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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Hollie Richardson, Ellen E Jones, Graeme Virtue, Alexi Duggins and Simon Wardell

TV tonight: the rare film that was meant to launch David Bowie’s career

David Bowie: Love You Till Tuesday.
David Bowie: Love You Till Tuesday. Photograph: Mercury Studios

David Bowie: Love You Till Tuesday

9pm, Sky Arts

This curious 1969 promotional film was created to bring David Bowie – then a mime star under Kenneth Pitt’s management – to a wider audience. (It was never actually shown on a major network; not that this seemed to do any damage to his career.) This version, which airs seven years after his death, includes a previously unreleased original recording of Space Oddity. Hollie Richardson

Mittens and Pants

5pm, Sky Kids

Bizarrely enough, Marcus Bentley – the geordie voice behind Big Brother – turns his narration talents to this new kids’ live-action series. It follows the funny and haphazard adventures of a shy kitten called Mittens and her lively puppy friend Pants as they explore the world of Kibble Corner. HR

Battle of the Alphas

8pm, Sky Nature

It’s all gone a bit ultimate fighting champion in this new series of the conflict-keen nature documentary. Tonight’s episode showcases “apex alphas” who willingly take on all comers with their range of ready-made weapons, including the Highland cow’s killer horns and the wolverine’s razor claws. Even the ducks look lethal. Ellen E Jones

Starstruck

8.30pm, ITV1

In an impressive and somewhat surprising turn, Queen of Country Shania Twain joins the judging panel for the second series of this singing contest in which teams transform into music’s most iconic figures. Kicking things off: a trio of Tom Joneses, a team of Taylor Swifts and some Sam Smiths try to out-sing each other. HR

North Sea Connection

9pm, BBC Four

Meth meets craic in this darkly witty drug-smuggling drama set in a County Galway fishing village. In tonight’s climactic double bill, laid-back local garda Egan and zealous Swedish detective Tuva’s investigation gets so warm that unlikely dealer Cira has to cook up a desperate plan. Meanwhile, her brother Aidan continues to be a prize eejit. Graeme Virtue

The John Bishop Show

9.40pm, ITV1

When Ashley Banjo appeared on Graham Norton a couple of weeks ago, he convinced Elvis actor Austin Butler to dance for him. So, for his turn on this chat show alongside Shania Twain and Fay Ripley, hopefully we’ll see similarly entertaining results – preferably performed by the comedian host. Alexi Duggins

Film choice

Gravity, 7.15pm, BBC Two

Alfonso Cuarón’s sci-fi thriller shows off its groundbreaking effects best on the big screen, but a sofa-based viewing should amplify the claustrophobia crucial to its success. Sandra Bullock plays an astronaut on a space shuttle hit by the debris from a destroyed Russian spy satellite. Her desperate, real-time attempts to survive – aided by George Clooney as her veteran colleague – while cooped up in a cockpit or stranded in her spacesuit give a sweaty, human dimension to a film whose characters are one leak away from the deadly vacuum of outer space. Simon Wardell

The French Connection, 11.15pm, Talking Pictures TV

Gene Hackman in The French Connection.
Gene Hackman in The French Connection. Photograph: United Archives GmbH/Alamy

Justifiably renowned for its nerve-shredding car chase through the crowded streets of New York, William Friedkin’s crime drama is also a fantastic police procedural. Brooklyn cop Popeye Doyle (an Oscar-winning Gene Hackman) and his wingman Buddy (Roy Scheider) undertake the grubby, frustrating legwork of gathering intel, staking out and tailing a major drugs ring, with an authentic feel respectful of its real-life origins. Fernando Rey brings a slippery quality to the visiting Marseille criminal who’s the focus of Popeye’s ire. SW

Live sport

Test Cricket: New Zealand v England, 6am, BT Sport 1 Continued coverage of day three of the first Test at Bay Oval.

Rugby League World Club Challenge: Penrith Panthers v St Helens, 6.45am, Channel 4 The 2022 Super League champions, captained by James Roby, battle it out with Australia’s best team at BlueBet Stadium.

Premier League Football: Aston Villa v Arsenal, 11.30am, BT Sport 1 At Villa Park. Newcastle v Liverpool is at 5pm on Sky Sports Main Event.

Super League Rugby: Hull Kingston Rovers v Wigan Warriors, 12.30pm, Channel 4 A league game at Craven Park.

Women’s T20 Cricket World Cup: England v India, 12.30pm, Sky Sports Main Event At St George’s Park in Gqeberha. England then play Pakistan at 12.30pm on Tuesday.

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