TV tonight: why Mhairi Black swapped parliament for standup comedy

19 hours ago 5

Mhairi Black: Being Me Again

7pm, BBC Two
“This place is a farce. Absolute farce.” Last year, the SNP’s Mhairi Black – the youngest elected MP since 1832 – stood down as an MP, and swapped parliament for standup comedy (she was describing the former there). In this candid film, she talks about rising to prominence after the Scottish referendum, the anxiety she constantly felt as a young, gay, neurodivergent woman in politics, and her first show at the Edinburgh festival fringe. Hollie Richardson

Bad Dog Academy

8pm, Channel 4
Nick Grimshaw – who is dog daddy to bull terrier Pig and jack russell Puppy – is back to train naughty pooches with his team of experts. First up, cane corso Ghost is a giant guard dog adjusting to family life, while cavapoochon Mr Bollinger is testing his owners’ relationship. HR

Science Fiction in the Atomic Age

8pm, Sky Arts
Is there a through-line from Frankenstein’s monster, dreamed up by Mary Shelley in Regency England, to the robotic visions of 20th-century American author Isaac Asimov? If there is, then this thorough, four-part series will uncover it. Along the way, there are reflections on how Oppenheimer’s bomb influenced other works of science fiction. Ellen E Jones

Bergerac

9pm, U&Drama
This weirdly bleak and creepy reimagining of the 80s detective series reaches its climax. The villainous John Blakely is homing in on Kim, while Bergerac is beginning to panic as he’s sidelined from the case. Finally, our hero has a gamechanging realisation – but has it come too late to save his daughter? Phil Harrison

Small Town, Big Story

10pm, Sky Atlantic
As Wendy returns to Drumbán for the I Am Celt premiere (“Is it supposed to be funny?”), Séamus, Pubba and the gang confront their pasts (“Dad, I can’t believe I’m actually going to say this: were you abducted by aliens?”), and there’s a final interspecies confrontation, in the concluding part of Chris O’Dowd’s comedy drama. Ali Catterall

Dispatches Special

10pm, Channel 4
There’s a lot of secrecy around this new hour-long Dispatches investigation, which suggests it’s one to definitely keep an eye on – as, over the past couple of years, the strand has launched headline-making exposés on accusations against Russell Brand, an NHS emergency ward in crisis and the royal family’s “secret millions”. HR

Film choice

Smoke Sauna Sisterhood (Anna Hints, 2023), 2.10am, Film4
The smoke sauna tradition in Estonia is recognised by Unesco, and Anna Hints’ season-traversing documentary pays due homage to its rituals and idyllic woodland setting. But the female visitors to the isolated cabin are the film’s real focus. In this safe space, they sit and talk – about body image, sex, relationships, family. While naked physically, they’re also exposing themselves emotionally. Viewed in a beautiful play of light and steam, it’s a moving insight into troubled individuals given succour through a collective endeavour. Simon Wardell