The Money Programme provides the most authoritative account to date on the arrest of Mark Thatcher in connection with an alleged attempt to overthrow the government of oil-rich Equatorial Guinea. Sir Mark is accused of aiding and abetting the 70 mercenaries who were arrested at Harare airport in March, led by his neighbour in Cape Town, the old Etonian and former SAS officer Simon Mann. Although the mercenaries claimed they were on their way to fulfil a security contract in the Congo, Sir Mark is being charged under South Africa’s Foreign Military Assistance Act, passed in 1997 to discourage armed foreign nationals running around the continent like cowboys.

MATCH OF THE DAY LIVE: SPAIN v ENGLAND
BBC One, 8.20pm

It’s a home tie for David Beckham and Michael Owen as England face Spain at Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu stadium. Sven-Göran Eriksson may choose to experiment for this friendly, with the likes of Owen Hargreaves and Shaun Wright-Phillips hoping for a run-out. They will be up against a Spanish side featuring the Real Madrid captain Raul and the Arsenal star José Antonio Reyes.

BODIES
BBC Two, 9pm

Even when the BBC’s drama department appears to be sacrificing excitement, innovation and quality for ratings and safety, it will suddenly pull a rabbit out of the hat and produce something that makes you want to take to the streets waving a placard in its defence. State of Play and The Long Firm are the most recent examples that spring to mind, and now along comes Bodies. The second episode tonight continues the gripping and believable story about an incompetent consultant; it has a strong sense of place, a sharp script, a pervasive sense of emotional honesty and a faultless cast led by Max Beesley and Patrick Baladi. Bodies takes the weary hospital-drama format and crashes it back to life.

MUSICALITY
Channel 4, 9pm

Any lingering doubts that Musicality would be less successful than Operatunity were blasted out of the rehearsal rooms last week, as 26 hopefuls sang and danced their way through the opening number of A Chorus Line and the whole project became galvanised with a giddy energy and joy. Tonight, the 10 remaining finalists are put through the equivalent of a musical boot camp, where they are taught how to inhabit a character and communicate emotions without being overcome by them. They are asked to go from being merely good to being totally convincing, and encouraged to develop the greatest skill of all — making it look easy. The winners’ performance in Chicago can be seen on Channel 4 on Wednesday November 31 at 9pm.

MULTICHANNEL CHOICE
By Siân Morgan

LIVE INTERNATIONAL FOOTBALL
Sky Sports 1, 7pm

Can caretaker manager Tommy Burns guide Scotland to victory against Sweden in their first game since the sacking of Berti Vogts?

PAQUITA
Artsworld, 8pm

The Paris National Opera Ballet performs the sort of melodramatic, exotically Spanish tale that formed the staple of 19th-century stage works. Pierre Lacotte’s choreography is taken from Marius Petipa’s original stagings in 1847 and 1881, while the superb Agnes Letestu and José Martinez dance the principal roles.

MALARIA: FEVER ROAD
BBC Four, 9pm/11.45pm/2.35am

We Europeans may fuss about malaria when planning an exotic holiday, but for many Asians and Africans it is a relentless killer that kills millions each year. Shot in western Kenya, the first of this two-part documentary follows a village ravaged by the disease. The crude sobering cinematography reflects life in the village as we meet the chief, whose active role in helping the villagers, one suspects, far exceeds his job description; and a mother of seven who watches helplessly as her children fall ill. At times resigned and brutal, this film’s ultimate message, as a result of the chief’s efforts, is one of belief, tenacity and honour. The second half explores vaccines and is shown tomorrow at 9pm.

THE GREAT PLANE ROBBERY
Discovery, 9pm

In 1971, D. B. Cooper skyjacked a flight to Seattle, demanding four parachutes and $200,000. Once his requests were met, he ordered the plane to take off and head for Mexico, and somewhere over Washington state he jumped from the aircraft. Not only did Cooper pull off his gutsy crime, he followed it up with an impressive vanishing act, leaving no trace and no leads. This story draws comparisons with the Great Train Robbery, but with an added dash of Sexy Beast, this rollicking documentary is more about the anti-hero who got away with it.

TRUE HORROR WITH ANTHONY HEAD
Discovery, 10pm/2am

Presented by Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s smooth-talking Anthony Head, this new five-part series is rather ill-timed, creeping into the schedules more than two weeks after Hallowe’en. Investigating the mythology behind such phenomena as the witch-hunts started by Pope Innocent VIII and the werewolves said to roam Mexico and Canada, Head’s first quest takes him to Romania, where the origin of the vampire comes under scrutiny. Describing his subject as “just a bit of fun, Hallowe’en for grown-ups”, his observation would be better attributed to this programme, which keeps its tongue firmly in its cheek — just like Buffy, in fact.

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