The second part of this Dispatches programme based on David Blunkett’s audio diaries covers the war in Iraq and his bruising fights at the Home Office over civil liberties. Like the published diaries, the programme compares his original views with his feelings today. His behaviour towards civil servants at the time, for example, was rude, high-handed and demoralising, which he regrets bitterly now. He does not talk directly about his affair with Kimberly Quinn, but you get a clear sense of a man struggling to keep working 16-hour days during a time of emotional turmoil. It promises to be the most highly charged political programme of the week.

SUEZ
BBC Two, 9pm

In every respect, this is an exemplary documentary. The broad outlines of the Suez crisis are well known, but the exact sequence of events has become blurred over the past 50 years. Fascinating, too, is the role played by the personalities of the two main protagonists — the patrician Anthony Eden, whose entire political career was based on resisting dictators, and the “upstart” Arab nationalist Nasser, who despised what he saw as the arrogance of Empire. The story is driven by the first-hand accounts of diplomats and soldiers from both sides, and illustrated with original footage and restrained dramatisations (James Fox, an actor never too fussed about typecasting, plays Eden). It feels like the definitive account of a seminal event in modern British history.

SPOOKS
BBC One, 9pm

After the gripping episode last week when the dogs were unleashed on poor old Ruth, it’s back to business as usual. The good guys and their Apple Macs are still battling the bad guys in their suicide vests — but all the exciting stuff is going on in the good guys’ camp. Saskia Reeves has replaced Ruth. Rupert Penry-Jones is soothed by the nanny. Hermione Norris strips off in the line of duty. The bad guys, on the other hand, threaten to bore us to death. “The Government continues to kill Muslims in Iraq,” intones the suicide bomber. “The people elected the Government. They are responsible for the deaths of our brothers and sisters. We’re at war. I am a soldier.” It’s a shoo-in for the Powerbooks and the iMacs.

VINCENT
ITV1, 9pm

You can never have too much Ray Winstone on television. As the private detective Vincent, he tells a client: “We’ll sort it out. Don’t worry about nuffing. We’ll sort that out,” making it sound infinitely reassuring. Later, he tells the same client: “You pissed someone! You pissed ’em off! Now you’ve pissed me off!” with the same kind of ferocious rage that made his famous wibbly-wobbly explosion from All in the Game so unforgettable. His character is a cross between a favourite uncle and the diamond geezer — a cuddly bear with a sore head and a lonely heart. Winstone has never managed to find scripts that match his talent in the way that, say, Robbie Coltrane found his perfect role in Cracker, but he can make even the most pedestrian material fun to watch.

MULTICHANNEL TELEVISION
by Gabrielle Starkey

THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW
Freeview 36; Sky 207; digital cable 186

Five’s first new Freeview channel of the week was launched last night, promising viewers a mix of drama, films, soaps and lifestyle shows. It will begin daily at 4pm with Ellen DeGeneres’s talk show, which is an award-winning hit in the US. It’s easy to see why — Ellen is a warm, naturally witty host and the guests are AA list (today, Justin Timberlake and Beyoncé), which surely beats The Sharon Osbourne Show.

LIVE PREMIERSHIP FOOTBALL
Sky Sports 1, 7.30pm

Fulham are looking for their first win in four matches, but their plight is nothing compared to tonight’s opponents Charlton who are sitting bottom of the table and desperate to avert a fifth straight defeat.

FIVE US
Freeview 35; Sky 207; digital cable 185, from 8pm

Five’s second new Freeview channel offers a mix of American drama, films, documentaries sport and comedy. Available from 4pm to 1am every day, it starts with the first episode of the first series of that old Five favourite CSI (8pm); then Stephen King’s Nightmares and Dreamscapes (9pm), a modern-day Tales of the Unexpected, which tonight stars William Hurt as a hitman who comes to regret killing a toy shop owner. That’s followed by Conviction (10pm), a glossy saga about hotshots at the New York DA’s office that will appeal to fans of LA Law.

THE SECRET LIFE OF MRS BEETON
BBC Four, 9pm

Isabella Beeton set herself up as the original domestic goddess, but in reality she commuted to the office to escape boredom at home, and her first three children died in infancy. Her husband Sam was a drinker and gambler, with yet another wretched secret up his sleeve. By the age of 28 she was dead, giving the lie to the matronly, middle-aged voice of her famous household manual. This witty and moving biopic stars Anna Madeley as the industrious Isabella, while J. J. Field performs the impressive feat of making Sam a sympathetic figure.

RACE TO DAKAR
Sky Two, 10pm

When Charley Boorman was preparing to ride his motorbike from London to New York with Ewan McGregor for The Long Way Round, he boasted that his next project would be the Dakar Rally, a 9,000-mile slog through the deserts of North Africa. Unfortunately for him perhaps, his boast was printed in the resulting book, so this new series follows Boorman as he bites the bullet and heads for Africa.

STARKEY’S LAST WORD
More4, 11.05pm

The late-night discussion show returns, with David Starkey now its permanent — and pugnacious — host.

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