Monday, 20/2/2017

Life, Animated: Storyville (BBC4, 9pm)

One of the most critically acclaimed documentaries of last year gets a speedy transfer from the big to small screen. Director Roger Ross Williams, the first African-American director to win an Oscar (in 2010 for Best Documentary Short), also helms this Oscar-nominated offering. It centres on Owen Suskind, an autistic boy who, at the age of three, retreats into himself, but communicates via Disney cartoons. With the aid of a puppet from Disney's version of Aladdin, his dad, Ron, as the film reveals, made a breakthrough and was able to communicate with his son.

The Trouble with Dad (C4, 9pm)

Last year, David Baddiel launched a stand-up show entitled My Family: Not the Sitcom, in which he detailed the lives of his parents in uncompromising detail - there was no rosy glow here, although there was humour present in their eccentricities and the responses of their children. Now Baddiel and his comedy writer brother Ivor are presenting this documentary which explores their relationship with their father Colin, a former research scientist who has spent the best part of his decade with Pick's disease, a rare form of dementia that has stripped him of his inhibitions and stolen his memories. The Baddiel boys reveal what it is like to care for somebody with the condition, hear from others in their situation and speak to the sufferers themselves.

The Halcyon (ITV, 9pm)

The hotel celebrates its 50 year anniversary, but Lucian struggles to keep things in order as pressure mounts and Adil attempts to corner Toby and bring him back from the edge of doing something terrible. Garland and Lady Hamilton find a cause to unite over, while Emma is still confused about the men in her life and finally comes to a decision after talking to Betsey about love during wartime. The tension between Joe and Freddie is palpable: will it spill over? Olivia Williams and Steven Mackintosh star. Last in the series.

The Railways That Built Britain with Chris Tarrant (C5, 9pm)

The broadcaster examines the role of the railways during the two global conflicts of the 20th century, keeping vital supply lines open and transporting troops to and from the front. In the First World War, railway works were converted into munitions factories and women were employed for these dangerous jobs and their heroic efforts helped win them the vote, while in the Second World War, they were vital in organising the evacuation of a million children and offered underground shelters from air raids.

Jon Richardson: How to Survive the End of the World (C4, 10pm)

Comedian Jon Richardson is a self-confessed born worrier, and having a baby daughter has only made that worse. Now, with the world in flux, he is being sent on a mission by his wife, fellow comic Lucy Beaumont, to find out whether his fears could actually play out - or if he's more likely to be killed by sausages than ISIS. Over the course of the programme he meets a Dorset family who are selling fresh air in jars for £80 in a bid to combat air pollution, goes on an overnight trip deep into the woods where he learns how to protect his family against a dirty bomb, finds out about a man who has built an indestructible suit and meets octogenarians who believe they know the secret to living for 150 years.