I Hate Suzie Too
9pm, Sky Atlantic
Creators Lucy Prebble and Billie Piper bring back Suzie Pickles for a cracking three-part Christmas special – and the fantastically dark, surreal comedy-drama continues to cause panic attacks as Suzie attempts a comeback by taking part in a televised dance competition. She is also reeling from her separation, not being able to see her son and accidentally getting pregnant. Luckily, old friend and agent Naomi (Leila Farzad) – with whom Suzie always shares the best scenes – is also back. Hollie Richardson
Tokyo Vice
10.40pm, BBC One
Jake Adelstein (Ansel Elgort) leans into his innate geekiness tonight, as he fanboys his way into the confidence of a gangster. Elsewhere, things are becoming even more dangerous: an emergency yakuza peace summit proves that no one is above humiliation in this increasingly tense situation. Phil Harrison
Between the Covers
7pm, BBC Two
“Zadie’s had more bestsellers than I’ve had fringe trims.” Sara Cox dissects a collection including Zadie Smith’s White Teeth, Kiran Millwood Hargrave’s The Dance Tree, and Us by David Nicholls. Joining her are Rick Edwards (after publicly, and stupidly, declaring he was going to read a book a week this year), presenter and proud slow reader Clara Amfo, comedian Sarah Keyworth and rugby union player turned pundit Ugo Monye. HR
The Royal Variety Performance
8pm, ITV
Get comfortable because they’ve packed a lot into this one. Nile Rodgers and Chic, Ellie Goulding, Sam Ryder, Becky Hill, George Ezra, Rita Wilson and Gregory Porter (phew!) provide live music. Then David Baddiel, Frank Skinner and Ian Broudie have a special treat as they’re joined by the Lionesses. And if you didn’t catch Cabaret or Newsies this year, the cast are here to give you a taster. Want more? Gary Barlow, Gareth Malone, the London Youth Choir and Andrew Lloyd Webber have an extravaganza to close with. HR
The Traitors
9pm, BBC One
As we reach the end of Claudia Winkleman’s treacherously addictive new series (the finale airs on Thursday), The Traitors promises to “turn the game on its head”. Given that this gloriously intrigue-packed series has already seen the reintroduction of contestants, protection shields and participants going on “trial”, expect fireworks. Alexi Duggins
Miriam’s Dickensian Christmas
9pm, Channel 4
Miriam Margolyes is a self-confessed Scrooge who thinks Christmas is too expensive to celebrate (“People buying presents for people they don’t like with money they don’t have” is a very fair assertion). Can the legacy of her favourite author, Charles Dickens, lead her to a newfound love of the festivities? From throwing a party to crafting decorations, she gives it a good crack. HR
Film choices
The Jungle Book (Jon Favreau, 2016) 2.45pm, BBC One
Jon Favreau’s 2016 reworking of Rudyard Kipling’s tale used advances in photorealistic animal animation to bring real verve and danger to the India-set adventure. Neel Sethi plays orphaned boy Mowgli, happily living with a pack of wolves until the feared tiger Shere Khan (voiced by Idris Elba) threatens his life. Comic relief is provided by Bill Murray as Baloo – who unexpectedly belts out the old Disney number The Bare Necessities – while Christopher Walken brings a bizarre touch of Apocalypse Now’s Colonel Kurtz to ape king Louie. Simon Wardell
Shiva Baby (Emma Seligman, 2020) 11.20pm, Film4
College student Danielle (Rachel Sennott) reluctantly attends a shiva – a Jewish funeral wake – with her parents, only to find her secret sugar-daddy lover Max (Danny Deferrari) is also in attendance with his wife and baby. Oh, and Danielle’s ex-girlfriend Maya (Booksmart’s Molly Gordon) is there, too … Emma Seligman’s cutting comedy uses the claustrophobic setting of the communal gathering to ramp up the tension, while critiquing the roles given to young women today. SW
