James Corden Does Deal Or No Deal (Channel 4, 8pm)

JAMES Corden is having quite a year. His Sky1 panel show A League of Their Own was awarded a Bafta back in May, he's been pictured working hard to shift those stubborn pounds, and he and wife, Julia, have recently excitedly announced they're soon to be parents for a second time.

Now, the comedian and actor joins the man with the oddly-coloured beard, Noel Edmonds, for a celeb special of Deal or No Deal where he will be attempting to outwit the show’s infamous banker in the hope of winning money for charity. Corden’s friends and family, including his mum and dad and sister Ruth, will be in charge of opening boxes which could end up with £250,000 in the hands of the Terrence Higgins Trust and Save The Children.

Edmonds recently explained to Gameshow Central just why he's devoted nine years of his life to the programme: "The players. Every single player is different and therefore they personalise ‘their show. They come with differing hopes and expectations and I am always fascinated how these dreams translate into their performance on the day."

But he insists that anybody keen to take on the banker should come with game plan, explaining: "Technique is obviously everything. As you know Deal is not a game of luck. The cerebral approach is vital. Come with a carefully crafted, well-practised system such as the numbers from a Chinese take-away menu which to this day is still my favourite system. I seem to recall the quarter million was in the prawn balls."

One Direction fans should keep an eye out for a treat; the boys will be sending a good luck message to their friend. But even if Corden doesn't manage to suss out where the big money is, I’m sure that it will be a nail-biting experience as he attempts to part C4 from part of its funding.

The Machine Gun and Skye's Band of Brothers (BBC2, 9.30pm)

FRESH from his Coast-related trip to Australia, Neil Oliver presents a more downbeat, but equally compelling study of the "ungentlemanly weapon" which changed all wars: the machine gun. The Maxim Gun, which could fire 10 bullets a second and was lethal at a distance of 3km, was invented by an American living in London, but it was the German army who built them in large numbers. They also learned to deploy them with a chilling mathematical precision.

As the BBC's First World War centenary season continues, the development of this lethal weapon is interwoven with the story of a small company of soldiers that would come to face such horrific guns. The first stop on Oliver's journey is Edinburgh Castle, and the Scottish National War Memorial. He also examines the stories of soldiers from Skye who went to the front together as part of the Cameron Highlanders.

The Richest Songs In The World (BBC4, 9pm)

DJ Mark Radcliffe counts down the ten highest-grossing songs of all time, hopefully that’s still true with this documentary having first been shown in 2012. The list includes cover versions, re-releases, licensing for adverts and movies, as well as the original record sales. Christmas songs, including The Christmas Song, prove to be on the list along with hits from the Beatles and The Police. Have fun guessing the number one.