The Heart of the Paris Games
10pm, BBC Four
Céline Dion’s triumphant return on the Eiffel Tower. The super-swimmer Léon Marchand’s four gold medals. Raygun’s zero-point-scoring but internet-winning breakdancing. The equestrianism enthusiasts Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart hanging out. The Olympics and Paralympics provided the most thrilling TV event of the summer. This two-part documentary (shown back to back) by the film-makers Jules and Gédéon Naudet invites us to relive the high drama, with behind-the-scenes footage showing what went into making the 2024 games so special. Hollie Richardson
Sports Personality of the Year
7pm, BBC One
To Salford, where the BBC’s annual celebration of sport will be devoid of Gary Lineker for the first time in years. Instead, Gabby Logan, Clare Balding and Alex Scott will do the honours, handing the award to one of the stars on the shortlist of six that includes the runner Keely Hodgkinson, the darts prodigy Luke Littler and England’s leading Test run-scorer, Joe Root. Phil Harrison
Martin Lewis: How to Win at Board Games
8pm, ITV1
Not satisfied with making the country more financially savvy, the personal-finance whiz is now showing us all the ways to master family games night. A self-confessed board-game obsessive, Lewis will outline the crucial tactics required to win classics such as Connect 4 and Monopoly – with money lessons weaved in, of course. Nicole Vassell
Hotel Chocolat at Christmas
9pm, Channel 4
There is no such thing as “winding down for Christmas” for this confectioner. Instead, as this documentary details, the seasonal aim is to sell 50m individual chocolate products. This endeavour is most enchantingly Wonka-esque in the “inventing room”, where an alcoholic mint-chocolate drink and a three-layered cranberry treat are among the temptations. Ellen E Jones
Christmas on the Farm
9pm, Channel 5
Helen Skelton, JB Gill and Jules Hudson are back in South Yorkshire to shine a light on local festive traditions in food, crafts music and more. Their Cannon Hall Farm hosts, Rob and Dave Nicholson, return from a trip to Finland and decide to give the family tractor a seasonal glow-up. Graeme Virtue
Live at the Apollo: Christmas Special
9.45pm, BBC Two
More standup fun as this late-evening perennial continues. Dan Tiernan makes bracing comedy out of his sexuality and dyspraxia, while John Kearns mines the everyday for humour and wonder, touching on everything from daytime TV to boiled potatoes. Judi Love is our compere for the night. PH
• This article was amended on 17 December 2024 to clarify that the TV programme The Heart of the Paris Games was about the Paralympics as well as the Olympics.
