Attenborough’s Paradise Birds (BBC2, 8pm)

VETERAN broadcaster Sir David Attenborough still doesn't show any signs of slowing down in spite of reaching his late eighties, and the Beeb talking of changing the way it presents wildlife shows.

This time Attenborough indulges in one of his life-long passions, uncovering the story of how birds of paradise have captivated explorers, filmmakers and even royalty.

Having tracked these birds all over the jungles of New Guinea and Indonesia, he says: "For me Birds of Paradise are the most romantic and glamorous birds in the world. And this is a film I have wanted to make for 40 years."

In this particular offering, he explores the myths surrounding their discovery 500 years ago, the latest extraordinary behaviour captured on camera, and reveals the scientific truth behind their beauty; the evolution of their spectacular appearance has in fact been driven by sex. Attenborough travels to Qatar, to visit the largest breeding group of these birds in the world; a Sheikh's own private collection. And it's during his visit here that our presenter has his closest ever encounter with a Greater Bird of Paradise - it's a moving time for him, given that he first witnessed the bird in the forests of New Guinea more than 50 years.

Asked about retirement, Attenborough said recently: "I don't know what I would do, if truth be told. When you lie in bed in the morning, if you think that nobody cares whether I get up or not, that must be very, very depressing. Whereas if you need to get up because something needs to be written or people are waiting on you, then you get up and that's what life is about - doing things."

Eat Well for Less (BBC1, 8pm)

GREGG Wallace is joined by greengrocer Chris Bavin, and the pair attempt to help families cut costs on their shopping bill in simple and effective moves. We meet the Booth family from Lancashire, and while mum Jenny claims she's always cautious on their trips to the supermarket, keeping an eye out for the best deals, it's dad Howerd's impulse spending that takes them way over their budget for the shop.

The pair want to save £40 a week on their shop so that they can build a home extension, so Gregg and Chris spy on the couple during their weekly shop - and are left surprised by some of the things they see.

Modern Times: The Vikings Are Coming (BBC2, 9pm)

WETHER you've noticed or not, the world is in the grip of a sperm donor revolution, and as this documentary points out, Denmark is at centre of it, supplying to 70 countries worldwide.

Filmmaker Sue Bourne has set out on a mission to get the stories of four British women who have decided to use Viking sperm in the hope of creating their dream family. These women have decided on Danish sperm, because unlike in the UK, donors remain anonymous.

This film explores how the biggest demand comes from single women in their 30s and 40s and gay female couples, and reveals how there are many options for insemination, with women flying themselves out to the clinic in Denmark, or choosing their donor online from home, and having the desired sperm shipped in frozen canisters to their local clinic.

Fortitude, Sky Atlantic, 9pm

WE certainly have had the right weather to launch this murder mystery series festooned with TV and film stars as the Arctic community of Fortitude finds itself confronted by evil, when it would rather be a beautiful tourist attraction. Stanley Tucci, Michael Gambon, Christopher Eccleston, Sofie Grabol, Richard Dormer, Jessica Raine, Luke Treadaway, Nicholas Pinnock and Johnny Harris all star in the thriller based on 12 hours of crime-solving in Iceland. For Henry Tyson (Gambon), a wildlife photographer who only has weeks left to live, the murder is the catalyst to unearthing Fortitude's darkest secret