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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Hollie Richardson, Jack Seale, Ali Catterall and Graeme Virtue

TV tonight: the fertility doctor who used his own sperm

The story of fertility doctor Jan Karbaat …  Seeds of Deceit: The Sperm Donor Doctor, BBC Four.
The story of fertility doctor Jan Karbaat … Seeds of Deceit: The Sperm Donor Doctor, BBC Four. Photograph: Screengrab/BBC/©De Familie Film&TV : VPRO

Seeds of Deceit: The Sperm Donor Doctor

10pm, BBC Four

The skin-crawling story of fertility doctor Jan Karbaat, who secretly used his own semen (rather than donor sperm) to impregnate more than 65 patients, is told by some of those women in this excellent three-part documentary. It starts by contextualising the importance of access to donor insemination in the 70s – in a world that judged women who wanted a baby without a male partner – and how Karbaat took advantage of pioneering that. Hollie Richardson

Between the Covers

7pm, BBC Two

Is a beaten-up book at the bottom of your bag the sign of a well-loved or a mistreated treasure? Choose your side, as guests including Nish Kumar, Laura Smyth, Ben Miller and Kerry Godliman make their pitch. They’ll also be reviewing Devil’s Breath by Jill Johnson. HR

Panorama: The Water Pollution Cover-Up

8pm, BBC One

Privatisation so often comes with a defanged regulator, but the problem is especially stark in the water industry. In this investigation, Joe Crowley explores how companies dumping large amounts of sewage into our rivers can possibly boast high environmental ratings. Are they being allowed to cover up incidents of egregious pollution? Jack Seale

Julius Caesar: The Making of a Dictator

9pm, BBC Two

In which Caesar conquers Gaul, while shrewdly making political allies of Pompey and Crassus, memorably described by historian Tom Holland as akin to “the Joker, Riddler and Penguin coming together to carve up Gotham City”. Ex-Tory MP Rory Stewart observes of Julius, “A populist can corrupt an entire state” – and he should know what he’s talking about. Ali Catterall

The Couple Next Door

9pm, Channel 4

The steamy thriller about swingers in suburbia continues – and strap yourselves in, as the foxy foursome are heading for a weekend away. However, devastation lurks in the form of stalker Alan (Hugh Dennis) whose obsession with Becka (Jessica De Gouw) reaches breaking point. HR

Jayda Kariuki as Shai and Shanu Hazzan as Kai in Grime Kids.
Coming of age … Jayda Kariuki as Shai and Shanu Hazzan as Kai in Grime Kids. Photograph: Ryan O’Donoghue/BBC/Mammoth Screen

Grime Kids

10pm, BBC Three

The likable 00s-set coming-of-age drama about five east London lads trying to make it in the grime scene reaches its penultimate episode. Stealing rhymes from local legend Wiley has seen Kai’s stock tumble in the tight-knit Gladiator Crew. But with a birthday party live set looming, who else has decent skills on the mic? Graeme Virtue

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