The Jumbo Jet: 50 Years in the Sky, C5, 9pm
FIFTY years ago this summer, the first jumbo jets, the Boeing 747s, began their service. Ushering in the “jetset age”, they revolutionised travel and made the world feel like a smaller place. In this two-part documentary, we hear from some of Boeing’s “incredibles” – the name given to the engineers and test pilots whose work made the 747 prototype a reality – as they recall the dramatic stories of the plane’s early flights.
Who Do You Think You Are?, BBC1, 9pm
OLIVIA Colman finds some surprises in her ancestral history, and her belief that most of those in her family tree emanate from Norfolk turns out to be far from the truth. She is astonished to discover that she needs to travel to India to find out more about her great-great-great grandmother Harriot, who was an orphan in 1811 on a ship bound for England from Calcutta. Harriot’s father was an an Englishman but the identity of her mother, who gave birth to her in a remote Indian village, is a mystery Olivia delights in solving.
Versailles, BBC2, 9.30pm
A FUNERAL brings key players to the palace, with Cardinal Leto from the Vatican eager to exercise closer control over Louis’s ambitions and Louis seeking to cultivate Leto’s favour. Emperor Leopold still intends his niece Eleanor to marry the King of Spain, while Delphine speaks out against the latest crackdown on Protestants at Versailles, increasing the Chevalier’s admiration for her, and Philippe, aided by Marchal’s researches, discovers a secret that rocks the foundation of Louis’s right to rule.
Inside the American Embassy, C4, 10pm
AMBASSADOR Woody Johnson, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, challenges his staff on how they are tackling Brexit and questions whether the multi-billion-pound deal to sell US fighter planes for Britain’s new aircraft carrier, the Queen Elizabeth, is a good one for America. The administration is fighting trade wars on several fronts and the new Trump-appointed under-secretary of agriculture, Ted McKinney, pushes for Britain to open its doors to controversial American chlorinated chicken. Last in the series.
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