Who Do You Think You Are? (BBC1, 8pm)

AS the "last of the McKellens", award-winning actor and civil rights champion Ian McKellen admits to a degree of melancholy as delves into his family history, but the results pay off greatly. On his journey back through his family history, he discovers one of his ancestors was a Victorian political activist, and another relative was linked to the theatre. Finally, McKellen learns that previous generations of his family have a surprising link to an ancient druidical landmark in the Lake District.

When the young Ian McKellen showed an interest in becoming a performer, his mother, Margery, was more supportive than most parents might be of such an unpredictable profession.

"Apparently she said, 'If Ian decides to be an actor, it's a good job, because it brings pleasure to people'," says the star, now 77.

Mrs McKellen died when her son was12, but she would undoubtedly have been proud of his work, with acclaimed performances in everything from Shakespearian tragedies to Hollywood blockbusters.

"You find a lot of actors will say that, at heart, what they're doing is trying to impress their parents. And I have on occasion gone, 'I wonder what my parents would think seeing me in this play?'" says McKellen, whose father, Denis, a civil engineer, died when the actor was 24. "Almost always I would have to say they would've approved; but like all good parents, before everything else, they would want me to be happy. And I am."

Burnley-born McKellen's love of theatre began at the age of three or four, when his parents took him to watch an adaptation of Peter Pan in Manchester.

While he wasn't particularly impressed with the production or its special effects ("You could see the wires"), he recalls thinking, 'I'm going to come back here, I want more of this'.

He nurtured his love of acting by appearing in plays at Bolton School, where he also had a stint as head boy. "I was in the pocket of the head teacher. I was useless," he says of his tenure. "But it's surprising how many people were head boy who are actors... Show-offs!"

Known by audiences of all ages for roles such as the wizard Gandalf in The Lord Of The Rings trilogy (for which he was nominated for an Oscar), and even Corrie con-man Mel Hutchwright, McKellen's latest appearance requires no acting, of course.

The National Television Awards 2017 (ITV, 7.30pm)

DERMOT O'Leary will present ITV's coverage of the event at London's O2 arena, while Queen of the Jungle Scarlett Moffatt will deliver news and gossip from backstage via social media. Among the most hotly contested categories will be TV Judge, where Len Goodman, who recently retired from Strictly Come Dancing, will go head-to-head with The Great British Bake Off's Mary Berry. The Drama award is contested by Casualty, Cold Feet, The Night Manager, Happy Valley and Game of Thrones, while Sarah Lancashire, Tom Hiddleston and Cillian Murphy are also among the big names in the running for trophies.

Hospital (BBC2, regions vary)

THE spotlight moves to the neurological ward, where crane driver Phil is one of the most urgent cases. After collapsing at work he is becoming increasingly paralysed, and Kevin O'Neill, one of the country's leading brain surgeons, wants to remove the fast-growing brain tumour causing Phil's condition. It's a life-threatening operation, and time is of the essence – but securing theatre time in a hospital at bursting point proves to be far from simple. But waiting times could be a thing of the past if revolutionary new treatments that don't involve invasive brain surgery prove to be successful.

Italy's Invisible Cities (BBC1, 9pm)

USING new 3D technology, Alexander Armstrong and Dr Michael Scott explore the Italian city of Florence, and with the help of historian Ross King and the team, they discover the hidden secrets of Florence's great cathedral and its architectural genius. The pair also learn more about the Medici's fraught relationship with Michelangelo, as he fell from favour when he supported a rebellion against his own masters, and visit the world-famous Uffizi.

Viv Hardwick