The Ice Cream Wars
9pm, BBC Two
Why did ice-cream vans become so contentious in Glasgow’s housing schemes during the 80s? And what role did they play in a flat fire that caused what was, at the time, the biggest mass murder in recent Scottish history? Speaking to police officers, ice-cream business owners and reporters from that time, this hard-going two-parter investigates what was happening, while looking at the wider context of the Scottish city that was becoming starkly divided. Hollie Richardson
Location, Location, Location
8pm, Channel 4
Vow factor: planning a wedding is stressful enough without trying to buy your first home at the same time. Tonight’s pair of engaged couples may have expert help, but even the mighty Kirstie and Phil find it tough going in south Manchester’s runaway housing market. A guinea pig with an enviable two-floor property lightens the mood. Graeme Virtue
Grand Designs: House of the Year
9pm, Channel 4
“Oh my word, how phenomenal!” That exclamation can only mean one thing: Kevin McCloud is looking at the year’s greatest gaffs. In the second escapist instalment, the theme is homes that have gone through big transformations, from a London mews house with an eco upgrade to a Dutch barn renovation in Sussex. Hannah Verdier
MasterChef: The Professionals
9.10pm, BBC One
In the final round of heats, the four chefs are under pressure with a skills test from Marcus Wareing. Can they fillet a sea bream to perfection and whip up an Asian-style broth with rice? Later, Anna Haugh orders beetroot tortellini with a goat’s cheese and walnut filling. Sadly, the two weakest chefs will be sent home. HV
Two Doors Down
10pm, BBC Two
Tonight’s episode of the Scottish comedy shows there is such a thing as being too much of an eager beaver. Excitement is in the air as Colin introduces the neighbours to his new girlfriend, Anne Marie (Siobhan Redmond). Things take a turn when the gang is shaken by her enthusiastic approach to the dinner party. Sammy Gecsoyler
Outsiders
10pm, Dave
In David Mitchell’s comedy bootcamp, some surprise visitors make an appearance. Funny bones aren’t the only things being tested; so, too, are the comedian’s musical chops. Darren Harriott and Maisie Adam come up with a new martial art while Fatiha El-Ghorri uses her spelling “skills” to distract the kids from Phil Wang’s surname. SG
Film Choices
Les Misérables, (Ladj Ly, 2019), 11.55pm, Film4
Echoes of La Haine – and, more obliquely, Victor Hugo’s novel – abound in Ladj Ly’s Cannes film festival prize-winner. It’s a tense 2019 crime drama inspired by the 2005 Paris riots; in a poor suburb, cop Stéphane (Damien Bonnard) joins a street-crime unit, aimless kids are tugged between faith and mischief, and the theft of a lion cub by rebellious teenager Issa (Issa Perica) lights the fuse on anti-police resentments. In Ly’s nuanced, authentic debut feature, everyone has their reasons. Simon Wardell
Good Night Oppy (Ryan White, 2022), Prime Video
Like a particularly glossy edition of Horizon, Ryan White’s engaging space documentary tells the story of the 2004 Mars exploration rovers, Spirit and Opportunity (AKA Oppy). They were designed to last 90 days but, in Oppy’s case, survived for 15 years. It talks to the Nasa team who built them, blasted them off to the red planet then tended to them as they pootled around digging in craters, withstanding dust storms and malfunctioning. With the robots’ anthropomorphic features and their creators’ increasingly emotional attitude towards them, WALL-E and R2-D2 spring to mind. SW
