TV choice
THE LAST TALLY HO?
BBC One, 10.15pm
“I will not have what I love and hold dear,” says the Countess Goess-Saurau, Master of Fox Hounds with the Vale of White Horse Hunt, “taken away from me by a load of faceless, self-satisfied, smug plonkers sat on their large bottoms in Whitehall.” Since the Hunting Act of 2004 came into force, there have been 200 allegations of illegal hunting made against 89 hunts — and not one conviction. The hunts have responded to the ban with a cunning plan. Their hounds chase after an artificial scent, and if a fox just happens to get in the way — well, too bad. But halfway through filming, the pro-hunt lobby suddenly woke up to the fact that this wasn’t clever publicity and banned the cameras.
AGATHA CHRISTIE’S MARPLE
ITV1, 9pm
This is the most entertaining Agatha Christie I have yet seen. Not for the first time, it is set in one of those idyllic English villages where nothing much happens apart from gossip and murder. But the difference here is that Kevin Elyot’s adaptation gets the tone exactly right, camping up the dialogue so that the story can be enjoyed both as a straight mystery and a cheerful spoof. The stellar cast, too, is as good as you will ever get, with everyone — Harry Enfield, Frances de la Tour, Keith Allen, Emilia Fox, Ken Russell (the list goes on and on) — squeezing the full-fruit flavour from their roles. If only all Agatha Christies were as enjoyable as this.
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TOP GEAR WINTER OLYMPICS/PETROL HEADS
BBC Two, 9.10pm/10.10pm
Clarkson & Co head off to Norway for a Winter Olympics special. As is Top Gear’s wont, they fire a rocket-powered Mini off a ski jump, tackle the biathlon with the latest 4x4s, play ice hockey with cars and race the new Jaguar XK against a speed skater.
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Petrol Heads, which follows, is a new car-related celebrity game show hosted by the professional lad Neil Morrissey. It is billed as a combination of Top Gear and Have I Got News for You, and it promises “fast and furious fun”. Don’t ever trust a programme offering fun.
THE SOUTH BANK SHOW
ITV1, 11.10pm
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In a strong start to a new season of The South Bank Show, Melvyn Bragg talks to Armando Iannucci, one of the brains behind Knowing Me, Knowing You and The Thick of It. Iannucci’s comments could serve as a blueprint for topical comedy. “They only work if they feel real,” he says. “If they feel like comedians who are performing sketches, you lose that sense of stupid stuff being performed in an authoritative way.” Not surprisingly perhaps, Lord B is concerned about Iannucci’s caustic view of Downing Street. “I just wonder,” Bragg says, “about the absence of politicians doing anything the slightest bit useful.” Aha, says Iannucci. “The great thing about comedy is that you don’t have to be fair.”
BEST OF THE REST . . .
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SHIPWRECK ARK ROYAL
BBC One, 8pm
The Ark Royal was sunk by a German torpedo in the Second World War and lost for more than 60 years. The aircraft carrier has now been found and veterans who served on her will be the first to see the wreck a kilometre below the surface of the Mediterranean. They recall the events that led to the Ark’s demise.
Multichannel choice
24
Sky One, 9pm
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Fourteen months after faking his own death, Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) is plunged into another day-long war on terror. A record 17 million people saw the opening of this fifth series in the US, and this double helping is frenetic, with two long-standing characters killed off inside the first ten minutes. But fiendish plotting and nerve-shredding action mean 24 remains as addictive as ever.
WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR
ITV3, 8pm
A look, in the time-honoured talking head/reconstruction format, at the life and empire-building work of the Norman who conquered then subdued the tribes of England.
ARK ROYAL: THE SAILORS’ STORY
BBC Four, 9pm
This companion piece to the film shown earlier on BBC One adds more detail to the stories of the legendary vessel’s crew.
CENTURY
BBC Four, 10pm
Stephen Poliakoff’s film pores over the dark side of the 20th century. Charles Dance, Miranda Richardson, Clive Owen and Joan Hickson star.
THE EDUCATION OF SHELBY KNOX
ITV4, 10pm
A 2005 Sundance winner, this film follows a Texan teen as she goes against her parents and neighbours to campaign for sex education and against homophobia. AB
LIVE INTERNATIONAL CRICKET
Sky Sports 2, 6am
Live coverage of the second of the three-match VB Series final, between Australia and Sri Lanka. Highlights are on Sky Sports Xtra at 4.30pm.
WINTER OLYMPICS
British Eurosport, from 7.30am
Women’s 15km cross-country skiing (12.45pm) and men’s luge (3pm) are among the events receiving more airtime here than on BBC Two.
Daytime choice
LIVE DAVIS CUP TENNIS
Sky Sports Xtra, 12.30pm
Live coverage from Halle of the final day of the first-round match between Germany and France, only the second time the countries have met in the past 50 years.
FORD SUPER SUNDAY
Sky Sports 1, from 1pm
Another double bill of live action features Sunderland v Tottenham from the Stadium of Light, then Manchester City entertain Charlton Athletic. AB