On a busy night there's Queens of the Street, which focuses on the female stars in Coronation Street, Christy Ring: Man and Ball, Far from the Madding Crowd, as well as some Christmas specials and season finales . . .
Pick of the Day
Queens of the Street, 9.00pm, Virgin Media One
Of all the Corrie specials, this could be the best - a programme celebrating the Weatherfield women over the years, since the very first episode aired in December 1960.
There’s never been a shortage of great female characters on The Cobbles: Ena Sharples, Elsie Tanner, Hilda Ogden, Vera Duckworth, and Bet Gilroy are just some of the show’s finest. The great Sarah Lancashire cut her acting teeth here as Rovers' barmaid Raquel.
"Corrie’s formula is its strong feisty, down-to-earth, working-class women . . . and that’s what’s kept it going for so long," says Jane Danson, who plays Leanne Battersby.
Among the contributors from the soap’s past and present are Julie Hesmondhalgh, Sally Lindsay (below), Helen Worth, Alison King and Sue Nicholls.
Don't Miss
Christy Ring: Man and Ball, 10.15pm, RTÉ One
Documentary profile of Christy Ring (below), one of the finest ever exponents of hurling, who established many championship records during his 24 years with the Cork senior team.
The Crystal Maze, 10.00pm, Channel 4
Radio and TV presenter Matt Edmondson, showbiz legend Debbie McGee, singer and dancer Kimberly Wyatt, retired footballer Michael Owen and reality TV star Chris Hughes take on everything the maze throws at them.
One particularly wobbly challenge leaves the celebrities dumbfounded and in fits of hysterics, but will it derail the entire outing? Richard Ayoade is the man in charge.
Far from the Madding Crowd, 8.00pm, BBC Four
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This 2015 period drama based on Thomas Hardy's novel, starring Carey Mulligan, Matthias Schoenaerts, Tom Sturridge and Michael Sheen, is well with a watch. Mulligan is fantastic.
It tells the story of Bathsheba Everdene (Mulligan), a headstrong Victorian woman who inherits a sheep farm in a remote area of Dorset.
She struggles to maintain her independence while being courted by three very different men - a stoic farmer, a dashing, reckless soldier and a lonely older man.
Discovering Film, 7.00pm, Sky Arts & NOW TV
The final show of this run takes a look at the career of the two-time Academy Award-winning actress Sally Field.
Starting her career in television in the 1960s, Field burst into cinema screens in 1977 with the wildly successful Smokey and the Bandit alongside her real-life partner at the time Burt Reynolds.
Two years later, she won her first Academy Award for her role as the eponymous union organiser Norma Rae, before winning a second statue in 1984 for Places in the Heart.
In more recent years she's probably best-known for her role in Mrs Doubtfire.
Snackmasters: Dominos, 8.00pm, Channel 4
Pizza lovers should lap this up episode.
Two leading chefs try to create a perfect replica of Domino's Pepperoni Passion pizza - the company's top-selling pizza in the UK - with a panel of bosses deciding the winner.
New or Returning Shows
The Soul of America, 9.00pm, Sky Documentaries & NOW TV
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Based on Jon Meacham’s 2018 best-seller of the same name, this HBO doc follows the writer, journalist, and Pulitzer Prize-winning historian as he offers his insights into today’s USA by examining its past.
The film journeys through Meacham’s life and career while focusing on pivotal historical events such as the women’s suffrage movement, the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II, McCarthyism, and the struggle to pass Civil Rights legislation in the 1960s.
Part political documentary and part biography, the film recognises forces of hatred and division as recurring themes in American life, but ultimately gives hope that the lessons of the past may bring the nation closer to achieving its democratic ideals.
Ten Dollar Death Trip, 10.30pm, TG4
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With the world fighting a deadly pandemic, another heart-breaking public health crisis is raging in North America.
A new synthetic drug is killing more than gun crime, homicide and car accidents combined. 100 times stronger than heroin, the deadly opioid fentanyl is cheap, potent and small enough to send in the post (from China via the dark web).
This documentary leads viewers to Vancouver, the epicentre of the fentanyl epidemic, to meet with health care workers, activists, fentanyl dealers and people who use it.
Christmas Specials
A League of Their Own: Christmas Special, 9.00pm, Sky One & NOW TV
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Join Jamie Redknapp, Freddie Flintoff, Romesh Ranganathan and a team of celebrity guests for holly-related hijinks (like in the above video) and sporting Christmas challenges.
Following that is The Russell Howard Hour: Christmas Special (10.00pm),where Howard reflects on a pretty momentous year in a festive edition of his topical news show.
Ending Today
MasterChef: The Professionals, 9.00pm, BBC Two
In the last episode of the current run of the show, the three finalists must cook a starter, a main and a dessert that embody everything they are as a chef.
Also finishing up tonight: Taskmaster (9pm, Channel 4), 12 Puppies and Us (8pm, BBC Two), and Dúiseacht (8pm, TG4).
