Big Cats 24\/7<\/p>\n
9pm, BBC Two
Back to Botswana\u2019s Okavango delta, as gutsy film-makers rejoin the growing Xudum lion pride \u2013 in fact, it\u2019s now the largest recorded in the world. But the males are missing and the females are left to face intruding lions. Meanwhile, we meet leopard Lediba, who is forced to step up in her pride, and cheetah Pobe, who is trying to keep her two young cubs alive. Hollie Richardson<\/p>\n
How to Sleep Better<\/p>\n
8pm, Channel 4
It\u2019s the secret we all want to know and Denise Van Outen is doing the research for us in a one-off programme. She talks to experts about every sleep disruptor, from food to menopause to snoring, and experiments with gadgets and therapy that could help. HR<\/p>\n
Death in Paradise<\/p>\n
9pm, BBC One
An actor dying on stage is hardly the most original mystery trope. Here, it occurs during a production of The Tempest performed on a Caribbean beach. The twist? While it seems the actor has been poisoned, his co-stars have been drinking from the same bottle. Another head-scratcher for Don Gilet\u2019s DI Wilson. Phil Harrison<\/p>\n
Guy Montgomery\u2019s Guy Mont-Spelling Bee Australia<\/p>\n
9pm, BBC Three<\/p>\n
Busy bee \u2026 Guy Montgomery. Photograph: James Gourley\/Publishd<\/p>\n
This daft panel show benefits from authentically eye-popping 1970s-style production design and wardrobe. In the last double bill, its cheerfully smarmy host puts various Aussie comics through their spelling paces \u2013 at one point trawling through their old social media posts for inspiration. Graeme Virtue<\/p>\n
Under Salt Marsh<\/p>\n
9pm, Sky Atlantic
\u201cI need to ask you something, Nisha, and I need you to answer me as honestly as you possibly can \u2026\u201d As a violent storm batters Morfa Halen, Jackie and Bull attempt to ferret out the truth in the momentous series climax. Will the Welsh village give up its secrets before the flood washes away the evidence? Ali Catterall<\/p>\n
The Graham Norton Show<\/p>\n
10.40pm, BBC One
There seems to be a viral clip emanating from every single episode, so it must be tricky to select the best bits. Expect this two-part compilation to include Kate Winslet on shaving Eminem\u2019s bum and Miriam Margolyes making even Alexander Skarsg\u00e5rd blush. Ellen E Jones<\/p>\n
Film choice<\/p>\n
Scrapper (Charlotte Regan, 2023), 11pm, BBC Two<\/p>\n
Charmer of a drama \u2026 Scrapper on BBC Two. Photograph: Picturehouse Entertainment<\/p>\n
Charlotte Regan\u2019s delightful debut feature takes a slice of social realism and gives it a topping of whimsical wit and touching optimism. Lola Campbell is a real find as 12-year-old Georgie, who secretly lives by herself on her east London estate after her mum\u2019s death, stealing bikes with best mate Ali (Alin Uzun) to pay her way. She\u2019s a resourceful, artful dodger, so is mightily put out when her long-absent dad, Jason (Harris Dickinson), turns up to take care of her. The development of a parental bond is slow and painful: Jason struggles with the mysteries of fatherhood, while Georgie \u2013 despite her brave front \u2013 is still wrapped up in grief. With this charmer of a drama, Regan is one to watch. Simon Wardell<\/p>\n
Paul McCartney: Man on the Run (Morgan Neville, 2025), Prime Video
Another day, another Beatles film. But Neville\u2019s documentary is a fascinating time capsule, covering the period from 1969, when the Fab Four split, to 1980, when John Lennon was murdered. Voiceover interviews with McCartney, his family and fellow performers, plus home movies and private photos, provide an intimate look at an effortlessly creative if only intermittently brilliant musician trying to find his way as a solo artist. And while he recreated the band format (rather profitably) in Wings, it\u2019s clear he was really just playing at being equal. SW<\/p>\n
In the Blink of an Eye (Andrew Stanton, 2026), Disney+
There are major 2001: A Space Odyssey vibes to Andrew Stanton\u2019s new live-action sci-fi adventure, though Darren Aronofsky\u2019s epic, muddled The Fountain also springs to mind. The WALL.E creator\u2019s ambitious film about life, death and humanity crosscuts between three timelines: a Neanderthal family; a present-day love story between Rashida Jones\u2019s anthropologist, and a fellow student (Daveed Diggs); and a 25th-century scientist (Kate McKinnon) on a spaceship en route to colonise a new planet. SW<\/p>\n
Dead of Winter (Brian Kirk, 2025), Paramount+
If you\u2019ve a yearning to see Emma Thompson packing heat, this is the film for you. Kirk\u2019s thriller is very much Fargo-adjacent in its wintry Minnesota location, grimly comic bloodletting and persistent use of \u201coh heck\u201d as a curse word. Thompson plays tackle shop owner and recent widow Barb. Her ice-fishing trip at a remote lake is interrupted when she finds a young woman (Laurel Marsden) being held captive by a gun-toting couple (Judy Greer and Marc Menchaca). It\u2019s tightly plotted and tense, as Thompson\u2019s very capable heroine exploits the chilly climate to help her rescue attempt. SW<\/p>\n
Jurassic World: Rebirth (Gareth Edwards, 2025), 7.10am, 8pm, Sky Cinema Premiere
There are no characters from previous iterations, but Edwards\u2019 efficient sort-of reboot does get a script by the writer of Jurassic Park, David Koepp. And there\u2019s a definite return to focusing on the wonder of the dinosaurs, as mercenaries Scarlett Johansson and Mahershala Ali, palaeontologist Jonathan Bailey and their big pharma paymaster Rupert Friend head to a forbidden isle to sample its genetically mutated beasties. The cute quota is supplied by a family shipwrecked on a sailing trip. Cue the running and screaming \u2026 SW<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Big Cats 24\/7 9pm, BBC TwoBack to Botswana\u2019s Okavango delta, as gutsy film-makers rejoin the growing Xudum lion…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":305492,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[111,139,69,147,406],"class_list":["post-305491","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wildlife","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-science","tag-wildlife"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/305491","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=305491"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/305491\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/305492"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=305491"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=305491"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=305491"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}