Today's highlights include the Love Island Final, the return of The Walking Dead, Mike White's satirical dramedy The White Lotus, as well as specials on Afghanistan and extreme weather . . .
Pick of the Day
Love Island Final, 9.00pm, Virgin Media One/ITV2
Here’s another sign that summer’s as good as over.
Laura Whitmore returns to host the final of the latest run of the reality romance show.
It’s been yet another highly manipulative run of poolside drama, scrambled heads and maybe even something called love.
Really, it’s about money and profile-building. And giving the rest of us mere mortals a bit of a distraction.
Tonight’s the night when one couple gets their hands on that massive £50,000 prize and are crowned winners of Love Island 2021.
This pair won't be involved . . .
Don’t Miss
The White Lotus, 9.00pm, Sky Atlantic
Streaming on NOW TV
Complete season available at Sky Box Sets
I’ve watched a few episodes of this dramedy from the genius that is writer/director Mike White - it’s pretty scathing and great fun.
In this episode, a cautiously optimistic Belinda walks a fine line with Tanya, while Armond brainstorms ways to deal with Shane.
After her husband belittles her work, Rachel approaches Nicole for advice (big mistake), Paula and Olivia lose track of their stash, while a revived Mark attempts to connect with Quinn.
Panorama, 7.35pm, BBC One
The speed of Afghanistan's fall to the Taliban has shocked the world - but what sort of country will it become?
Yalda Hakim was born in Afghanistan and travelled back there in the weeks before the Taliban took control.
She meets a Taliban commander from the front line promising a Sharia state, and the Afghanistan vice president who was adamant he would never surrender.
And she hears from those who are now fearing for their lives and their futures. Panorama asks what is at stake for the Afghans who are now in their first weeks under Taliban rule.
9-1-1, 9.00pm, Sky Witness
Streaming on NOW TV
The members of the 118 rush to the site of a hit-andrun that leaves a familiar face in critical condition.
Meanwhile, with Buck's help, Athena investigates the case of a missing woman last seen in a casino and Josh recalls an emergency in 2006 that led him to become a 9-1-1 operator.
Black Panther, 9.00pm, RTÉ2
This is one of Marvel's better comic-book adventures, starring Chadwick Boseman, Michael B Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o and Martin Freeman.
T'Challa, the new ruler of a hidden African nation, faces a challenge for his throne in the form of his cousin, Erik 'Killmonger' Stevens.
Assisted by his tribe's forces and CIA agent Everett K Ross, T'Challa is soon locked in a life-or-death struggle for the future of the world.
New or Returning Shows
This World, 9.00pm, BBC Two
With a focus on China's relationship with Australia, America and the United Kingdom, Jane Corbin speaks to key figures who share first-hand accounts of the activities of a shadowy part of the Chinese Communist Party.
This is something that Chinese President Xi (below) has called his magic weapon - the United Front Work Department.
Corbin looks at how is it used to infiltrate business, government and universities involved in cutting-edge science, and examines what more is in store as China aims to become the most powerful nation on earth.
Summer of Wild Weather: Is Worse to Come? 9.00pm, Channel 4
Footage from around the world of extreme weather in the summer of 2021.
They include the `heat dome" of North America, floods in Germany (below), Belgium and Iran, and monumental landslides in Japan and India.
Reporter Morland Sanders examines scientists' theories on what is causing these events, and asks if the UK is prepared for the possibility of worse conditions to come.
WW2 Mystery: Foo Fighters, 9.00pm, Sky History
Streaming on NOW TV
Over two parts, this documentary aims to unlock the Foo Fighters - the mysterious glowing orbs of World War II that later gave their name to a band - that first appeared on the battle-torn skies over Europe.
As glowing balls ducked and dodged military flight formations at high speed, some questioned the apparent control they operated under.
At the end of the conflict the mysterious interceptor sightings faded away, to be replaced with their modern counterpart: the UFO.
New to Stream
The Walking Dead, Disney+
The long-running, post-apocalyptic zombie drama begins its last season on Disney+.
Alexandria is now severely compromised, left a former shell of the home it once was from the carnage and devastation left behind by the Whisperers.
Now all who live there struggle to refortify it and feed its increasing number of residents, which include the survivors from the fall of the Kingdom and the burning of Hilltop - along with Maggie and her new group, the Wardens.
Alexandria has more people than it can manage to feed and protect. Their situation is dire as tensions heat up over past events and self-preservation rises to the surface within the ravaged walls.
The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf, Netflix
The world of The Witcher expands in this 2-D anime film that explores a powerful new threat facing the Continent.
