TV tonight: our highlights for Thursday, August 21 including Hostage

Here's our TV tonight picks for Tuesday, August 19 (for more information about what's on TV, see our TV Guide)...

Hostage, Netflix

Suranne Jones plays newly-elected Prime Minister Abigail Dalton in this five-part political thriller from Bridge of Spies co-screenwriter Matt Charman. With the complicated reality of her job starting to sink in, Abigail’s political future rests on the successful outcome of a summit with French President Vivienne Toussaint (Before Sunrise’s Julie Delpy). However, in the middle of Vivienne’s visit, Abigail is shocked to discover her husband Alex (The Ipcress File’s Ashley Thomas) has been taken hostage overseas, and his kidnappers are threatening to kill him unless she resigns.

She’ll need Vivienne’s help to save Alex, but the President is facing a crisis of her own…

The Hotel Inspector, 5, 8 pm

Regular viewers will know that Alex Polizzi doesn’t visit only failing hotels, but also other businesses in the hospitality sector. This week, she’s in Chorlton, Manchester, to see why the Metro Cafe isn’t pulling in more customers despite its prime location on a main road.

It’s run by Iranian couple Majid and Zahara, both 60, who serve English breakfasts as well as traditional Iranian food. Alex has read online that the place is a hidden gem, but on seeing the exterior, she exclaims, "I have no idea where to start on what an abomination this is". She doesn’t like the interior much, either, but is impressed by the food. Can she help Majid and Zahara make a go of their little corner of Iran?

Saving Lives at Sea, BBC2, 8 pm

After numerous dramatic rescues in recent weeks, tonight’s look at the amazing work of the RNLI features the most heroic operation yet, as the Newhaven lifeboat is called out in rough seas to a yacht that is taking a battering with its anchor stuck fast just 50 metres offshore. Initially, the casualty refuses assistance, unaware of the danger they are in, but as the sea conditions worsen to the point that even the lifeboat is at risk, the yacht’s anchor snaps and the vessel is driven with horrifying speed towards a breakwater. The only hope rests with a coastguard helicopter called in from a nearby training exercise. Truly heart-stopping stuff.

Tom Kerridge Cooks Spain, ITV1, 8.30 pm

Tom takes his trusty vintage food truck to the Extremadura region to catch crayfish on Lake Orellana before reviving a rather retro dish with his ultimate take on a crayfish cocktail. Then it’s on to Murcia, near Spain’s east coast, to continue his Iberian education with an introduction to the process of harvesting the popular Piel de Sapo melon. Yum!