CRITICS’ CHOICE
Pick of the day
Lee Evans — Monsters (C4, 9pm)
You generally get your money’s worth when watching this high-energy comedian on stage and he is seen here giving 100% for a vast and appreciative crowd at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham in 2014. Evans is an accomplished performer — physically supple, a proficient gagsmith and a skilled “player” of the microphone — but, sadly, he did announce that this would be his last ever tour.
Also in Birmingham, Crufts dog show continues (C4, 7pm). You’re Back In The Room (ITV, 8.30pm) returns, with Phillip Schofield and more amusingly hypnotised contestants; but the party is over in Stag (BBC2, 9pm) — the comedy drama has been fun, and Jim Howick shines as “the sensible one” — but it might have worked better in two rather than three episodes. Six Nations Rugby resumes on ITV: Ireland v Italy (12.30pm, kickoff 1.30pm), and England v Wales (3.25pm, kickoff 4pm).
Martin James
Radio pick of the day
Archive On 4: The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band — Anarchy Must Be Organised (R4, 8pm)
Neil Innes, now 71, looks back at this surreal assemblage on the 50th anniversary of the band turning professional. Then comes Vivian Stanshall’s Radio Flashes (R4 Extra, 10pm), a mixture of music, fun and Keith Moon, hosted by the band’s lead singer and co-writer and first aired on Radio 1 in 1971, in the distant era of the much-missed Tony Blackburn. Mark Goodier succeeds him on Pick Of The Pops (R2, 1pm), for the third week running.
Paul Donovan
Top 10 TV programmes
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BBC1
1 Call The Midwife9.66
2 The Night Manager8.25
3 Happy Valley8.25
4 Death In Paradise8.00
5 EastEnders7.86
6 Countryfile7.19
7 Great Sport Relief Bake Off7.12
8 The Voice6.57
9 Casualty5.97
10 Shetland5.90
BBC2
1 Back In Time For/Weekend2.68
2 MOTD: FA Cup Draw2.56
3 Dragons’ Den2.53
4 The People v OJ Simpson2.44
5 Big Dreams Small Spaces2.13
6 Dad’s Army2.07
7 Chinese New Year1.99
8 Cast Away1.92
9 Interior Design Challenge1.88
10 Sea Cities1.85
ITV
1 Coronation Street6.62
2 Saturday Night Takeaway6.31
3 Emmerdale5.87
4 Vera5.32
5 Midsomer Murders4.81
6 Benidorm4.15
7 Birds Of A Feather4.07
8 Mr Selfridge3.33
9 Take Me Out3.30
10 Jericho3.09
C4
1 Gogglebox4.98
2 The Secret Life Of The Zoo2.42
3 The Last Leg2.29
4 Royal Navy School2.26
5 24 Hours In A&E2.10
6 The Supervet2.07
7 Location Location Location2.00
8 The Jump1.88
9 Food Unwrapped1.88
10 Dumbo1.53
C5
1 The X Files3.58
2 Gotham1.46
3 Great Benefits Handout1.46
4 GPs: Behind Closed Doors1.40
5 Dirty Dancing1.31
6 Ancient Mysteries1.24
7 Winter Road Rescue1.18
8 Bargain-Loving Brits1.18
9 Violent Child/Desperate1.17
10 Ice Road Truckers1.11
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AND THE REST
1 The Walking Dead1.64
2 Limitless1.18
3 Lucky Man1.16
4 Tattoo Fixers1.15
5 Agents Of SHIELD1.04
6 NCIS1.01
7 Midsomer Murders0.99
8 Trapped0.97
9 The 1000.95
10 Ex On The Beach0.95
Week ending February 21. For multiple editions or repeated programmes, ratings for the highest single showing only are included. Source: Barb
Channel numbers
BBC4 Sky 116 Freeview 9 Freesat 107 Virgin 107/164
ITV2 Sky 118 Freeview 6 Freesat 113 Virgin 115/176
ITV3 Sky 119 Freeview 10 Freesat 115 Virgin 117/178
ITV4 Sky 120 Freeview 24 Freesat 117 Virgin 118/178
E4 Sky 136 Freeview 28 Freesat 122 Virgin 144/145
More 4 Sky 138 Freeview 14 Freesat 124 Virgin 147/203
Drama Sky 158 Freeview 20 Freesat 162 Virgin 190
CBeebies Sky 614 Freeview 121 Freesat 608 Virgin 702
SMP Sky 301 Virgin 401/431
SMT Sky 309 Virgin 409/439
SMG Sky 304 Virgin 404/434
SMS Sky 312 Virgin 412/442
Film 4 Sky 315 Freeview 15 Freesat 300 Virgin 428/429
TCM Sky 317 Virgin 415/416
SS1 Sky 402 Virgin 502/512
SS2 Sky 403 Virgin 503/513
SS3 Sky 404 Virgin 504/514
Eurosport Sky 410 Virgin 521/523
BT Sport 1 Sky 413 Virgin 530/531
Gold Sky 110 Virgin 126
Universal Sky 113 Virgin 137
Sky Living Sky 107 Virgin 111/112
W Sky 109 Virgin 124/191
5 Star Sky 176 Freeview 30 Freesat 131 Virgin 151
5 USA Sky 174 Freeview 21 Freesat 129 Virgin 153
Dave Sky 111 Freeview 12 Virgin 128/194
Fox Sky 124 Virgin 157/158
Comedy Central Sky 112 Virgin 132
Yesterday Sky 357 Freeview 19 Freesat 163 Virgin 245
Nat Geo Sky 526 Virgin 266/268
Discovery Sky 520 Virgin 250/251
Sky Arts Sky 121 Virgin 122/206
PBS America Sky 534 Freesat 160 Virgin 276
FILM CHOICE
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Kick-Ass (2010)
C4, 12.20am
Although Aaron Taylor-Johnson plays the super-zero of the title, a nerdy, spandex-clad amateur crimefighter, much of the butt- kicking in Matthew Vaughn’s violent thriller is done by Chloë Grace Moretz as a potty-mouthed pre-teen vigilante-cum-superheroine. The end result is gloriously irreverent, highly stylised and agreeably childish.
The Talented Mr Ripley (1999)
BBC2, 10pm
Anthony Minghella’s lustrous version of Patricia Highsmith’s novel stars Matt Damon as a sociopathic chancer sent to tempt a playboy (Jude Law) away from the rivieras of the Old World. Though Damon is well cast, Law offers only a shorthand version of vanity and conceit.
Riddick (2013)
C4, 10pm
In his second outing as the eponymous galactic hero, Vin Diesel put the chronic in The Chronicles of Riddick. This third film in the sci-fi action saga simply reprises the formula of the original movie, Pitch Black: to wit, a musclebound bruiser fights alien beasties on a remote planet. Dir: David Tuohy
Previews by Trevor Lewis
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Live football
Norwich City v Manchester City (noon, Sky Sports 1), Arsenal v West Bromwich Albion (5pm, Sky Sports 1)