TV tonight: The cheeky, cheesy rise and fall of the British sex comedy

Saucy! Secrets of the British Sex Comedy

Sunday, 10pm, Channel 4

Bums, breasts and bucket loads of innuendo! The 70s saw an explosion of British sex comedies in cinema that changed public attitudes to sex on screen – even Prince Charles was interviewed after watching one at an Odeon. But was it terribly funny or plain terrible? This eye-popping two-parter casts a celebratory but critical eye on the culture-shifting moment, speaking with the film-makers and actors who made them. These include female stars who recall both light and dark moments, and Robin Askwith – who did a soapy scene in Confessions of a Window Cleaner and proudly declares: “The detergent had ripped my scrotum apart; not many actors can say that.” Hollie Richardson

Stevie Van Zandt: Disciple

9pm, Sky Documentaries

“Fifteen years, we finally made it – then I quit the night before payday.” Stevie Van Zandt was New Jersey’s most famous producer, musician and actor, working with Bruce Springsteen and playing arenas – until he devoted himself to activism against apartheid. Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Joan Jett and Darlene Love are some of the people telling his remarkable story here, along with the man himself. HR

Sarah Vaughan: Tribute to a Legend at the Proms

8pm, BBC Four

Sarah “Sassy” Vaughan would be having her 100th birthday this year, so to celebrate here’s a special arrangement of her much-loved hits – including Misty, If You Could See Me Now and Body and Soul – conducted by Mercury prize-nominated Guy Barker. HR

McDonald & Dodds

8.05pm, ITV1

The generic but nicely realised crime drama starring Tala Gouveia and Jason Watkins continues with a murder in Bath bus station. Puzzlingly, there are no witnesses – all our detecting heroes have to go on is a ticket for the forthcoming Avalon Festival of Ideas, which the victim was planning to attend. A tale of academic conflict and subterfuge soon unfolds. Phil Harrison

The Turkish Detective

9pm, BBC Two

The new chief inspector looks familiar, and that’s lucky for hothead Suleyman (Ethan Kai), who’ll need support if he’s going to get to the bottom of the Kayra Khan mystery before this oddly-English-but-Istanbul-set detective series wraps up. Experienced investigator Ikmen (Haluk Bilginer) has a plan, but first he too must charm the higher-ups. Ellen E Jones

Britain Behind Bars: A Secret History

9pm, Channel 4

Ex-criminal barrister Rob Rinder visits the former Shrewsbury prison in his exploration of Britain’s jail system. He presents an unflinching account of the history of capital punishment, looking at case studies of executioners from the Edwardian period, Nazi war criminals and a man falsely accused of murder in the 1960s. Present-day interviews with former prisoners also provide insight. Micha Frazer-Carroll

Film choice

Jericho Ridge, 2.50pm, 10pm, Sky Cinema Premiere

It is high time the excellent Nikki Amuka-Bird got more lead roles, so Will Gilbey’s real-time thriller is very welcome. There are shades of Rio Bravo – and, with the police angle, Assault on Precinct 13 – as Amuka-Bird’s deputy sheriff finds herself trapped in her station when unknown armed assailants attack. Her only company is surly teenage son Monty (Zack Morris) and jailed domestic abuser Earl (Michael Socha). But what are they after? Some of the plot setups are a bit obvious, but it’s well directed and tightly wound. Simon Wardell

Unbreakable, 9pm, Great! Movies

How do you follow a blockbuster like The Sixth Sense? If you’re M Night Shyamalan, you write another spooky tale and get Bruce Willis back to star. In the first of what would become a superhero trilogy, Willis plays unhappily married security guard David, who realises he can never be hurt after being the sole survivor of a train crash. He is tracked down by Samuel L Jackson’s comic book aficionado Elijah, who prophesies David’s destiny is to be a crime-fighter. A film whose graphic novel stylings are balanced by an origin story with everyman vibes. SW

The Shining, 10pm, BBC Two

In possible tribute to the late Shelley Duvall – though her recollections of the shoot suggested it wasn’t one of her favourites – the BBC is showing Stanley Kubrick’s seminal horror. Duvall certainly earns the title “scream queen” as the wife of Jack Nicholson’s increasingly unhinged caretaker. They and their psychic young son hunker down in an out-of-season hotel for the winter, only to experience a stay that would break Tripadvisor. A beautiful-looking film, precision-tooled to be as scary as possible and endlessly rewatchable. SW

Live sport

Olympics 2024, 8am, BBC One

The tennis continues, plus finals in the women’s street skateboarding, canoe slalom and archery.

Formula One, 1.55pm, Sky Sports F1

The Belgian Grand Prix.

• This article was amended on 28 July 2024 to correct the spelling of Robin Askwith’s surname.