Thursday’s best TV: Diagnosis on Demand?; The First | Television & radio

Diagnosis on Demand? The Computer Will See You Now

9pm, BBC Two
Hannah Fry presents an episode of Horizon exploring Silicon Valley’s “move-fast, break-stuff approach versus the diligent, evidence-based, do-no-harm healthcare system”. The most interesting development here is that the British tech company Babylon Health has already persuaded 30,000 Londoners to swap their GPs for a diagnostic service accessed via a smartphone app. Might such technological innovations result in “seismic disruption” for the NHS? Mike Bradley

Ariana Grande at the BBC

8pm, BBC One
Following the likes of Adele, U2 and Harry Styles, the perma-ponytailed US singer gets her own BBC special, featuring a performance and an interview with Davina McCall. With Grande having endured a deeply challenging two years, it is sure to provide an insight into her continued determination. Hannah J Davies

Shop Smart, Save Money for Christmas

8pm, Channel 5
Christmas may seem ages away, but many families have to spread the load across multiple pay packets. So, here are Fiona Phillips and Gaby Roslin with tips to get value for money, including the best deals on children’s toys. Meanwhile, a single mum gets help to raise extra cash for the festivities. David Stubbs

The First

9pm, Channel 4
This worthwhile drama about the first manned mission to Mars arrives courtesy of the creator of Netflix’s House of Cards, Beau Willimon. Following a catastrophic setback for the project, former mission commander Tom Hagerty (a craggy Sean Penn) receives an unexpected chance to join the crew. Natascha McElhone co-stars. MB

Sally4Ever

10pm, Sky Atlantic
Emma has got her feet firmly under the table in Julia Davis’s darkest of comedies, with Sally waking to find the kitchen has been redecorated to remove the “toxicity” of her ex, David. Expect several more exquisitely awkward moments in an episode that sees Emma bark at a crestfallen David: “She hates you and she hates your penis.” MB

The Endless Winter: Surfing Europe

12.40am, Channel 4
The veteran surfer Mark Harris gathers a group of friends to recreate what, in the 60s, was a popular boarders’ odyssey – when the water got too cold in the UK, they would decamp to France, then Morocco. As well as recreating that migration, the film also takes in Norway, Germany and California. Jack Seale

Film choice

12 Years a Slave (Steve McQueen, 2013), 10.45pm, Film4
Steve McQueen’s Oscar-winning drama is based on the 1853 memoir of Solomon Northup, a free-born black man who was kidnapped in Washington DC and sold into slavery in the south. Chiwetel Ejiofor is the epitome of humanity and endurance as Northup, while Lupita Nyong’o is startling as the defiant young slave Patsey. Paul Howlett

Live sport

Tennis: WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai 5.30am, BT Sport 1. Women’s tournament, held in the southern Chinese city of Zhuhai.
World Gymnastics Championships 1pm, BBC Two. Live coverage of the women’s individual all-round final.
American football: San Francisco 49ers v Oakland Raiders 12.30am (Friday), Sky Sports Main Event. Interconference match between two NFL strugglers.