FIVE OF THE BEST

Unreported World

Channel 4, 7.30pm

Sahar Zand travels to Mauritania in West Africa to discover how young girls and women are being force-fed up to 10,000 calories a day because, when it comes to marriage, big is deemed beautiful. A food shortage has led many to choose an even riskier way to pile on the pounds, as they take chemicals – sometimes including some that are meant for animal consumption – with tragic consequences.

Britain by Boat: 2 Grumpy Sailors

Channel 5, 8pm

Michael Buerk and John Sergeant embark on the third leg of their sea voyage, which sees the former journalists sail around the south Cornish coast, from Fowey to Newlyn. In the historic harbour town of Fowey, the pair take part in a team–building exercise in a kayak, and end up challenging a fellow kayaker to a race. Back on board the Bonaventure, the first challenge is to leave Fowey under sail rather than using the engine. Later, the intrepid sailors hunt down the local RNLI and join them in a rescue drill.

Portillo’s Hidden History of Britain

Channel 5, 9pm

Michael Portillo ends his journey in Sussex at the popular seaside destination of Brighton, where he goes in search of the hidden history of this British coastal resort. The ghostly skeleton of the town’s West pier has become one of the UK’S most well–known ruins, and Michael discovers that its extraordinary staying power is thanks to its Victorian engineering. Later, Michael joins Britain’s oldest swimming club for a bracing dip, before meeting Jo Berry, daughter of Conservative MP Anthony Berry, who was killed by an IRA bomb at Brighton’s Grand Hotel during the party’s 1984 conference.

Made in Great Britain

BBC2, 9pm

Steph Mcgovern leads the makers to Wensleydale in the Yorkshire Dales, where they examine the area’s famous cheese, as championed by Wallace and Gromit. Focusing on the Monastic period, Jason and Claire try to milk a sheep, while Katie and Charlton extract rennet – an enzyme vital in cheesemaking – from a sheep’s stomach. Moving on to the Victorian era, Charlton and Jason tackle the highly physical task of collecting 20 litres of milk each in heavy back cans. The makers are then propelled to the 1920s when early factories employed equipment such as thermometers to produce cheese on a much larger scale.

The Graham Norton Show

BBC1, 10.35pm

It’s that time of year when celebrities start bringing out their autobiographies. Jumping on the bandwagon this year is Jackie Chan. The movie star’s memoir, Never Grow Up, was published earlier this week, and it offers insights into his early life. Chan will be talking to Norton about the book tonight, professional wrestler and actor John Ceda discusses his new sci–fi film Bumblebee and Jamie Oliver waxes lyrical about his latest book.