shakespeare but driven by Protestant immigrants during the Reformation. Jack Seale

England’s Grand
10.45pm, ITV

With the England football team about to play their 1,000th game, this documentary takes an A-Z journey through the history of the Three Lions. Expect penalty heartache to figure, although thanks to last summer at least we have a happy ending to look forward to. Harry Kane, Ian Wright and Gareth Southgate contribute. PH

Film choice

Hairy rider: Peter Fonda in The Hired Hand.
Hairy rider ... Peter Fonda in The Hired Hand. Photograph: Ronald Grant

The Hired Hand (Peter Fonda, 1971) 3.30pm, TCM Movies
Peter Fonda’s 1971 directorial debut opens like a western Easy Rider, with laidback wanderers waylaid by violence. Fonda’s Harry, with pardner Arch (Warren Oates) in tow, then renews his relationship with his abandoned wife (Verna Bloom), who makes him work his penance. An absorbing portrait of retribution. Paul Howlett

Live sport

Snooker: Northern Ireland Open 12.45pm, Eurosport 1. Day two of the Home Nations Series tournament at Belfast Waterfront Hall.

Tennis: ATP World Tour finals 2pm, BBC Two. Day three, live from the O2.

International football: Czech Republic v England 7pm, BBC Four. A women’s international friendly from České Budějovice.