Live Snooker: The World Championship, BBC2, 10am
IN 2018, 15 years after he last won the title, Mark Williams became champion of the world again, seeing off his old rival John Higgins 18-16 in one of the greatest finals of all time. This morning, the 43-year-old Welshman, pictured top, begins the defence of his title at the Crucible Theatre. Both he and Belgian star Luca Brecel will face qualifiers, as will Neil Robertson and Ding Junhui in this afternoon’s session. Hazel Irvine presents coverage from Sheffield.
Mission Ignition, Channel 4, 7pm
IT’S the last in the series, but Mission Ignition is going out in style as Take That’s Howard Donald and motor-racing superstar Dario Franchitti challenge two teams to rebuild two truly luxury cars – a Rolls-Royce and a Daimler. Tackling the Rolls, which is given to them as hundreds of small pieces, is a group of friends who work in the maritime industry and believe that their knowledge of boats will translate to cars, while Team Daimler met in an auto-parts store in Birmingham. Whichever team gets their motor up and running will get to keep it – and Howard and Dario will find out why that’s a prize worth winning as they test the models on the race track. If it makes you wish you could get behind the wheel, Sam Collins is on hand to offer tips on how to bag your own classic car.
Pointless Celebrities, BBC1, 7.30pm
THE 1980s is known as the decade that style forgot. But how much general knowledge will tonight’s contestants remember as Alexander Armstrong and Richard Osman present a nostalgic edition of the quiz? The famous faces from the decade seeking unlikely answers are lead vocalist for T’Pau Carol Decker, Grammy-nominated frontman of Musical Youth Dennis Seaton, jockey Bob Champion who won the 1981 Grand National on Aldaniti, former world No.5 tennis player Jo Durie, actress, singer and ex-glamour model Samantha Fox, comedian Duncan Norvelle, weatherman John Kettley and “Mad Lizzie” Webb, from TV-am.
The Importance of Being Oscar, BBC2, 9pm
HE may have died destitute at the age of just 46 after suffering a very public fall from grace, but writer Oscar Wilde’s works and legacy continue to endure. He certainly has plenty of famous fans, and many of them take part in this documentary which charts Wilde’s career, controversial personal life and exit from high society. Stephen Fry, who played Wilde on screen, and the writer’s latest biographer Matthew Sturgis are among those exploring the writer’s life, including the importance of his Irish roots and his relationships with both men and women, while Freddie Fox, Claire Skinner, Anna Chancellor and James Fleet perform excerpts from some of his greatest works.
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