TV choice
THE TOURNAMENT
Channel 4, 8pm
After his series about medieval weapons, the professional fight choreographer Mike Loades — whose muscular enthusiasm is very much an acquired taste — presents a re-enactment of the medieval tournament featuring real lance-on-lance action. Four equestrians (a cowboy, a US mounted policeman, an English army major and a horse-racing trainer) get dressed up in suits of bespoke armour at £8,000 a throw and set about trying to break their lances on each other. It is an attempt to bring history to life and re-create the chivalry of a bygone age, which ends up resembling nothing so much as an historical version of It’s a Knockout. David Chater
30 MINUTES: THE TROUBLE WITH BEING A WOMAN
Channel 4, 6pm
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After 30 years of fighting for women’s rights, Rosie Boycott argues that women are still losing out as a result of society’s obsession with beauty and youth. Men are judged on ability and women on looks. The advertising industry bombards everyone with images of glossy perfection, and the cosmetic industry encourages women to spend £500 million a year on skincare products. It creates a climate of sexist ageism; never mind the injustice, it is a shocking waste of skill and experience. What she says is more than persuasive — it sounds unarguable.
LA FILLE MAL GARDÉE
BBC Two, 7.05pm
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Apart from a Swan Lake or a Nutcracker at Christmas, ballet lovers tend to be overlooked by television. It would be different if Jordan could dance but, until then, here is a welcome opportunity to see Frederick Ashton’s La Fille Mal Gardée, described by Marie Rambert after its premiere in 1960 as “the first great English classic”. This light-hearted story about the triumph of young love, set against a countryside filled with ribboned maypoles and comic chickens, is celebrated as one of the most disarming works in the Royal Ballet repertory.
AN AUDIENCE WITH JOE PASQUALE
ITV1, 9.15pm
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If you’re one of the fortunate few who’ve never heard of him, Joe Pasquale is a comedian who won I’m a Celebrity . . Get Me Out of Here and does to comedy what Tony Blackburn did for contemporary music. There were no preview tapes available for this programme, but this is what the publicity promises. Take a deep breath. “Die hard fans of Joe’s will squeal with delight as the popular comedian reclaims the spotlight with his unique brand of humour and cheeky-chappy charm before a crowd of celebrities.” And if that isn’t enough to make you want to shoot yourself, Paul Burrell is also appearing. DC
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Multichannel choice
DIANA KRALL
Artsworld, 9pm
Mrs Elvis Costello reportedly met her husband at the 2002 Grammy Awards, where she was picking up the Best Jazz Vocal Album gong for the LP A Night in Paris, based on this concert. And it’s easy to see her appeal, not just to Costello but to the jazz world that she has wooed since, as she swings through such standards as I Love Being Here with You and The Look of Love. There’s even a slightly spooky foreshadowing of the love affair to come in her guitarist who, with his over-sized electro-acoustic, black curly hair and heavy-rimmed glasses, looks uncannily like Costello. On all levels, it’s an hour of unabashed romance. Gabrielle Starkey
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NATURAL WORLD/THE ISLAND OF THE GHOST BEAR
UKTV Documentary, 5pm/6pm
A great early evening double bill looks at the enviable life of the Alaskan bear (eating, hunting, sleeping for months) and the unusual snowy white creatures that inhabit an island off Canada.
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GLORIA’S GREATS: CILLA BLACK
The Biography Channel, 7pm
After Cliff Richard comes another of Gloria Hunniford’s cronies for an intimate chat that reveals (after much sentimental preamble about Black’s late husband) that the Beatles were quite rude about their groupies.
FUTURE FANTASTIC
UKTV Documentary, from 7pm
Another chance to see nine of Gillian Anderson’s real-life X-Files reports on the possibility of sci-fi phenomena such as UFOs, time travel and teleportation.
BYE BYE LOVE
BBC Three, 8pm
It is estimated that one in five of us will suffer from some kind of depression during our lives, and this unusual and moving film examines how the various forms of the illness, from manic to post-natal, affected four victims. Despite the gloomy subject matter, each of the four have learned to cope and offer a ray of hope to other sufferers.
ARTS REPORTS: THE ART OF CHURCHILL
BBC Four, 8.30pm and 12.25am
After the recent unveiling of Paul de Monchaux’s controversial statue commemorating Winston Churchill, BBC Four takes a look at other attempts, past and present, to represent the wartime leader in art, sculpture and cartoon. GS
kids’choice
PXG
Jetix, 5.30pm
Young computer gamers will love Jetix’s new, Japanese-styled show, offering fast-paced previews of the very latest games and consoles as they fly off the shelves in Tokyo. Don’t worry — they’ll be in our shops soon. GS