TV tonight: this year’s Proms kicks off with a magical female-led opener

BBC Proms 2024

7pm, BBC Two
It’s Proms season! Clive Myrie launches eight wonderful weeks of classical music at the Royal Albert Hall, with the BBC Symphony Orchestra presenting Beethoven’s 5th Symphony for the opening night. Conductor Elim Chan makes her Proms debut, while star soloist Isata Kanneh-Mason is showcased championing the piano concerto by Clara Schumann. Settle in for a magical two hours of music. Hollie Richardson

Gardeners’ World

6pm, BBC Two
The RHS Flower Show Tatton Park in Cheshire is the biggest horticultural event in northern England – and Adam Frost and Frances Tophill are there soaking it all in, while finding inspiration for small urban spaces and affordable gardening ideas. Plus, Toby Buckland visits nearby Arley Hall. HR

Lake District Rescue

8pm, Channel 4
Every year, a proportion of the 18 million annual visitors to the Lake District forget that the area is very dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing. This series tracks the mountain rescuers dealing with people who have bitten off more than they can chew. In this visit, a badly broken leg leads to a race against time as night falls. Phil Harrison

Champions: Full Gallop

9pm, ITV1
This horse-racing documentary focuses on the sport’s characters, equine and human, starting at the prestigious King George VI Chase at Kempton Park, Sunbury, on Boxing Day. Paul Nicholls is the 12-time winner who fancies himself as the Alex Ferguson of racing. But could Hewick, an £800, pub-loving horse from Ireland, upset the status quo? Ellen E Jones

8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown

9pm, Channel 4
The after-hours remix returns for more unfettered letter-arranging fun, kicking off a double bill of Jimmy Carr-hosted gameshows (I Literally Just Told You follows). Richard Ayoade and Katherine Ryan are pitted against Jon Richardson and Dan Tiernan; Rachel Riley and Susie Dent are again on hand to arbitrate. Graeme Virtue

Terror at 30,000 Feet

9pm, Channel 5
A new documentary series that is every nervous flyer’s nightmare. The first airline near-disaster to be revisited is a British Airways flight from Gatwick to Kenya in 2000, during which a passenger broke into the cockpit and wrestled with the pilots to gain control of the plane. HR