TV tonight: the man who pioneered rock’n’roll takes centre stage

Exploring Fats Domino’s life and legacy in an electrifying documentary. Plus a look at Mae West, who was once Hollywood’s biggest star. Here’s what to watch this evening

The Big Beat: Fats Domino and the Birth of Rock’n’Roll

Sky Arts, 9pm

During his lifetime, Fats Domino not only sold millions of records but pioneered a new genre: rock’n’roll. With his signature mix of rolling piano playing and New Orleans sensibilities, he paved the way for artists from Elvis to the Beatles. Through electrifying vintage footage and interviews with the man himself, along with his collaborators, this documentary explores Domino’s life and legacy beyond his death in 2017. Henry Wong

American Masters: Mae West: Dirty Blonde

8.40pm, PBS America

A cracking biography of the woman who, until the censorious 1934 Production Code took away her best lines, was Hollywood’s biggest star. Critics and industry folk celebrate West’s signature vibe: independence and emotional strength, expressed via scorchingly rude innuendo, delivered in that irresistible Brooklyn drawl. Jack Seale

QI XL

9pm, BBC Two

The always lovely Sandi Toksvig returns with another extended episode (45 minutes, to be precise) of the long-running quiz show. Tonight, Alan Davies, Jimmy Carr, Chris McCausland and Jen Brister dissect funny facts on pretty much every subject under the sun. Hollie Richardson

A Discovery of Witches

9pm, Sky Max

As the final series of this somehow very middle-class fantasy saga gets into its rhythm, top vampire Matthew (Matthew Goode) has a dilemma: he wants to rid his family of their bloodlust but that might mean going public. The relevant undead authorities are not keen. JS

One Night in …

10pm, Channel 4

Fantasies come true for Alex Brooker and Josh Widdicombe, who are spending the night in the UK’s favourite attractions. For the last in the series it’s access-all-areas Legoland, where they’re joined by Jon Richardson and Lucy Beaumont. From a Lego Eiffel Tower to driving the fire engines, it’s childlike fun all the way, topped off with a vegan feast. Hannah Verdier

The Graham Norton Show

10.35pm, BBC One

Joining the chatshow stalwart for some top-notch anecdote-sharing and self-promotion on tonight’s show are Ricky Gervais, Cate Blanchett and Ant and Dec. Plus, Elvis Costello & the Imposters perform live. HR

Film choices

Save the Cinema (Sara Sugarman, 2022), 10.55am, 8pm, Sky Cinema Premiere
A true story ripe for dramatic treatment, Sara Sugarman’s guileless drama follows the fight to save the Lyric in Carmarthen in the early 1990s. Hairdresser and youth theatre leader Liz Evans (a warm performance by Samantha Morton) rouses the opposition, including Jonathan Pryce’s retired teacher Mr Morgan, when the council plans to replace the cinema with a shopping centre. There’s light villainy in the shape of venal mayor Tom (Adeel Akhtar), a dash of Hollywood glamour and a gently reiterated message about the importance of community and local heritage. Simon Wardell

Planes, Trains and Automobiles (John Hughes, 1987), 9pm, Comedy Central
Who needs a straight man when you have talents such as Steve Martin and John Candy riffing off each other? In John Hughes’s superb comedy, the two are thrown together on a frantic, weather-impeded trip from New York to Chicago as they race to get home in time for Thanksgiving. Martin’s advertising executive Neal (superior, quick to anger) and Candy’s travelling salesman Del (genial, accident-prone) are the perfect odd couple in a film that bears comparisons to Midnight Run for its smartly plotted twists and characterful humour. SW

The Tragedy of Macbeth (Joel Coen, 2021), Apple TV+
For his first film without collaborator/brother Ethan, Joel Coen has delivered a confident, stylish take on Shakespeare’s murderous Scottish play. Denzel Washington is a magnificently brooding Macbeth, while Frances McDormand embraces the dark side as his lady – a role she was born to play. Their regicidal plot is worked out across austere locations in crisp black-and-white imagery reminiscent of Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal. In an inventive touch, Kathryn Hunter plays all three “weird sisters” while eloquent support comes from Bertie Carvel as the doomed Banquo and Alex Hassell as an intriguingly shifty Ross. SW