Secrets of the Spy Whale
9pm, BBC Two
In 2019, fisher Joar Hesten found a white beluga whale off the coast of Norway wearing a harness labelled “Equipment St Petersburg”. Theories of the whale being an escaped Russian military-trained animal erupted, as Joar set out on a mission to integrate it into a wild pod. This documentary speaks to Joar and others involved with the case to find the true identity of the “spy whale”. Hollie Richardson
Portrait Artist of the Year 2024
8pm, Sky Arts
The likable art contest hosted by Stephen Mangan carries on with another new group of sitters. What will the contestants make of Lioness turned pundit Jill Scott, food critic Jimi Famurewa and, perhaps most intimidatingly, Lyall Hakaraia, a fashion designer who presumably has strong views on personal aesthetics? Phil Harrison
Shetland
9pm, BBC One
Just in case last week’s discovery of Annie’s body wasn’t impactful enough, we open with grainy video footage of her as a teenage maths whiz on her way to study at Oxford. Pastoral, lo-fi detectoring abounds as our stars also hunt for the killer of Anton Bergen and track down his employers. Alexi Duggins
Our War: 10 Years On
9pm, BBC Three
“We thought we were all big, tough soldier men … but looking back I was 18; I was a child.” When British troops were sent to Afghanistan after 9/11, it was the first time head cams had been used to film life on the frontline. The footage was shown in award-winning series Our War; a decade later, soldiers reflect on their experiences. The first of the original series airs at 10pm. HR
New Zealand’s Best Homes With Phil Spencer
10pm, Channel 4
Phil tops up his tan during a visit to a coastal farmhouse in Kaipara Harbour, but it’s the surrounding sculptures that really impress. He also visits a tempting bachelor pad located on a remote beach with golf course access, then discovers how clever architecture can keep those nosy neighbours at bay, even in town. PH
BBC New Comedy Awards 2024
10.40pm, BBC One
Lucy Beaumont, who won in 2012, is joined by Josh Pugh, Shaparak Khorsandi and more to judge this year’s (hopefully) funny final. Dane Buckley, Paul Hilleard, Maia Tassalini, Marty Gleeson and Jonathan Oldfield are the finalists – sadly, Marie Goulbourne died five days after winning the Lancaster heat. HR
Film choice
Emilia Pérez, Netflix
Jacques Audiard’s audacious musical drama flips between crime thriller and telenovela to tell an emotional story of identity, family and how the past weighs on the present. Zoe Saldaña is a revelation – singing and dancing con brio – as lawyer Rita, who is hired by Mexican cartel boss Manitas (Karla Sofía Gascón, touching in a double role) to arrange his gender reassignment and secret new life as a woman, Emilia. Selena Gomez plays Manitas’s unwitting wife – then supposed widow – Jessi, nonplussed by “cousin” Emilia’s interest in her and her children’s lives. A sweeping melodrama of reinvention and redemption that ploughs through its absurdities with show tunes and tears. Simon Wardell
Live sport
Women’s Champions League Football, Celtic v Chelsea, from Celtic Park
7.45pm, TNT Sports 1
