Peaky Blinders (BBC2, 9pm)

TRADE unions, telephones and the evils of cocaine all make an appearance in 1920s Birmingham as writer Steven Knight conjures up another action-packed episode involving a bookie, a Russian princess and a devilish priest.

Tommy (Cillian Murphy) is again attempting to extend his empire and thinking about going legit, only to be hampered by his own past, his family's weaknesses and, perhaps more crucially, his own personality.

Tonight, the Shelby don takes his brothers on a Good Friday hunting trip, but reveals that it’s still his intention for the gang to carry out a daring robbery. When Tatiana arrives to play a very personal and dangerous game with Tommy, he finally realises how warped her mind is.

Murphy says: "This series has a larger canvas with increased jeopardy and danger. It's shocking and bloodier. There are elements of this series that leave Tommy emotionally spiralling out of control, which in turn leaves him the most vulnerable we have ever seen him. Then in walks this Russian aristocrat whom he is doing business with and Tommy really does come up against someone who is completely different to what he is used to. Someone who has a whole other set of questionable morals and superstitions and who goes after exactly what she wants."

Family matriarch Aunt Polly (Helen McCrory) continues to be tormented about murdering Inspector Campbell and comes close to admitting the crime.

Steven Knight says: "Polly had just carried out an act of vengeance at the end of series two, which I'm sure the audience applauded (I know I did). She got rid of someone who had been particularly awful to her. She isn't someone who deals with guilt well and she is still carrying that. She's quite a religious woman and in series three we see how that faith is challenged - does she stick with it or does she abandon it and of course she meets a man which sort of changes everything."

McCrory says: "It's hard to separate family from business because Tommy and Polly think the two are intertwined. Polly feels that Tommy runs the business very well and gets frustrated if she sees him take any steps towards the illegal or gangster-related crime. She wants to make sure the family's hands are clean. Tommy is the person that she is most honest with and there is a real sense of them working the future out together in this series."

Fortunately, Polly has most of the best lines. “Linda’s stolen Arthur’s soul and taken it to a better place... the suburbs,” she jokes about Tommy’s brother.

There are two more episodes left after this, and we're getting close to what should be another riveting end to the season in England's Second City.

The Truth About Alcohol (BBC1, 9pm)

DOCTOR Javid Abdelmoneim explores the science behind drinking alcohol, including why the weekly recommended intake was lowered in January, with the men's limit cut by a third to 14 units per week. He also asks whether a nightcap can aid sleep, why some people get drunk quicker than others, and probes the new evidence for the health risks posed by alcohol. Plus, he investigates what is behind the relatively healthy reputation of red wine and whether lining your stomach before drinking really does work and lessen the effects of a night out.

Undercover: Inside Britain's Children's Services (Channel 4, 10pm)

A Dispatches investigation into Birmingham City Council's Children's Services, which in 2013 was described by Ofsted's Chief Inspector as a national disgrace and has faced 27 serious case reviews over the past ten years. Birmingham City Council has insisted that tackling the issue is a top priority, and claims that substantial improvements have been made. To find out more, the programme sent an experienced social worker into the department, where she found a troubling picture of chaos, low staff morale and confused decision-making on how to handle serious cases where children could be at risk.

Viv Hardwick