Burton And Taylor, Do No Harm and Coming Up: TV picks

Helena Bonham Carter and Dominic West star in Burton and Taylor (Picture: Gustavo Papaleo)

Burton And Taylor, BBC4, 9pm The brightest stars in the 20th century's showbiz firmament, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton's tempestuous on-off relationship attracted headlines like wasps to a honeypot. This seedily nostalgic drama focuses on the couple's final, regret-filled reunion, joining forces to perform Noël Coward's Private Lives in New York in the early 1980s. Helena Bonham Carter and Dominic West are mighty impressive as the star turns: giant egos mixed with genuine emotion. The sad footnote is that this is the end of BBC4's remarkable series of biopics - the versatile Bonham Carter previously portrayed children's author Enid Blyton. Other subjects have included everyone from Margaret Thatcher to Kenny Everett. A victim of cutbacks, they shall be sadly missed.

Do No Harm, Watch, 9pm This slick and glossy modern US spin on the classic tale The Strange Case Of Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde stars Steven Pasquale as successful neurosurgeon Dr Jason Cole, who's struggling to suppress the evil alter ego that's intent on taking over his personality. It's a soapy take on issues surrounding schizophrenia that won't win any awards for medical accuracy but Pasquale makes for an agreeably tormented leading man.

Long Live Britain, BBC1, 9pm Heart disease, type 2 diabetes and liver disease are three of this country's big killers - could you be carrying early symptoms without being aware of them? There's a chance to find out in this TV medical, which hauls in everything from footballers, dustbins and celebrities in a defiantly populist effort to nudge us all into leading healthier lifestyles - and saving the NHS massive wads of cash. Dr Phil Hammond, Julia Bradbury and Phil Tufnell are the chief pulse-takers.

Coming Up, C4, 11.10pm The diverting series of small but perfectly formed mini-dramas continues with Doughnuts, an oblique title for the tale of Baz, a man-boy who, despite having a heavily pregnant wife to support, is still seriously tied to his mother's apron strings. Adeel Akhtar, a cult hero thanks to his turn as Wilson Wilson in C4's conspiracy hit Utopia, gives Baz an air of desperate believability, though the plot has echoes of At Home With The Kumars.

Count Arthur Strong, BBC2, 8.30pm It's already been commissioned for a second series and no wonder. Former radio cult Count Arthur Strong, as played by the remarkable Steve Delaney, is this summer's unlikely comedy hero, a malaprop-prone language mangler who exists in a world entirely of his own creation. Tonight Arthur bags a small part in a radio play, which tickles his surreal ego no end and gives Rory Kinnear as long-suffering Martin (aka Michael) even more to contend with than usual.

Film of the day: Robin Hood, Film4, 9pm Gladiator star Russell Crowe here swaps his leather skirt for a fetching pair of leather leggings as the titular man in hood. He's a yeoman and a bowman who returns from the Crusades and becomes embroiled in a nascent rebellion against King John. Basically this Ridley Scott production is a prequel to the juicy bit we all know where Robin becomes an outlaw stealing from the rich, etc. It's more of a gritty, revisionist, character-driven new look at the man behind the legend rather than a lot of silly swinging through the trees in tights. Still, there are enough swords and horse fights to deliver old-school fun and, as you'd expect, an ever-poised Cate Blanchett makes for the kind of self-sufficient, blade-carrying Lady Marian who does not need saving.

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