Climbing Blind
9pm, BBC Four
This remarkable documentary tells the story of Jesse Dufton, a climber with only 2% vision, as he attempts to lead the first “non-sight” scale of the Old Man of Hoy, a vertiginous sea stack in Orkney, Scotland. Directed by the climbing film-maker Alastair Lee, it is a nerve-jangling watch and portrays an incredible feat of tenacity and stamina from Dufton as he lurches upwards, looked on by his fiancee and climbing partner, Molly Thompson. Ammar Kalia
Absolutely India: Mancs in Mumbai
8pm, ITV
The Thomas brothers get unexpectedly emotional in the fourth episode of their journey to discover their Indian relatives. The gut-punch comes from a discussion in which they finally address the effects of their father, Dougie, leaving the family home when they were children. AK
Shipwreck Secrets
8pm, Yesterday
More than 3m shipwrecks are scattered beneath the world’s seas and oceans. This series follows maritime explorers as they unearth some of the most fascinating wrecks. Tonight, a US team discovers an enormous second world war German naval ship that was sunk off the coast of Florida. AK
Polar Extremes
8.35pm, PBS America
What are the fossils of hippo-like mammals doing buried under the Arctic ice? When were there beech trees in Antarctica? In first part of this two-hour special, the palaeontologist Kirk Johnson uncovers the unexpected pre-history of the poles and reveals what it can tell us about the future of climate breakdown. Ellen E Jones
The Great British Sewing Bee
9pm, BBC One
The eight remaining hopefuls competing for the title of Britain’s bbest amateur sewer tackle lingerie and sleepwear: a tricky task involving slippery and delicate fabrics, plus an attempt to transform PJs into a summer dress. Will a boned basque defeat all but the nimblest fingers? Ali Catterall
Old, Alone and Stuck at Home
9pm, Channel 4
Older and vulnerable people have been deeply affected by Covid-19 – and may be housebound for months after lockdown eases. This documentary charts how their daily realities have changed. The stories told are of ingenuity and deep anxiety, leavened by occasional humour. Jack Seale
Film choice
Gallipoli (Peter Weir, 1981), 3.55pm, Film4
With its two young soldiers caught up in the slaughter of Anzac forces in the Dardanelles, Peter Weir’s first world war drama can be seen as a forerunner of Sam Mendes’s 1917; the similar plot has idealist Mark Lee and chancer Mel Gibson sprinting with life-or-death orders between units, but this is a tougher, gutsier treatment. Paul Howlett
• This article was amended on 21 May 2020 to clarify that Jesse Hufton was the first non-sighted person to lead a scale of the Old Man of Hoy, not the first non-sighted person to climb it. That honour went to Red Széll in 2013.
