Looking for the best tv on tonight? Here’s what’s on…
Dragon’s Den, 8pm, BBC One and iPlayer
Twin brothers are looking for some dough for their premium frozen pizza business. A married couple hope for a sweet deal for their dessert-inspired cocktail bar. A pair of tech entrepreneurs aim to make the cut with their AI video-editing software, and a football fan turned entrepreneur has a shot on goal with his monthly subscription business.
Sandi’s Great British Woodland Restoration, 8pm, Channel 4
As ancient woodlands in the UK come under threat of extinction, Sandi Toksvig- armed with her trademark wit and a pair of chainsaw-safety shoes – and her wife Debbie try to restore a wooded patch in southern England. In this episode, after a cold winter, Sandi’s wood springs to life as she and Debbie start to focus on creating suitable habitats for woodland creatures. They build a wildlife pond to increase the biodiversity; and tree surgeons make a 200-year-old beech tree safe. Sandi’s budget’s stretched because of local fly-tipping, as she has to fork out thousands on fencing. And then there’s the four-legged problem. Are there too many deer in Sandi’s wood, spoiling the chance of regeneration? A deer survey will reveal if life goes on, or if it’s time for a cull.
The Traitors, 9pm, BBC One and iPlayer
Following some testing and emotional days for the players, it isn’t only croissants the Faithful are craving at breakfast, as their hunger for Traitors is getting stronger.
Today’s mission proves that forward thinking isn’t always helpful in building the prize pot. And with the Round Table looming, can the players separate emotional connections from the all-important question: ‘who do you think is a Traitor?’
Miriam Margolyes – Almost Australian, 9pm, BBC Two
On the second leg of her journey, Miriam is intrigued by the Australian concept of mateship and how Australia is the only country in the world to enshrine it in its culture.
Miriam’s first stop is a roadhouse south of Alice Springs, where she meets Spud and his mates. She discovers she has a lot to learn about the concept that she considers very masculine. Spud introduces her to Heather, one of the few women truckers in Australia. Female truckers only make up two per cent of the trucking industry, but Heather assures Miriam she feels she is surrounded by ‘good mates’.
Miriam visits the Country Women’s Association to meet some of Alice Springs’ indigenous Australian residents and experience their community initiatives. She also meets the elders, who set up the Children’s Ground to pass Arrernte traditions, songs, dances and stories on to the younger generation. Miriam worries that despite Australia’s ideals of mateship, the country still hasn’t found a way to bridge the deep divide that exists between indigenous Australian and other citizens.
Arriving in Darwin, Miriam encounters a group of transgender Tiwi islanders, who invite Miriam to a drag night that evening. Miriam discovers a community that is more diverse and inclusive than she could ever have imagined. Miriam muses that, for them, mateship is a very ‘evolved state of affection’.
On her last day in Darwin, Miriam is invited to attend a game of Aussie rules. Despite her hesitations, she is soon caught up in the spirit of the game. AFL, Miriam observes, unites Australians of all backgrounds, heritage and colour. It is infused with the spirit of mateship.
Miriam’s travels have given her a new appreciation of the value of mateship as something that reflects the ‘essential decency’ of Australians. But Miriam also wonders whether mateship these days could do with a broader definition, something that celebrates how it can connect us all despite our many differences.
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