TV tonight: Julian Assange’s father and wife tell their remarkable story

The film follows the family for two years after Assange’s arrest in 2019. Plus: Malpractice reaches its gripping finale. Here’s what to watch this evening

Ithaka: The Fight to Free Assange

10.20pm, ITV1

“Torture is a tool used to send a warning to others. It is most effective when it is inflicted in public.” The words of Nils Melzer – the UN’s special rapporteur on torture from 2016 to 2022 – open this remarkable documentary about Julian Assange’s arrest in 2019 and his time in prison awaiting extradition to the US for one of the largest ever leaks of government secrets. His father John Shipton and wife Stella Assange share the family’s complex journey. Hollie Richardson

Ten Pound Poms

9pm, BBC One

The promised paradise has quickly turned sour in this top-notch drama about the Brits who migrated to Australia after the second world war. Following the drunken hit-and-run, Terry takes his family to hideous Dean’s house for a barbecue in a bid to act normal. Meanwhile, Kate’s real motives for the move have been revealed: she’s looking for the son who was taken from her. HR

Malpractice

9pm, ITV1

Did the fentanyl that killed Eva Owusu come from the very hospital where she was treated and died? Lucinda (Niamh Algar) is convinced there’s a dodgy connection, but people aren’t likely to believe a desperate addict doctor who’s just been suspended. All will come to light in this revelatory final episode of the hospital thriller. HR

I Kissed a Boy

9pm, BBC Three

The casually groundbreaking gay dating show set in a fabulous Italian villa continues. After an initial rush of pool frolics and heart-to-hearts, the first elimination looms: will it be Josh or Bobski who has to pack their trunks? That departure is just the start, as host Dannii Minogue has more twists to reveal. Graeme Virtue

Depp v Heard

9pm, Channel 4

After the defamation case that set the internet ablaze with takes and memes, this three-part documentary looks at the trial by social media of Amber Heard. Unfortunately episode one is an hour of cobbled together TikTok material that sheds little light on the affair. Continues tomorrow and Tuesday. Hannah J Davies

The Man Who Played With Fire

9pm, Sky Documentaries

“You can get $2m dollars if you kill Olof Palme.” The second instalment sees warnings of a CIA hit fall on deaf ears. Yet journalist Stieg Larsson deemed the hypothesis plausible. But one theory linked to the 1986 assassination of Sweden’s PM, a truly remarkable classified CIA file found in his possession, could change everything. Danielle De Wolfe

Film choice

Loveless, 1.15am, Film4

Loveless on Film4.
Loveless on Film4. Photograph: Lifestyle pictures/Alamy

Andrey Zvyagintsev followed the biting Leviathan with this sombre but moving tale. One snowswept autumn, a Moscow couple (Maryana Spivak and Aleksey Rozin) are preparing to separate but, with new partners already lined up, neither wants custody of their 12-year-old son. When the boy goes missing, and a volunteer search team get involved, they are forced to confront their self-centred, emotionally stunted ways. Despite being an intimate film, it’s not a stretch to view the pair’s empty lives as a microcosm of Russian society. Simon Wardell

Live sport

Women’s Super League Football Chelsea v Arsenal, 12.15pm, BBC Two Action from Kingsmeadow in the penultimate round of games.

Premier League Football: West Ham v Leeds, 1pm, Sky Sports Main Event A must-win game for Luke Ayling and his relegation-threatened team. Followed by Man City v Chelsea.

Challenge Cup Rugby League Castleford Tigers v Hull FC, 2.35pm, BBC Two The sixth-round tie at the Mend-a-Hose Jungle.

Contributors

Hollie Richardson, Graeme Virtue, Danielle De Wolfe and Simon Wardell

The GuardianTramp

Related Content

Article image
TV tonight: more remarkable architectural renovations
George Clarke presides over the transformations into family homes of some of the 200,000 unused commercial buildings in the UK. Plus: more from Aisling Bea’s brilliant This Way Up. Here’s what to watch this evening

Ammar Kalia, Phil Harrison, Jack Seale, Ali Catterall and Simon Wardell

21, Jul, 2021 @5:20 AM

Article image
TV tonight: the remarkable story of the editor of a Russian independent newspaper
The Price of Truth looks at Dmitry Muratov, the editor of Novaya Gazeta. Plus: Tommy Jessop Goes to Hollywood. Here’s what to watch this evening

Phil Harrison, Graeme Virtue, Jack Seale and Simon Wardell

21, Aug, 2023 @5:20 AM

Article image
TV tonight: the untold story of Grenfell Tower laid bare in a remarkable documentary
Artist and resident Constantine Gras’s footage from provides powerful, tragic foreshadowing. Plus: a look at the lives of peat-cutters on the Isle of Lewis. Here’s what to watch this evening

Ammar Kalia, Hannah J Davies, Jack Seale, Ali Catterall and Simon Wardell

08, Sep, 2021 @5:20 AM

Article image
TV tonight: a juicy period drama from Downton’s Julian Fellowes
Christine Baranski and Cynthia Nixon enjoy their wealth in The Gilded Age. Plus, a new look at the Krays. Here’s what to watch this evening

Hollie Richardson, Phil Harrison and Ali Catterall

25, Jan, 2022 @6:20 AM

Article image
TV tonight: a remarkable film about the women who joined Islamic State
Shamima Begum and more recount their time inside the terror organisation. Plus the Bake Off pros take on tiramisu. Here’s what to watch tonight

Ammar Kalia, Ellen E Jones, Phil Harrison, Ali Catterall, Jack Seale, Paul Howlett

15, Jun, 2021 @5:20 AM

Article image
TV tonight: Janet Jackson tells her compelling story
A four-part documentary traces the rise of the youngest Jackson, while chefs compete to sell their cookery books to a publisher. Here’s what to watch this evening

Hollie Richardson, Jack Seale, Graeme Virtue, Henry Wong and Simon Wardell

31, Jan, 2022 @6:15 AM

Article image
TV Tonight: The Inside Story of The Hacienda
A documentary on the epochal Manchester club. Plus, more Strictly fun and a new, drag-themed talent contest starring Ian Beale!

Hollie Richardson, Phil Harrison, Jack Seale and Simon Wardell

05, Nov, 2022 @6:00 AM

Article image
TV tonight: the story of the wizard of Oz
Documentary traces the remarkable life of L Frank Baum, while the People Just Do Nothing crew step out from behind the personas to tell their own story. Here’s what the watch this evening

Ammar Kalia, Phil Harrison, Hannah Verdier, Graeme Virtue and Simon Wardell

11, Aug, 2021 @5:20 AM

Article image
TV tonight: the fascinating story about Coco Chanel’s mysterious life
Old friends and insiders lift the lid on the founder of the Chanel fashion house. Plus: Oz’s top drag queens fight for a crown. Here’s what to watch this evening

Hollie Richardson, Jack Seale, Alexi Duggins, Phil Harrison, Ali Catterall and Simon Wardell

15, Sep, 2023 @5:20 AM

Article image
TV tonight: a beautifully animated story about Taliban-era Afghanistan
This documentary about two Afghan women sheds light on the 2021 crisis. Plus: a downbeat finale for Rain Dogs. Here’s what to watch this evening

Hollie Richardson, Hannah J Davies, Danielle De Wolfe and Simon Wardell

23, May, 2023 @5:00 AM