Celebrity Masterchef (BBC1, 8.30pm)

CELEBRITY MasterChef and the daunting challenges set by hosts John Torode and Gregg Wallace continue to turn the UK's biggest stars into quivering wrecks. By last night, 17 familiar faces had fallen by the wayside and this evening the remaining three competitors will battle it out for the prestigious title of champion.

Last night's eight semi-finalists hoping to follow in the footsteps of last year’s champion Sophie Thompson were: actor Scott Maslen; actor and presenter Sheree Murphy; soul singer and presenter Mica Paris; Pussycat Doll and television personality Kimberly Wyatt; singer (The Wanted) Tom Parker; singer songwriter Chesney Hawkes; TV presenter (and one half of the presenter duo Sam and Mark) Sam Nixon and TV presenter, personality and singer Rylan Clark.

The great put-downs have come from from Wallace: "Either this is really a green, pink and red dish, or you and I have just shared an acid tab," he told former Coronation Street actor Craig Gazey.

"You couldn't get more problems on a plate if you tried," he summarised about Blue Peter presenter Andy Akinwolere's dessert.

And Akinwolere, who was no stranger to TV cookery shows having previously taken part in The Great British Bake Off for Comic Relief, admits he was surprised with how tough the competition has been.

"Bake Off was like you've got a few ingredients, mix them together and see what you can come up with," he told one national newspaper.

"If it blows up in the oven, great. But MasterChef, people were there to win. Considering that each and every person in that studio has probably worked in TV at some point in their lives, you turn into the biggest nervous wreck in the world."

The finalists face the penultimate challenge is the toughest and most daunting of the competition – The Chef's Table, hosted by Michelin star chef Angela Hartnett at modern Italian restaurant Murano, in London's Mayfair.

The three celebs are required to deliver food of an exceptional standard to impress Lisa Allen, Frances Atkins, Skye Gyngell, Chantelle Nicholson and Anna Hansen, who are among the best female chefs in the UK.

Then back at headquarters, they are tasked with presenting a faultless three-course meal for judges Torode and Wallace in what will be their last chance to prove that they have what it takes to be crowned CMC champion.

Animal Super Parents (BBC1, 7pm)

NEW series. A look at the fascinating behaviours exhibited by some of the natural world's most dedicated parents, beginning with a look at those animals that are tasked with raising their offspring alone. Examples include the slow loris covering her baby in toxic saliva, the Weddell seal putting her pup through winter boot camp, a weedy sea dragon camouflaging his eggs against his body and the giant Pacific octopus sacrificing herself for her brood. Narrated by Hugh Dennis.

Live Athletics: Anniversary Games (BBC2, 8pm)

JONATHAN Edwards presents further coverage of the meeting at the Olympic Stadium in London, which marks the third anniversary of the Olympics and also serves at the 11th round of the Diamond League series. Mo Farah is scheduled to compete in the 3,000m, while another British hero from the Games, Jessica Ennis-Hill, is expected to take part in the 100m hurdles. With analysis from Colin Jackson, Paula Radcliffe and Denise Lewis, commentary by Steve Cram, Andrew Cotter, Steve Backley and Brendan Foster, and reports from Phil Jones.

Artsnight (BBC2, 11pm)

SCIENTIST and novelist CP Snow once diagnosed a problem at the heart of Western society: that there were two cultures – the arts and the sciences – and they were woefully divided. Internet entrepreneur Martha Lane Fox argues that it doesn't have to be that way, revealing how artists and scientists can work fruitfully together, breaching the gulf of understanding between these "two cultures". With contributions by visionary architect Charles Jencks, experimental novelist David Mitchell and businesswoman and art lover Stephanie Shirley.

Viv Hardwick