TV tonight: an air fryer show that is actually worth your time

23 hours ago 4

Air Fryer: The Secret Genius of Modern Life

8pm, BBC Two
Yet another show about the air fryer – but it’s OK, because this time it’s to kick off the brilliant Prof Hannah Fry’s third tech series, in which she examines seemingly ordinary objects in “obscene detail”. And this isn’t about just recipes. Fry – a self-confessed convert – traces the origins of the kitchen phenomenon back to the “accidental creation of a ‘wonder wire’” in the 1900s and one first world war pilot’s need for a hot dinner. Hollie Richardson

Worst House on the Street

8pm, Channel 4
Sibling property developers Scarlette and Stuart Douglas begin a new series by helping newlyweds Ben and Millie to renovate a massive house in Chester. With almost 70% of renovations going over budget in the UK, can the pair save them some money? HR

Rose Ayling-Ellis: Old Hands, New Tricks

9pm, BBC One
“Emotionally, we’ve gone to pot!” The care community residents trying to learn British Sign Language as part of Rose Ayling-Ellis’s project are starting to get tired in this concluding part. Will she manage to pull them through with her good intentions? How about a deaf rave? HR

Grand Designs

9pm, Channel 4
Another rickety barn is earmarked for architectural transformation in Kevin McCloud’s formulaic but fun property perennial. As Pip and Sarah begin their work, it is clear that the structure isn’t sound enough to support the project – and extra cost is inevitable. Phil Harrison

The Righteous Gemstones

9pm, Sky Comedy
Danny McBride’s ribald comedy about a family of vulgar televangelists charges on with its fourth season, making the most of John Goodman as wayward patriarch Eli. The family, aghast that he is not a chaste widower, ramp up their guilt trips in an effort to destroy Eli’s new relationship. Jack Seale

What We Do in the Shadows

10pm, BBC Two
The fantastically funny vampire comedy’s fifth series approaches its midway point with Colin Robinson involved in a bit of dodgy political scheming. He is running for office, just so he can use the debate to drain the energy out of anyone watching. Is it possible that all politicians are in on this scheme? Ali Catterall

Film choice

A Real Pain (Jesse Eisenberg, 2024), Disney+

Kieran Culkin, left, and Jesse Eisenberg in a A Real Pain.

How the Holocaust echoes down the generations is the core concern of this deceptively lighthearted comedy drama from writer-director Jesse Eisenberg. He also stars as David, a Jewish American who joins his extrovert cousin Benji (Oscar winner Kieran Culkin) in Poland for a tour of sites associated with the genocide – funded by their beloved late grandmother. The men’s fluctuating relationship is a source of quick-witted humour but also great drama. Benji’s scattershot attempts to honour the traumatic events, alongside the more repressed David’s reluctance to open up to his once-close relative, give the film an emotional pull that is historical and personal. Simon Wardell