Inside the Hospice explores the world of palliative care, Philip Glenister stars in new crime drama Steeltown Murders, and there's the self-explanatory music documentary The Stones and Brian Jones . . .
Pick of the Day
Inside the Hospice, 9.00pm, Virgin Media One
Our Lady's Hospice in Dublin is in the business of death.
For the first time, the hospice grants unprecedented access to show their ethos and approach to death and bereavement with in-depth interviews, actuality and observation of day-to-day activities
From the beginning of the episode, the myths and misconceptions around palliative care are dispelled, and its multi-disciplinary approach to patient-focused care is outlined.
For example, an early morning handover meeting from the night staff is underway with Clinical Nurse Manager Kate Nolan.
The staff go through each patient’s file to see how they are, and what needs to be done. The focus is on making patients comfortable and pain-free, on occasion to the point where they can return home.
One of the nurses, Caroline McLean, is visiting 51-year-old Fraser Holden in Rathfarnham, who was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in May.
He already has difficulty walking, performing certain tasks, and his voice has slowed down. Despite all that, his biggest concern is the future for his wife Orlagh and their 7-year-old daughter Oonagh.
Don’t Miss
Love & Mercy, 10.15pm, TG4
Compelling biopic of the Beach Boys' brittle genius Brian Wilson, following the singer-songwriter at two pivotal periods in his life.
The early, Pet Sounds era scenes are so well done and look so authentic, they resemble documentary footage.
In the 1960s, Brian is at his creative peak, but haunted by inner demons that take their toll on his mental health.
By the 1980s, he is a broken man dominated by a shady doctor, until a new relationship offers him a chance at recovery.
Starring John Cusack, a terrific Paul Dano, Paul Giamatti and Elizabeth Banks.
University Challenge, 8.30pm, BBC Two
Tonight sees the first of the semi-finals with two teams of four students battling it out to make it to the grand final of the competition and the chance to take home the trophy.
As usual, Jeremy Paxman (above) asks the questions.
Paul Merson: A Walk Through My Life, 7.00pm, BBC Two
The football pundit and former Arsenal and England midfielder walks through North Yorkshire, reflecting on his life, career and faith. Carrying a 360-degree camera, he also describes his struggles with drink and gambling addiction.
New or Returning Shows
Steeltown Murders, 9.00pm, BBC One
This brand-new crime drama stars Philip Glenister.
As the CID reopen an investigation into three murders from 1973, DCI Paul Bethell tries to piece together a past that has haunted both him and a community for almost 30 years.
As new advances in DNA technology provide the possibility of answers, Paul reflects on his time as a junior officer, when he became convinced that the murderer of a teenager would soon strike again.
The Stones and Brian Jones, 9.00pm, BBC Two
Documentary maker Nick Broomfield examines the life and legacy of Rolling Stones founder member Brian Jones (below, left), looking at the relationships and rivalries within the band in their formative years.
Featuring revealing interviews with all the main players and previously unseen archive footage, the film explores the creative musical genius of Jones, key to the success of the band, and uncovers how he was left behind in the shadows of history.
Rescue: Extreme Medics, 9.00pm, Channel 4
As season two opens, an air ambulance is dispatched to the island of Mull, where 23-year-old rally driver Scott has rolled his car down a 20-foot embankment.
In Glasgow city centre, the trauma team fight to save the life of a man who was hit by a bus and dragged under the wheels, while the coast guard helicopter flies to a remote sea loch to rescue a woman who has fallen 15 feet down a waterfall.
The Sky at Night, 10.00pm, BBC Four
The team explores the threat of an asteroid impact on earth and meet space scientists who are developing methods of planetary defence that sound like the stuff of science fiction.
Maggie meets Professor Alan Fitzsimmons, expert in asteroid observation, to learn how the latest technology monitors near-Earth asteroids.
He explains which ones are a current concern, and why we missed the dangerous Chelyabinsk meteor - a 9,000-ton fireball that exploded in the sky above Russia.
Family Footsteps, 8.00pm, BBC One
In this season three opener, Gavin Andrews takes the Quail Walker family from Banbridge in Down, on a journey to discover how their Ulster-Scots ancestors lived in the 1900s.
Teenagers Noah and Fionn are put to work ploughing with horses and pulling flax while their mother, Art teacher Caroline, tries her hand at cooking pigs heart with chef Paula McIntyre.
Dad Phil finds out what it was like to be a butcher in Belfast market in 1900.
Ending Today
Missing: Beyond the Vanishing Triangle, 9.35pm, RTÉ One
Streaming on RTÉ Player
This concluding part of this documentary looks at the disappearances of women including Jo Dullard, Deirdre Jacob and Fiona Pender in 1995, with the Gardai under pressure to get results from a worried public.
Could the same killer have been responsible for some or all of the missing women?
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