Live Golf: The Open

BBC Two, from 9am

A golf major without Tiger Woods in the frame (he’s injured) may seem robbed of a certain buzz. Yet last year’s thrilling final day was fired by Padraig Harrington and Sergio GarcÍabattling head-to-head for the Claret Jug. And TV golf coverage is now a techno marvel to behold (well, some will go for it) – aerial swoops of each hole, GPS ball-locating technology and a Tornado camera, which records at 1,000 frames per second to enable that “swing-master” analysis for the tip-seeking viewer. From Royal Birkdale the commentary team is led by that old golf cove Peter Alliss, the decidedly unflashy Sam Torrance and their secret weapon – genial man-on-the-spot Ken Brown.
James Jackson

Harley Street

ITV1, 9pm

The best thing about ITV’s slick new medical drama is Paul Nicholls, who has the rare gift of being able to imbue pretty-boy parts with some substance. Here, he plays a doctor who works in a Harley Street partnership by day while moonlighting in an NHS hospital at night. In other words, this is no cynic – he’s a good doctor who cares about his patients. His Achilles’ heel is that he will bonk anything that moves, a handy flaw in the leading character of a medical soap. “ Harley Street,” says ITV’s director of drama commissioning Laura Mackie, “offers viewers a different approach to healthcare storytelling, while retaining the life-and-death situations that make medical drama so popular.” Hmm.

Lab Rats

BBC Two, 9.30pm

Even with the best will in the world, this is still a painfully unfunny episode. There is nothing wrong with the characters or with the acting – the weak link is the script, which starts off by relying (deliberately) on daft jokes and farcical plots. And although there is no reason why daft jokes shouldn’t be funny, they cannot be clumsy and laboured as well as daft. One of the central jokes of tonight’s episode is a former professor – taken out of a deep freeze and brought back to life – who proceeds to drive everyone round the bend. Alas, he is so tiresome that he will drive viewers round the bend as well.

My Name Is Earl

Channel 4, 10.45pm

Ever since a reader wrote in to say that My Name Is Earl is third-rate rubbish, it’s been a struggle to be allowed to preview it. “Why bother?” says my boss. “Our readers hate it.” Fortunately, there is nothing else on tonight, so – once again – I’m allowed half an hour of low-level enjoyment. Mind you, not a lot changes. Earl is still in a coma, and so his gormless brother has entered him into a game of killerball on a remote-controlled wheelchair. “I’m sorry, guys,” he says, “but if Earl’s going to die, he’s going to die like a man – trying to play a stupid game that he doesn’t even understand.” Please, I beg you, no letters.

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