The Midwich Cuckoos
9pm, Sky Max
“Trying to kill it already?” a pregnant woman asks her unimpressed sister who visits bringing wine. It’s one of many hints about the trouble ahead in the idyllic town of Midwich – along with a newly arrived couple trying for a baby, and that lingering shot of a “voted best town to raise a family” article. Soon, there is a freak power cut in which everybody falls unconscious, and all women of child-bearing age wake up pregnant. The seven-part drama will take the same sci-fi direction as the 1957 novel on which it is based, with psychotherapist Dr Susannah Zellaby (Keeley Hawes) on a mission to get to the bottom of what is happening. Hollie Richardson
Horizon: Making Sense of Cancer With Hannah Fry
9pm, BBC Two
As a professor of maths, Hannah Fry is used to making sense of things through numbers and facts – but how will this affect the way she navigates a cervical cancer diagnosis at the age of 36? In this documentary, she watches videos she recorded throughout her journey, and speaks to experts and fellow cancer patients about the reality of diagnoses today. HR
Taskmaster
9pm, Channel 4
Each series of Taskmaster has a wild-card contestant. This time it’s the excellent Sophie Duker, who displays astounding – if utterly, gloriously pointless – levels of persistence tonight. Elsewhere, Greg Davies is decidedly unimpressed by the songwriting skills of Ardal O’Hanlon. Phil Harrison
The Staircase
9pm, Sky Atlantic
In its penultimate episode, this labyrinthine true-crime drama – based on a case that launched a thousand conspiracy theories – remains as opaque as ever. Sophie, a compellingly mysterious character in a show not short on intrigue, strives to establish Michael’s innocence. Henry Wong
Big Boys
10pm, Channel 4
“It’s like a Greek tragedy,” Danny says to his therapist about not being able to have sex at uni because of his antidepressants. We learn more about what is happening in his home life, with writer Jack Rooke continuing to explore mental health taboos with a perfect blend of tenderness and comedy gold. HR
The Flight Attendant
10.15pm, Sky Max
Cassie touches down in Reykjavík for tonight’s misadventures, after being led there by a cryptic text. With her increasingly bizarre travel log raising suspicion among her compatriots – primarily co-worker Shane (Griffin Matthews) – Kaley Cuoco’s comic timing remains impeccable as this darkly waggish series ramps up. Danielle De Wolfe
Film choice
Vera Drake (Mike Leigh, 2004), 9pm, AMC
In light of the threat to Roe v Wade in the US, this screening of Mike Leigh’s heart-rending 2004 drama is timely. Imelda Staunton is outstanding as Vera, a community-spirited, working-class mother in 1950s London, who cleans the houses of the rich, looks out for her neighbours and performs illegal abortions on Fridays. She does the latter unpaid to help women in trouble – but it’s a dangerous procedure and she keeps it a secret from her family. Amid the copious cups of tea and cameos from many Leigh regulars, the film is a condemnation of women’s choices being criminalised and a reminder that the law isn’t the same for every strata of society. Simon Wardell
Sport
Test cricket: England v New Zealand 10am, Sky Sports Main Event. Day one of the first Test at Lord’s.
US Women’s Open golf 7pm, Sky Sports Main Event. Day one from North Carolina, where Yuka Saso hopes to be crowned champion.
