TV Week: Tonightly, Big Brother 9, Lost Land of the Jaguar

Interestingly, while The 11 O'Clock Show floundered with its presenters, but captured the zeitgeist with G and Gervais, Tonightly does the opposite: the real presenters are very good, but the fake characters are the flops. Mind you, because so many are flung at the screen, the intention is clearly to see if any stick. Tonightly runs for another fortnight, so there's time to improve. Manford and Osho's impressive performances certainly provide a solid foundation to build on -- but the writing will have to improve ten-fold. And give Osho her own desk.

BIG BROTHER 9 (CHANNEL 4, various) There's just over a month 'till the finale, but the house is still oddly crowded. The Heaven/Hell divide certainly shook some life into things awhile back, but it's become rather tedious now. The problem these days is that housemates are too self-aware and realize winning isn't necessarily the only route to fame. The general topic of discussion is the mechanics of the show itself, which is rather boring for viewers. Where are the fun, frolics, arguments and drunken mishaps that once formed Big Brother's backbone?

Dale and Stuart have been desperate to get evicted for weeks (the wish now granted for Dale), Rex spends his days belittling "fake" Rachel (although he's been distracted by the arrival of high-maintenance girlfriend Nicole), Mohammad just eats, Kat's still incomprehensible, misplaced political correctness prevents anyone nominating blind Mikey, Aussie whiner Sara has developed a questionable desire for Darnell (who resembles an albino Ferengi with no ears), and Lisa drifts through the house with a glazed expression. Is she still pining for evicted lover Mario, or has her excessive make-up congealed in the heat?

LOST LAND OF THE JAGUAR (BBC1, WED 8PM) This series offers an exciting blend of wildlife documentary and action-adventure narrative, with enthusiastic naturalist Steve Backshall leading a team of scientists into Guyana. The South American country's the size of Britain, but with the population of Liverpool, meaning its rain forests are pristine and mostly unexplored. Vultures, piranhas, catfish, bird-eating tarantulas, tree frogs, tiny primates, giant anacondas -- they're all there in abundance. Throw a stone into the foliage and chances are you'll hit something rare, enormous, deadly -- or all three. It may lack the God-like view and wealth of information delivered by Planet Earth, but the sense of exploration and pioneering discovery is thrilling, entertaining and very satisfying.