TV tonight: medals all round for Britain's sporting heroes

Comic Jack Whitehall ratchets up the heart-thumping nostalgia for nation-uniting tournaments. Plus: water buffalo run wild in the Fens. Here’s what to watch this evening

Jack Whitehall’s Sporting Nation

8.30pm, BBC One

A union-jack-waving half hour of sports nostalgia from the comic Jack Whitehall, who takes us through Britain’s sporting history and finest moments, asking why it is that big tournaments have the capacity to unite the nation. There is a look back at more obscure moments, such as the 1908 London Olympics, plus mythologised events such as the 1966 World Cup and the 2012 London Olympics, with Whitehall hailing our favourite underdogs and heart-thumping heroes throughout. Ammar Kalia

Royal Opera House: The Reopening

7pm, BBC Four

After three months in lockdown, the ROH in London came back to life last month – albeit minus an audience. Anita Rani, Katie Derham and Antonio Pappano present highlights from those shows, including a new piece by the choreographer Wayne McGregor. Graeme Virtue

The Fens: A Wild Year

9pm, BBC Two

In these ancient wetlands, it is the shifting balance between water and land that gives the year its rhythm. Time-lapse techniques capture boxing hares in spring and whooper swans in winter, while, more recently, an unexpected species has made a home here: the Asian water buffalo. Ellen E Jones

A Greek Odyssey With Bettany Hughes

9pm, Channel 5

Hughes sets sail for the Peloponnese, where she tells the tale of Helen of Troy. Plus, during a trip to Sparta she witnesses a group of modern-day warriors practising the ancient combat style of pankration. The scenery is beautiful, the stories are legendary and Hughes’s delight fuels the escapism. Hannah Verdier

Huey Morgan’s Latin Music Adventure

BBC Four, 9.30pm

Morgan continues his entertaining tour of Latin music, this week stopping off in the home of rumba – Cuba. In Havana, he learns of the free musical education children receive, before meeting the pianist Roberto Fonseca and hearing about the challenges modern musicians face. AK

Big Zuu’s Big Eats

10pm, Dave

In the penultimate episode of the series, the grime artist and gourmand Big Zuu takes his travelling food truck to meet the comedian Ed Gamble in Manchester. Gamble is a self-confessed “cheese addict”, so Zuu whips up a mighty cheeseburger with a side of halloumi fries, as well as his own take on KFC. AK

Film choice

Rush (Ron Howard, 2013), 10.45pm, BBC One
Howard’s Formula One drama recalls one of the great sporting rivalries, between James Hunt and Niki Lauda. Chris Hemsworth’s Hunt is all golden-locked charisma; Daniel Brühl’s Lauda a more thoughtful, risk-aware character who was nevertheless the one to suffer a horrific accident. Paul Howlett

Live sport

Test cricket: England v West Indies 10.30am, Sky Sports Main Event. Day three of the first Test.

Racing: Live from Newmarket 1.30pm, ITV4. Day two of Newmarket’s July meeting.

PGA Tour golf: The Workday charity open 8pm, Sky Sports Main Event. Day two from Muirfield golf club, Ohio.

Contributors

Ammar Kalia, Graeme Virtue, Ellen E Jones, Hannah Verdier and Paul Howlett

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