Atlantic: the Wildest Ocean on Earth (BBC2, 9pm)

THE dangerous life on the ocean waves is probably best seen when the TV cameras capture a fishing trawler bobbing like a bath toy on massive North Atlantic seas.

"It only takes on bad lump of sea and you're gone," says skipper Davy.

In this landmark series, the BBC Natural History Unit explores the vast ocean that stretches nearly 10,000 miles, from Arctic to Antarctic and from sun-drenched tropical reefs to crushing abyssal depths. Over three programmes it reveals the amazing, surprising and resilient inhabitants of the waters, both animals and people, as they pit themselves against the world’s wildest ocean.

Narrated by Cillian Murphy, tonight's first programme, Life Stream, follows the Gulf Stream – a massive ocean current travelling thousands of miles across the North Atlantic.

Huge gatherings of whales gorge on fish beneath the Northern Lights, giant turtles chase monstrous jellyfish and fishermen battle for survival in mountainous seas. This extraordinary current is a migration super-highway and brings fertility to the ocean, but it also warms Northern Europe, even keeping part of the Arctic Ocean free of ice in winter. Everywhere it flows, the Gulf Stream helps to drive life.

Traffic Cops (BBC1, 8pm)

NEW series. The work of North Yorkshire's specialist road crime team, which uses a network of number-plate recognition to track the movements of burglars, drug dealers and wanted criminals. A drug dealer absconds from Scarborough court, so the officers get a tip-off to the man's whereabouts and scramble to get themselves in a position to intercept the suspect. A shoplifting arrest turns nasty when officers come under threat from a suspect who resents being caught, and after detectives identify a van linked to a spate of burglaries, the cops are on a mission to find and arrest the driver. But when they do, he refuses to come quietly.

Flockstars (ITV, 8.30pm)

CELEBRITY sheepdog trials, sounds like a joke. Or at the very least, an idea delivered by a desperate Alan Partridge to a TV executive. The premise appears simple enough – eight famous faces are paired with a sheepdog, and then learn how to control their movements so that they can successfully herd flocks of sheep, ducks and geese around a set of challenging courses which should push their new skills to their limits. Those taking part are DJ and original King of the Jungle Tony Blackburn, singer Kelle Bryan, Strictly Come Dancing professional Brendan Cole, N-Dubz star Fazer, property presenter Amanda Lamb and actresses Lesley Joseph and Wendi Peters. Gabby Logan hosts. Tonight Cole, with collie Hoggy, competes with Lamb and her four-legged friend Midge.

Prince Philip: The Plot to Make a King (Channel 4, 9pm)

WHILE a certain royal family salute has dominated the media for days, this documentary tells the inside story of the dynastic tensions that were unleased when Princess Elizabeth, the future queen, fell in love with Prince Philip. It was felt that Philip was rough and ill-mannered – and with the Second World War still fresh in most people's minds, the royal and political elite disliked his German roots. But following the death of King George VI in 1952, the establishment feared a dynastic coup, with the Queen torn between the two sides. The documentary examines the complexities and frustrations of the royal marriage, as the monarch struggled to reconcile the love of her husband with the suspicions of her family and her government.

The Unbreakables: Life and Love on Disability Campus (BBC3, 9pm)

INSIGHTFUL documentary following the lives of students at National Star, a college for people with disabilities, many of whom are living away from home for the first time. New arrival Beth falls for a handsome young man but has to quickly come to terms with his learning disability, which makes him believe he is a retired Premiership footballer. Elsewhere, the race is on to be elected as the student president, and two room-mates wonder if their friendship will continue after graduation.