Bold opening: Tragedy is personal, and the impact lasts long after the headlines fade. Tonight’s TV lineup leans into difficult memories and intimate portraits, offering viewers a closer look at how families cope with loss while exploring broader questions about justice, memory, and media. Here’s a fully fresh take that preserves every key detail and meaning, while expanding a bit for clarity and context.
TV tonight: remembering the Southport attack victims
Our Girls: The Southport Families
8pm, BBC One
This documentary gives voice to the families of Elsie Dot Stancombe, Alice da Silva Aguiar, and Bebe King—three children slain in the same horrific incident—through their memories of the lives their daughters led. The film centers on who these girls were in everyday moments, rather than dwelling on the brutality of their deaths. It captures the profound sense of loss and the enduring love that still shapes the families’ days. The emotional weight is heavy, yet the perspective is one of remembrance and resilience.
A Very British Christmas: Castle Howard
8pm, Channel 4
At Castle Howard, the Yorkshire stately home famously seen in Brideshead Revisited, preparations for Christmas stretch throughout the year. This gentle documentary follows designers Charlotte Lloyd Webber and Adrian Lillie as they transform the halls, drawing inspiration from the Emerald City of Oz to create a festive atmosphere that feels both whimsical and thoughtful. A comforting look at how tradition, creativity, and meticulous planning come together to craft a spectacular holiday setting.
What’s the Monarchy For?
9pm, BBC One
King Charles is highlighted as the first billionaire monarch, yet the monarchy’s cost to taxpayers continues to rise. In the second episode of David Dimbleby’s documentary series, the program asks whether that paradox can be reconciled. Austerity expert George Osborne joins the discussion to question whether the public is getting sufficient value for its royal investment. This segment invites viewers to weigh tradition against financial practicality.
Tommy: The Good. The Bad. The Fury
9pm, BBC Three
Followed by years of filming, this documentary tracks Fury—the former Love Island contestant—as he works to stabilize his mental health, relationships, and boxing career. The finale doubles as he trains for an intense 100-kilometre triathlon in France while awaiting the premiere of the series itself. A portrait of resilience, ambition, and the pressures of public life.
Rob & Romesh vs Bollywood
9pm, Sky Max
If more Romesh Ranganathan in your TV diet is welcome, this new run continues the duo’s comedic challenge format with Rob Beckett. The premiere episode sends them to Mumbai to try landing roles in one of the world’s most competitive film industries, offering lighthearted exploration of culture, ambition, and the realities of show business.
World’s Most Dangerous Roads
9.45pm, BBC Two
Two comedians set off on a 500-mile journey through South Africa’s more challenging stretches. Ria Lina, with her bright rainbow hair, eagerly embraces the adventure, while Darren Harriott frets about the practicalities and dangers. The moment of realization comes early: “Remote usually means no wifi … Oh God …” as the duo confronts rugged terrain and uncertain plans.
Live sport
Champions League football: Inter Milan v Liverpool — 7pm, Prime Video, at the San Siro
Champions League football: Tottenham v Slavia Prague — 7pm, Prime Video
Atalanta v Chelsea — 7pm, TNT Sports 2
Film options
All the King’s Men (Robert Rossen, 1949) — 4.30pm, Film4
A hard-edged drama about power’s corrupting pull. Willie Stark, once an earnest small-town lawyer, climbs to a governing position through demagoguery. Guided by disillusioned journalist Jack Burden, the film probes how political ends can justify questionable means. Crawford delivers a magnetic performance as a man whose sincerity warps into authoritarian resolve, offering a compact, modern-day parable about power’s temptations.
Ride the High Country (Sam Peckinpah, 1962) — 2.05pm, 5Action
Joel McCrea and Randolph Scott star as seasoned partners who reunite for a cross-country gold transport, joined by a younger, eager cowboy. The film blends easy camaraderie with darker questions about loyalty, ambition, and morality. Peckinpah’s zusammenklang of humor and violence builds toward a finale that tests what’s right when men’s interests clash.
