DCI Banks (ITV, 9pm)

PROUD product of Stockton-on-Tees, Stephen Tompkinson adds a little Jason Bourne-style adventure to the plot this week when a ransom demand involves his team having to keep a eye on a missing man's wife, who has been told to drop off cash at a busy shopping centre.

In part one of two episodes, the search begins for Xun Li, a missing devoted husband and father who has a successful property business, and soon escalates into a kidnap and ransom case. As always, the perpetrators cleverly stay one step ahead of the police, and it becomes clear that they are not dealing with average criminals. When it appears that the case is closed, Banks and the team are faced with an unexpected turn of events. The crime drama also stars Andrea Lowe, Caroline Catz and Jack Deam.

Tompkinson told Radio Times that British viewers are addicted to hospital and cop shows. "We can't resist watching what happens to people who end up in hospitals or police stations. If you ever do wind up un the latter, you'd want someone as dogged as Banks helping you. Actually, talking about hospital shows, once upon a time I almost landed a role as a regular on Casualty. It was between me and Robson Green for the role of porter Jimmy Powell. Of course, he got it. That was my Sliding Doors moment. Who knows, I could have ended up up singing with Jerome."

The Great British Bake Off (BBC1, 8pm)

FOR the very first time on the programme, Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood set three batter-related challenges, testing the nine remaining bakers on store cupboard classics. In the signature, the contestants must achieve a uniform bake across the batch, before facing a technical that requires a perfect pastry, a sweet filling and delicate icing. Finally, the fryers are out for the showstopper, which sees the competitors create their version of a Spanish classic. Presented by Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins.

Natural World – Jaguars: Brazil's Super Cats (BBC2, 9pm)

THERE have been some impressive runners at the Rio Olympics, but even Usain Bolt looks like an amateur compared to Brazil's jaguars. This compelling documentary follows a group of pioneering experts as they hope to gain a fresh insight into the big cats' lives. It could have been just another of those nature strands the BBC does so well; one with amazing photography and jaw-dropping moments. However, things don't quite go to plan for the boffins, because when a couple of cubs are orphaned, the team must use all of their newly acquired knowledge to help them return to the wild. Will they be successful, or like one of their greedy subjects, have they bitten off more than they can chew?

Our Girl (BBC1, 9pm)

CAPTAIN James and 2 Section are horrified when they hear about what has happened to Georgie, and it is not long before the situation takes a dramatic turn for the worse. The pressure is on as the team races against the clock, but it remains to be seen whether they will reach her in time. The military drama returns, this time following Lance Corporal Georgie Lane as she joins 2 Section at a refugee camp near the border of Somalia. Starring Michelle Keegan, Ben Aldridge, Anna Tenta and Michael James.

Lost Sitcoms: Steptoe and Son (BBC4, 9pm)

STEPTOE and Son is one of the best-loved sitcoms in British TV history – in 1964, Harold Wilson even asked the BBC to reschedule an episode due to air on the same day as the general election, in case working class viewers stayed in to watch it instead of going out to vote. So Jeff Rawle and Ed Coleman will have their work cut out as they step into the roles of the bickering rag-and-bone men made famous by Wilfrid Brambell and Harry H Corbett for this recreation of a 1970 episode, which sees Harold planning a skiing holiday – preferably without his dad Albert in tow.

Viv Hardwick