Get on Up: The Triumph of Black America
9pm, BBC Two
David Harewood is a wonderful guide on this celebratory and personal, if a bit rushed, two-part look at the history of Black pop culture in the US. Starting with the likes of his childhood hero Sammy Davis Jr, Motown stars such as Diana Ross, the first Black “Bond girl” Gloria Hendry, groundbreaking Oscar winner Sidney Poitier and the landmark TV series Roots, Hare speaks to Hollywood stars and insiders about such culture-shifting moments. Hollie Richardson
The Dog Academy
8pm, Channel 4
Bear the cockapoo might have been named after a fluffy teddy, but his grisly behaviour has been enough to put owners Paul and Louise’s marriage on the line. Can Victoria Stilwell, the dog expert from the excellent It’s Me or the Dog, and her fellow canine guru Adam Daines help to tame the pooch before it’s too late? HR
Tonight: Buy Back Your Health? NHS Vs Private
8.30pm, ITV
More Britons are now paying for medical treatment. In an investigation for Tonight, ITV News health editor Emily Morgan meets people who are crowdfunding, taking out loans or selling their houses to cover medical bills. Jack Seale
Jason & Clara: In Memory of Maudie
9pm, ITV
The death of a child is difficult – almost impossible – to discuss for bereaved parents. So it is with great courage and empathy that actor Jason Watkins and his wife, Clara Francis, have made this taboo-breaking documentary. They talk about the sudden death of their two-year-old daughter from undiagnosed sepsis on New Year’s Day 2011, and their lives since. Ellen E Jones
Taskmaster
9pm, Channel 4
As the 15th series of Alex Horne and Greg Davies’s giddy, ridiculous series begins, a hat-tip to the creators of the tasks, which never fail to be inventive and amusing. This week, Frankie Boyle, Ivo Graham, Jenny Eclair, Kiell Smith-Bynoe and Mae Martin search for spoons and crack a code involving jelly babies. One of these days, this show will run out of steam. But not quite yet. Phil Harrison
Billy Connolly Does …
9pm, Gold
“Glasgow’s favourite son” focuses on his heroes and villains for this second series in which he reflects on his life. Scotland football manager Jock Stein and Rod Stewart feature this week, along with Connolly’s sister who protected him from bullies. HR
Film choice
Beasts of the Southern Wild (Benh Zeitlin, 2012), Thursday, 9pm, AMC
Nine-year-old Quvenzhané Wallis earned an Oscar nomination for her role as Louisiana bayou dweller Hushpuppy, and she gives a remarkably mature performance in a film with a child’s eye view of poverty and resistance. Hushpuppy lives with her wild but ailing father, Wink (Dwight Henry), in a coastal community just about holding on between the land and the sea, under threat from flooding and a government that wants to evacuate them. There are fable-like elements to an otherwise tough story, as the fiercely resilient child talks to her absent mother and ponders a world increasingly out of balance. Simon Wardell
