Tonight’s telly is a tad slim-pickin’s in my opinion but there are a couple of highlights; notably a documentary about the real-life events surrounding the Apollo 13 drama that was subsequently made into a film and the story about John Darwin who attempted to defraud a life insurance company into believing he was dead.

Here’s what else is on tonight…

Lights, Camera, Animals, BBC2, 6.30pm ~ This intriguing programme documents animals in the world of TV and film and tonight, Sykes the terrier cross is given a role on Heartbeat, where she has to play dead, while Yorkshire terrier Tinkerbell competes alongside much bigger animals at a display show. Plus, the excitement of performing gets too much for Blanco the albino rat.

A Room With A View, Film Four, 6.45pm ~ This lovely period drama stars Helena Bonham Carter who plays a naive woman on a trip to Florence, where the balmy Tuscan countryside and a carefree lifestyle lead to her sexual awakening. Like all good things, it soon comes to an end, and she struggles to settle back into life at home. Opulent Oscar-winning Merchant-Ivory adaptation of EM Forster’s novel, also starring Maggie Smith, Denholm Elliott, Daniel Day-Lewis, Julian Sands and Judi Dench.

Emmerdale, ITV1, 7pm ~ The silly Viv and Bob storyline continues tonight and Viv’s astonished when Bob turns up at the prison to take her drama class, but he doesn’t receive the welcome he hoped for. The gift of a computer from Shadrach inspires Ashley to get the church website up and running, while Victoria’s upset to hear about Daz’s imminent departure.

My Name Is Earl, E4, 7.30pm ~ The Birthday Party: A birthday party seems to present Earl with the ideal excuse to discuss all the good things he’s done in the past year but unfortunately for him, his friends seem intent on reminding him of previous misdeeds. Very funny comedy about karmic retribution starring Jason Lee.

Britain in the Red – Your Questions Answered, BBC1, 8pm ~ Jeremy Vine presents a Panorama special tonight discussing the credit crunch and the banking crisis that’s threatening the nation. Features contributions from people who’ve seen the value of their shares, pensions and homes suffer, and a panel of guests from the banking industry. Personally, I’m sick of hearing about the credit crunch; just those two words make me groan!

Apollo 13: Situation Critical. Five, 8pm ~ This very interesting documentary recounts the events of April 1970 when an oxygen tank exploded on the Apollo 13 spacecraft. Using a combination of real-life footage and reconstructions, the story charts how Commander James A Lovell, John L Swigert, Fred W Haise and Nasa’s mission control tried to avert disaster. If you’ve ever watched the film Apollo 13, this documentary will probably appeal to you.

Canoe Man: The John Darwin Story, ITV4, 8pm ~ This is the story behind the story that shocked the nation, featuring the details of how John Darwin faked his own death in a canoeing accident and was eventually brought to justice. Darwin was drowning in debt when he paddled out into the North Sea in 2002. Six years later he walked into a police station claiming to have lost his memory but detectives soon began unravelling his story, and found a trail of deception that stretched around the world. In a series of remarkable interviews, he admits the whole thing had been a scam dreamt up by him and his wife. With unique access, this film shows how the fraud that they hoped would make them rich ended with them behind bars.

Bobski the Builder, Channel 4, 9pm ~ Cutting Edge tonight takes a look at the changes in the building industry over the past five years, with much of the workforce now originating from Eastern Europe. As part of their investigation, they follow teams of builders from both Britain and Poland as they each construct a house extension, before the end results are compared.

Danger Men, Five, 9pm ~ Half a Million Volts: If you feel that your job’s a bit humdrum and you’d like a walk on the wild side of employment, take the time to watch this new series exploring the world’s most dangerous jobs, beginning with the work of linemen in America. In Arkansas, the Air2 crew are responsible for the maintenance of the cables that provide most of the country’s power; a job which involves working from helicopters on cables carrying 500,000 volts of electricity.

Bones, Sky 1, 9pm ~ The Perfect Pieces in the Purple Pond: Tonight, the Jeffersonian detectives seek the help of institutionalised Zack Addy when the body of 25 year old author Jared Addison is discovered. Brennan and Booth hope the former anthropologist can help locate the victim’s missing head and solve their latest grisly murder case. Perhaps it fell off as the guy laughed at the sometimes pretty shockingly bad acting in Bones.

Samantha Who? E4, 10pm ~ The Hypnotherapist: Todd shocks Sam with a confession after she seeks help from a hypnotherapist, but doesn’t receive the treatment she expected. Christina Applegate stars in this lame comedy about a woman suffering from amnesia.

Grimebusters, ITV1, 10.40pm ~ Another look at the grimy side of life tonight sees Community Protection officers clamping down on illegal drinkers in Nottingham while street flushers on the night shift discover some nasty surprises. Elsewhere, a litter-picker deals with roadkill and an ‘extreme’ cleaner tackles a squat in a row of garages in south London. Some very gross footage in this one!

Arlington Road, Film Four, 10.55pm ~ Suspicion and paranoia rule the day in this well-honed thriller which stars Jeff Bridges as a mild-mannered professor who becomes convinced there’s something not quite right about his new neighbour. It’s nothing he can put his finger on but he decides to dig around for clues regardless, only to get a nasty shock. Tim Robbins, Joan Cusack and Hope Davis also star.

So that’s our top telly tips for this drizzly Thursday… not long ‘til the weekend and the much better telly schedule!