Miracle of the Hudson Plane Crash

Channel 4, 10pm

This extraordinary escape captured the imaginations of people around the world. Two minutes after US Airways flight 1549 took off from LaGuardia Airport, it was hit by a flock of birds. The left engine just blew,” said one passenger. “Fire, flames were coming out of it. Everyone started to say prayers.” With both engines out of commission and no power, Captain Chesley Sullenberger landed the plane in the Hudson River and all 155 people on board, including a baby, were rescued.

This film gives a minute-by-minute account of what happened, with first-hand testimonies from passengers, eyewitnesses and rescuers. It also uses a flight simulator and computer graphics to recreate the flight and show how Sullenberger executed a textbook emergency landing. According to an eyewitness on the ground: “It could not have been more controlled or smooth.”

Media Revolution: Tomorrow’s TV

BBC Two, 7.30pm

The last of the series exploring the changing face of the media examines the future of television. Television advertising revenue in the UK has fallen by £100 million in the past ten years and the industry is struggling. Many programme-makers already seek international funding for their projects. Merchandising will play an increasingly important role and product placement is likely to become the norm.

Digital television also means that broadcasters know more about our viewing habits, so advertising will target the individual like a laser-guided weapon rather than continuing with the carpet-bombing approach of today. So don’t despair. The UK is running out of North Sea oil and the City of London is in the dog house, but we can still sell Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? to Albania.

The Joy of Motoring Night

BBC Four, from 8.30pm

The season of films dedicated to the British love of motoring continues tonight with three new offerings. First up, Britain’s Best Drives (8.30pm) is a charming new seven-parter in which Richard Wilson embarks on six journeys through the British countryside in a series of classic cars, starting with a jaunt across Yorkshire in a Morris Traveller. Then, in Penelope Keith and the Fast Lady (9pm), the actress retraces ajourney from London to Liverpoolin 1905 by Dorothy Levitt, the pioneering author of a guide for female motorists. Finally, in a unique new series, the journalist and self-confessed “stroller” Michael Smith takes a poetic look at how driving has changed society in Drivetime (10pm). His engaging odyssey begins in London, where he uncovers our soulless “drive-through” culture. Joe Clay

Billy Connolly: Journey to the Edge of the World

ITV1, 9pm

Another celebrity goes travelling. “I’m going on the most extraordinary journey of my life!” exclaims Billy Connolly. He will be travelling for ten weeks by boat, motorbike, aeroplane and car along the northwest passage, across the top of Canada from Halifax to Vancouver. “It’s going to be an epic journey,” he says, “meeting all sorts of amazing people! I’m getting very excited just thinking about it!” Those who enjoy Billy Connolly’s distinctive brand of humour will know exactly what to expect.

Editor's choice

• The 100 Best Films of the Decade
• 70 facts you didn't know about Marvel
• The 50 Biggest Movies Of 2010