Dog Tales: The Making of Man’s Best Friend
9pm, BBC Four
Have you ever wondered what goes on in your dog’s mind, or perhaps how dogs came to be man’s best friend? This two-part scientific series (replete with masses of cute dog footage) aims to answer these questions and more. We learn tonight how the emotional bond between human and dog developed over thousands of years as dogs became hunting and farming companions, and how this connection is now used to rehabilitate inmates in a US prison. Ammar Kalia
Eat Well for Less?
8pm, BBC One
Single mum Holly has her plate full caring for 16-year-old son Spencer, who has cerebral palsy, while her 11-year-old, Fletcher, routinely skips breakfast. Enter Gregg Wallace and Chris Bevin for a new series of their foodie makeover show, optimising Holly’s weekly shop via no-fuss recipes. Graeme Virtue
Food Unwrapped: Comfort Foods Special
8pm, Channel 4
The rigours of 2020 will surely have seen most of us slumped on the sofa destroying a tub of Ben & Jerry’s at some point. This examination of guilty pleasures uncovers the secrets of everything from custard to Cornish pasties. And, most intriguingly, why do pork pies contain jelly? Phil Harrison
The Curious Life and Death of …
8pm, Smithsonian
Medical historian Lindsey Fitzharris fronts this true-crime series exploring the rumours surrounding some of the most mysterious deaths of recent times. Fitzharris performs “virtual autopsies” on the likes of suspected axe murderer Lizzie Borden and drug lord Pablo Escobar. AK
Manctopia: Billion Pound Property Boom
9pm, BBC Two
The final episode of this series on the Manchester property boom follows interior designer Sarah as she puts the finishing touches to her million-pound penthouse suites at the West Tower development, while the proposed Northern Gateway promises 15,000 new homes. AK
Call the Cops
9pm, Channel 4
The hard-hitting fly-on-the-wall show returns with a focus on Devon and Cornwall, where police officers are spread across a large area that’s busier than its idyllic image suggests. When a car hits a tree, the force arrive to find the driver and passengers have fled, while elsewhere they encounter a suicidal man. Hannah Verdier
Film choice
Star Trek Into Darkness (JJ Abrams, 2013) 9pm, E4
Best to ignore the multiverse machinations opened up in JJ Abrams’s mindbending reboot: just enjoy the prickly pal-ship between Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) and Spock (Zachary Quinto), and their confrontation with space terrorist John Harrison (a steely-gazed Benedict Cumberbatch). Paul Howlett
Live sport
International Football: Carlton v Sydney Swans 11am, BT Sport 2. AFL match from Metricon Stadium.
International T20 Cricket: England v Australia 5.30pm, Sky Sports Main Event. Final in the three-game series.
Rugby Union: Bristol Bears v Northampton 7.30pm, BT Sport 1. Gallagher Premiership 19th round clash.