Imagine … Russell T Davies: The Doctor and Me
10.40pm, BBC One
Russell T Davies is, of course, several small-screen masterpieces deep into his career now and regarded as one of our finest TV writers. But the Tardis is a vessel he still finds irresistible. Alan Yentob fronts this incredibly affecting documentary, which tracks his journey back to Doctor Who – the show that, since his childhood, has been his lodestar. Along the way, his creative life is explored in all its twists and turns. The common denominator seems to be an unusual degree of patience (“Most things I write, I’ve been thinking about for 30 years”) and the amazing, often heartbreaking warmth he is capable of bringing to the darkest of subjects. Phil Harrison
Jamie’s Christmas Shortcuts
8pm, Channel 4
Jamie Oliver has been a mainstay of Christmas food television for decades now, and he still hasn’t run out of ingenious ideas for transforming a panettone into a brand new dessert. Other suggestions for cooking in the “Betwixtmas” period include a brussels sprout caesar salad, a savoury twist on tarte tatin and a hearty winter vegetable gnocchi that should easily see you through to the new year. Ellen E Jones
Christmas University Challenge
8.30pm, BBC Two
A new series of the academic quiz’s annual festive contest in which distinguished alumni of various British seats of learning battle for supremacy. We begin with King’s College London taking on City, University of London. Amol Rajan asks the questions while among the contestants are TV journalists Ayshah Tull and Joe Crowley. PH
Vanishing Act
9pm, ITV1
This true-crime drama starts with a shoe containing a decomposed foot washing up on an Australian beach – and the story only gets murkier from there. It’s told from the perspective of Melissa Caddick (Kate Atkinson), a financier who vanished after authorities started investigating her for allegedly swindling strangers and friends out of millions. Hollie Richardson
Aldi’s Christmas Secrets
9pm, Channel 4
Pigs-in-blankets ice-cream, anyone? In keeping with the bizarre trend of “inside supermarkets at Christmas” documentaries, this time we get to see the secrets behind Aldi’s magical middle aisle and beyond. But there is also trouble afoot with a giant chocolate bauble and a badly dressed smoked salmon. High-stakes drama. HR
Leo Reich: Literally Who Cares?!
9.40pm, Sky Comedy
Posh, young, gay and hilariously self-involved, caustic standup Leo Reich was one of the breakout stars of the Edinburgh fringe in 2022. Considering his show’s playfully narcissistic themes, it feels appropriate that it has been immortalised as an HBO special; that brand still carries a whiff of luxury. But now a wider audience can experience Reich’s lacerating gen Z observations, banging musical interludes and eye-catching gym shorts. Graeme Virtue
