Looking for Rembrandt, BBC4, 9pm
ACTOR Toby Jones provides the voice of the Dutch artist formally known as Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn in this three-part documentary to mark the 350th anniversary of his death. It begins with Rembrandt’s meteoric rise in the capital Amsterdam’s golden age. He is courted by the city’s wealthy elite but the scale of his ambition and his meticulous attention to detail result in him taking too long to complete important commissions. He also gains a reputation as a spendthrift as he amasses an extraordinary collection of art and exotic curios using his newfound wealth. But along with his good fortune, he also endures personal tragedies, including the deaths of three children in infancy and that of his wife Saskia van Uylenburgh.
Hard to Please OAPs, STV, 8.30pm
AN entertainment show in which eight celebrity pensioners grapple with technology intended to make lives easier. Taking part are actresses June Brown, Amanda Barrie and Ruth Madoc, singer Sheila Ferguson, reigning King of the Jungle Harry Redknapp, Jack Whitehall’s father Michael, veteran entertainer Lionel Blair and former political correspondent and Strictly Come Dancing legend John Sergeant. In between testing out smart speakers, electric cars, remote-control golf trolleys, home saunas, high-tech tents, dog cameras and pooper-scooper vacuums, they let off steam about whether things really were better in the old days. The show is narrated by Jennifer Saunders.
Surgeons: At the Edge of Life, BBC2, 9pm
CAMERAS return to the operating theatres of Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital and reveal what goes on during procedures that test the limits of what is scientifically possible. In this inaugural episode, one of the Queen Elizabeth’s top consultant neurosurgeons, Ismail Ughratdar, performs brain surgery on 20-year-old Cameron. In order for Ughratdar to remove as much of Cameron’s tumour as possible, during the procedure, Cameron will have to be awake and talking. It’s an operation where even the tiniest error can mean the difference between success and catastrophic failure. Cameron had just finished training as an army medic when a tumour the size of a ping pong ball was discovered in his left frontal lobe.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here