Three Families (BBC1, 9pm)
IT’S been described in some quarters as the BBC’s next “must-see” TV show, and it’s easy to see why. Writer Gwyneth Hughes has set her story during the six-year run-up to abortion being made legal in Northern Ireland in 2019 while revealing how three women and their families dealt with a very particular set of difficult circumstances. It’s based on real stories, although the women’s real identities and some details have been changed to protect their anonymity. Sinead Keenan, Lola Petticrew, Amy James-Kelly and Genevieve O’Reilly head the cast, with fine support from Colin Morgan and Owen McDonnell.
Motherland (BBC2, 9pm)
WE’VE recently witnessed her incredible turn as the toe-curlingly vile DSI Carmichael in Line of Duty, now Anna Maxwell Martin is back on our screens in an altogether different mode – although her character is almost as unpopular when the sitcom’s third series begins. Julia has been ostracised by the other mothers, just as a pandemic strikes – but rather than being Covid-19, it’s nits that are wreaking havoc. Meanwhile, Anne has big news, Meg has a crisis and Kevin has been a naughty boy.
The Highland Vet (5SELECT, 9pm)
ANOTHER series of the programme set at the most northern mainland veterinary practice in Britain. This week, Caithness-born vet Shondie faces the most dramatic case of her career. Leyla, a two-month-old Tamaskan puppy, has been attacked by an older dog. Shondie and vet nurse Lee-Ann battle through the night to save the puppy with a broken jaw – and things get worse when they discover a mysterious metal object in her belly.
Inside No 9 (BBC2, 9.30pm)
CAN Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith really pull off another wildly inventive series to match its predecessors? If the calibre of guest star is anything to go by, the answer seems to be yes. Among those who will be popping up over the next few weeks are Gemma Whelan, Lindsay Duncan, Adrian Dunbar and Sian Clifford, while Derek Jacobi becomes the first guest to return to the show – he narrated a Christmas edition a few years back. The opening episode focuses on the planning of a heist.
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