Doomsday of Pompeii: Rome Unwrapped, Channel 5, 8.35pm
THE tragic events of 79AD have fascinated millions, many of them dramatists who used it for projects such as Doctor Who and the movie Pompeii, while countless documentary makers have also been drawn to the site.
The latest study of the eponymous ill-fated Italian region examines how the eruption of Mount Vesuvius rained seven million tonnes of debris on to Pompeii and sealed the fate of more than 1000 people.
However, this tragedy also created one of the best-preserved sites on Earth, giving experts and the public an insight into how people lived almost 2000 years ago.
Strictly Come Dancing, BBC1, 6.30pm
IT’S movie week on Strictly, although some viewers may be forgiven for initially assuming that Halloween has come early as the show is kicking off with a homage to the Harry Potter franchise.
No doubt things will then get a little bit glitzier as the remaining 14 celebs and their partners take to the floor to perform routines inspired by the silver screen.
But who will judges Shirley Ballas, Darcey Bussell, Bruno Tonioli and Craig Revel Horwood decide is the closest thing Strictly has to Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers?
Mystery Road, BBC4, 9pm
JUDY Davis has long been one of the most compelling actresses of her generation in projects such as My Brilliant Career and A Passage to India. She also shines in this thriller, which comes to a close tonight. In the penultimate offering, a corpse found in a sacred spot dredges up a past crime for Emma, while Jay’s daughter Crystal helps him to a fresh discovery.
The series is wrapped up at 9.50pm when Jay finally learns what happened to Marley and “Reese” but suspects a deeper motive than drug dealing.
Troubles: The Life After, BBC2, 10pm
AN intimate account of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, told through the stories of people who lost loved ones during the conflict, which lasted more than 30 years. Contributors include Virtue Dixon, whose daughter Ruth was killed on her 24th birthday while celebrating at the Droppin’ Well pub in Ballykelly in December 1982. An Irish National Liberation Army bomb brought the roof down, killing civilians and British soldiers, and Virtue tells the story of the aftermath from her perspective.
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