Staying in tonight? Here's the pick of what's on the box

DERMOT O'LEARY

Staying in tonight? Then try these on for size

The National Television Awards

UTV, 7.30pm

THE biggest names on the small screen gather at the O2 in London for the annual ceremony celebrating the best of British TV, as voted for by viewers. The show promises a few surprises, including a cheeky raid by one of the UK’s biggest sitcom stars, while host Dermot O’Leary entertains with a dance rou¬tine. Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock), Maggie Smith (Downton Abbey), Sarah Lancashire (Happy Val¬ley) and Sheridan Smith (Cilla) battle it out in the Drama Performance cate¬gory, while Simon Cowell, David Walliams and Cheryl Fernandez-Versini are up against top baker Mary Berry for Best TV Judge.

Voyager: To the Final Frontier

BBC4, 10pm

DALLAS Campbell tells the story of the Voyager Space Mission, which saw two unmanned spacecraft leave Earth to explore the farthest reaches of the solar system. The probes were launched in 1977 and became the first man-made objects to visit Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus.

Having travelled 11 billion miles to date, the pair now journey beyond the influence of Earth’s sun, bearing a record of human civilisation in case of discovery by other species.

Pets – Wild at Heart

BBC1, 8pm

ALTHOUGH pets have been trained over thousands of years, they were wild for millions more. Many have taken well to domestic life and provide valuable companionship. David Tennant narrates the first of two programmes showing favourite pets in a new light.

From playful puppies to hamsters running on the wheel, via chirping budgies and scratching cats, the documentary illustrates how these apparently innocuous behavioural traits often conceal a more primitive significance.

Getaways

BBC2, 10.05pm

JOE Lindsay and Angela Scanlon travel to Istria in northern Croatia, which is known as a beach destination but throws up many surprises in its historic towns and is gaining a reputation as a culinary hotspot. Highlights include a visit to Pula, home of one of the world’s largest amphi¬theatres, and an excursion to the Brijuni Islands. Angela also takes a short break to Co Tyrone, where she explores the Ulster American Folk Park and goes rally driving.

Nips, Tucks and Tattoos

CH4, 10pm

KATIE Piper meets Brazilian-born air steward Rodrigo, who has had 24 cosmetic procedures and spent €163,000 transforming his face and body. He’s introduced to Hannah, who is about to undergo three operations at once to give her an hour-glass figure. Katie also talks to Ernesto, who has spent two years stretching his ears but is now desperate to reverse the process. There’s also Stacey, who has a shocking 65 tattoo regrets, while tree surgeon Michael opts for an extreme method of finally achieving a bushy beard.