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The Vietnam War, BBC4.
Superb … The Vietnam War, BBC4. Photograph: BBC
Superb … The Vietnam War, BBC4. Photograph: BBC

Monday’s best TV: W1A; Through the Lens of Larkin; The Vietnam War

This article is more than 6 years old

More self-referential satire from the BBC, a new side to one of Britain’s greatest poets – and an absolutely unmissable documentary series from Ken Burns

W1A
10pm, BBC2

The latest dispatch from the frontline of unnecessary meetings finds Ian Fletcher deciding what to do about Ryan Chelford. Judged purely in punditry terms, the cross-dressing ex-footballer’s appearance on Match of the Day didn’t go well, but he has been trending heavily on social media where “reaction … has been almost universally divided”. David Tennant’s narration neatly skewers Auntie’s dilemma: “The problem for the BBC is that they don’t know what to do.” Jonathan Wright

Through the Lens of Larkin
7.30pm, BBC4

Philip Larkin showed that not only was a bigot capable of poetic genius but he could also have a sideline in photography. He prefigured today’s selfies with a series of posed self-portraits, and documented his life, loves and the environs of post-second world war Hull, whose library he joined in 1955. The poet John Wedgwood Clarke visits the East Riding of Yorkshire and talks to those who knew Larkin. David Stubbs

Rellik
9pm, BBC1

Under-used for a long time, post-Fortitude, Richard Dormer is in danger of being over-exposed as an intense policeman with ambiguous motives. In Rellik, though, there are more serious worries. Namely, how Gabriel will track the murderer and juggle his complex personal life – all the while contending with the reversed narrative. Tonight, Gabriel looks for his daughter in the incessant rain, Asim receives a threat, and creepy Barker is in for questioning. John Robinson

The Human Body: Secrets of Your Life Revealed
9pm, BBC2

One of them has a beard and it’s still impossible to tell apart twin TV doctors, Chris and Xand van Tulleken. This medical marvel, and more, will be explored in their new three-part series on human biology. The topics in this growth-themed episode range from fascinatingly fertile to deathly dull, but the brothers’ best bits are their personal reflections on adolescence: “I was probably as embarrassed by your puberty as my own,” remarks Xand/Chris. Ellen E Jones

The Vietnam War
9pm, BBC4

Debut of Ken Burns and Lynn Novick’s 10-part study of the Vietnam war. It is, predictably, superb, reflecting judiciously on the resonant folly of the US’s intervention in Indochina, and including interviews with people who fought on all sides – and who opposed the war. This first episode reflects on the conflict’s gestation, as Vietnam is divided after the eviction of its French colonial overlords. Absolutely unmissable. Andrew Mueller

Celebrity Psych Test
11.05pm, E4

Taking a psychological test seems like an easier way for a celebrity to remind the world they’re here than being holed up in the Big Brother house for weeks, but what will happen once they’re under the scrutiny of a psychotherapist? Geordie Shore alumnus Charlotte Crosby, boxing promoter Kellie Maloney, Towie guru Chloe Sims and Jonathan “I’m best mates with Kim Kardashian, don’t you know?” Cheban reveal their personality traits as Lee Valls interprets their answers. Hannah Verdier

Joel & Nish vs the World
9pm, Comedy Central

This week, Joel Dommett’s globe-trotting challenge show finds him off to Kenya to ascertain whether he’s tough enough to live the life of a Maasai tribesman. He is soon being thrashed with sticks, mocked mercilessly for his piss-poor jumping skills, and force-fed goat, while his pal Nish Kumar stands there making quips and being surplus to requirements. Though Kumar does discover that his name means “no vagina” in Swahili, so there’s that. Ben Arnold

Film choices

K-19: The Widowmaker (Kathryn Bigelow, 2002) 9pm, Sky1

Another compelling thriller based on real events from the director of Detroit. This is the story of the Soviet nuclear submarine that faced meltdown in 1961 – a near-catastrophe that was kept quiet for many years by a mortified Kremlin. It starts slowly, setting up the conflict between stern commander Vostrikov (Harrison Ford) and crew’s champion Polenin (Liam Neeson), but once the boat hits trouble, tension builds fast.

Live sport

WTA Tennis: Tashkent Open 6am, BT Sport 2. Day one of the women’s tournament in Uzbekistan.

SGB Premiership: Play-Offs 7.30pm, BT Sport 1. Speedway action from the second leg of the semi-finals.

Premier League Football: Arsenal v West Bromwich Albion 7pm, Sky Sports Main Event. Coverage from the Emirates Stadium as Arsenal look to build on their draw at Chelsea.

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