Jonathan Creek (BBC1, 9pm)

WE'RE being promised the spookiest ever "with Jonathan in real danger", says Alan Davies of his long-awaited return as the magician's assistant-turned-sleuth.

Creek has a magic dungeon, a comedy vicar (Warwick Davis), a satanic figure, an ex-con and a creepy country mansion, home to the props of a maker of 50 horror movies to contend with this time. Mind, it's a surprise we're here at all. Back in 2014, Davies suggested he didn't enjoy playing Jonathan Creek any more and was dubious about doing any more episodes.

"I would do them out of loyalty to the writer, David Renwick, but I am looking around at other, more family-friendly ways of organising my life because those filming schedules are unforgiving," he said after the three-part fifth series. "The people on Creek – the other actors, the director, the writer – are great but the schedule, the budget cuts and the pay cuts make the last series a job rather than a pleasure."

The QI panellist, presenter and stand-up has been playing duffle-coated Creek for the past 19 years. Tonight's 90-minute special written by Renwick and directed by Sandy Johnson also stars Sarah Alexander as Jonathan's wife Polly Creek alongside Emun Elliott (The Paradise, Game Of Thrones), Ken Bones (Dr Who, Atlantis) and Rosalind March (Calendar Girls, The Evermoor Chronicles).

This story, Daemons' Roost, centres on a 19th Century sorcerer named Jacob Surtees who, according to legend, would summon the powers of Hell to terrorise and subjugate his victims at his home.

150 years after his death Daemons' Roost is occupied by another, equally macabre, figure: veteran horror film director Nathan Clore.

With his health now failing he has summoned home his stepdaughter Alison, to share with her the chilling truth of what happened to her family there. However, just days before her arrival Nathan has suffered a debilitating stroke, rendering him terribly paralysed and unable to communicate the very truth that he has come to learn.

After assisting Alison's husband in the past, Jonathan Creek is called upon to help again. But as the story unfolds, with ever more sinister twists and turns, the gruesome rituals that were once enacted in the dungeon of Daemons' Roost are frighteningly revived with horrifying consequences.

Ethel & Ernest (BBC1, 7.30pm)

ANIMATED drama based on the award-winning novel by Raymond Briggs. Milkman Ernest Briggs (Jim Broadbent) meets lady's maid Ethel (Brenda Blethyn) in 1928 and they soon marry. Their son, Raymond (Luke Treadaway), is born in 1934 and their life together spans such momentous events as the Depression, the Second World War, the Swinging Sixties and the 1969 Moon landing.

What Britain Bought in 2016 (C4, 8pm)

THERE'S little doubt that 2016 has been a rollercoaster of a year, but have the political upheavals of the past 12 months had an impact on the UK's £7billion-a-year shopping habit? That's what Mary Portas is about to find out as she talks to some of the nation's leading retailers, including John Lewis, Maplin, Waterstones, ASOS, Superdrug, Hobbycraft and Waitrose, as well as buyers, forecasters and influencers. From contouring kits to birch water, via Corgi-shaped cakes and tents, Mary takes a look at some of the most surprising success stories. She also asks which items will probably find their way in to the bin or the local charity shop in 2017 and what we will still be splashing out on this time next year.

Kitten Rescuers (C5, 8pm)

CATS are natural explorers and often find themselves in tricky and dangerous situations. They may be reputed to have nine lives, but accidents can always happen — sometimes with disastrous consequences. As a result, staff at the RSPCA have their work cut out on a daily basis as they strive to keep Britain's felines out of harm's way. This documentary allows viewers to gain an insight into the work of vets and volunteers, witnesses operations and rehomings, and observes inspectors as they investigate reports of maltreatment. Part of the Animal Magic season.

Viv Hardwick