Unreported World | Maestro At The Opera | Lip Service | Barry Manilow At The …

Unreported World
7.30pm, Channel 4

Another reason to be glad you’re not running the Euro 2012 public relations campaign for Ukraine. The country is beset by threats of boycotts by dignitaries, due to its imprisonment of former PM Yulia Tumoshenko, and this episode of C4’s doughty current affairs strand is far from an advertisement. Reporter Marcel Theroux meets the tribe of delinquent glue-sniffing juveniles who live beneath the streets of Kyiv. There are tens of thousands of them, according to Theroux’s report, depending on the proximity of underground hot water pipes to protect them from the Ukrainian winter. Andrew Mueller

Maestro At The Opera
9pm, BBC2

“There can only be one Maestro at the opera,” says the press information here, conjuring up visions of batons drawn at dawn. Sadly not. Instead, the contestants are whittled down to two, who go head to head for the chance to conduct an act of Puccini’s La Bohème at the Royal Opera House. Tough task. Just as well there’s training at the renowned Georg Solti Accademia in Florence to get the two up to speed before Sir Mark Elder decides who gets to wave their arms around on the podium at Covent Garden. Jonathan Wright

Lip Service
9pm, BBC3

It all unravels for Sam this week. First, she has an “Er, about the other night …” moment with Lexy, then she’s off to confront Tess as it becomes apparent that everyone except her knew about Cat and Frankie’s furtive fumblings. Her anger finally spills over at work, and she’s sent home. Sadie, meanwhile, is busy toying with Lauren and her wife, and pays them a home visit. There’s a whole lot of loving going on at the hospital, but that’s shattered when Lexy gets a visit from her stalker. Is Tess a shoulder to cry on, or is she hoping for more? Hannah Verdier

Barry Manilow At The BBC
9pm, BBC4

The immense popularity of Barry Manilow was one of the more engaging enigmas of the 70s and 80s, one which the unfailingly modest Manilow himself was at a loss to explain – but that only added to his charm. This montage of BBC footage includes a Manilow TOTP appearance in 1976, typical of the badly coiffured balladeers that shagpiled the charts of the day, perched awkwardly on a piano stool in tight white trousers, as well as an interview with a journalist grumbling about his mediocrity. Manilow gondola-ed effortlessly through it all like a benign force of nature; getting steamed up about him is like shaking your fist at fluffy clouds. It’s followed by One Night With Barry Manilow. David Stubbs

Episodes
10pm, BBC2

Bev and Sean are having more rich people’s problems as Matt LeBlanc tries to sweeten them with gifts of expensive cars. Sean, still angry with LeBlanc for wrecking his marriage, is reluctant to be bought off. Meanwhile the ratings are taking a dive thanks to Pucks! being scheduled against a talking dog show. This leads to some of the best jokes as the executives swarm in with helpful suggestions on how to make the show better: “What other animals can talk?” Phelim O’Neill

30 Rock
10.30pm, Comedy Central

When this Dark Knight parody aired in the US it seemed pointlessly out of date. But, with ads for the new Batman movie everywhere at the moment, it suddenly feels more relevant. After a mugging, Jack is forced to wear his tuxedo in the daytime and quickly realises the power a sharp piece of tailoring can wield. Meanwhile Liz turns to the dark side when she realises that only the craziest-acting New Yorkers are getting the seats on the subway. PO’N