TV tonight: Sir Ian McKellen reflects on gay kisses and X-Men’s origins

Amol Rajan Interviews Ian McKellen

9pm, BBC Two

Regularly lauded as one of the best actors of our time, Sir Ian McKellen is fantastically captivating – be it on screen, on stage or in this one-hour chat about his life with the BBC’s media editor, Amol Rajan. Reflecting on growing up in Lancashire during the second world war, he goes on to cover subjects such as his part in the first gay kiss on British TV and why his X-Men films are indebted to the civil rights movement. Hollie Richardson

The Fear Index

9pm, Sky Atlantic

As the all-powerful algorithm VIXAL-4 spins out of control, its creator Dr Hoffman (a very game Josh Hartnett) races to shut it down. This finale barrels through every possible financial thriller cliche: frantic staring at camera, mysterious server warehouses and at least one outrageous death scene. Henry Wong

Billy Connolly Does …

9pm, Gold

“Welcome,” Billy Connolly says to all his newborns. “We’ll have a good laugh, you and me.” And there are plenty of laughs in this fatherhood-themed episode of the series about the comedian’s life. But there’s raw honesty here, too: “You get people saying: ‘[Hitting] never did me any harm.’ But usually you can point to exactly where it’s done them harm.” Ali Catterall

First Dates

10pm, Channel 4

The reliable dating show offers a look back at some of its favourite double-daters, including Chi-Chi, the mum who was more desperate for her son Kurtis to find love than he was, and Mandy and Stuart, who may have once been closer than their dates suspect. Hannah Verdier

Meet the Richardsons

10pm, Dave

It’s a third outing for comedy couple Jon Richardson and Lucy Beaumont in this semi-reality series that sees them as exaggerated versions of themselves (at least, that’s what we assume). Tonight, David and Georgia Tennant invite them round for dinner. HR

Split Up in Care: Life Without Siblings

10pm, BBC Three

Journalist Ashley John-Baptiste grew up in the care system – which he describes as “a cloud of rejection”. He thought he was an only child until a message on social media from someone claiming to be his brother changed everything. Here, he explores his own story and unpicks why so many children grow up without their siblings today. HR