PICK OF TODAY’S TV

LOUIS THEROUX INTERVIEWS — CHELSEA MANNING, 9PM, BBC2

AFTER pop star Raye and national treasure Joan Collins, Louis keeps us on our toes by talking to the world’s most famous military whistle-blower, Chelsea Manning (pictured with Louis). In 2010, while working as a U.S. Army intelligence analyst, Chelsea, then known as Bradley, was arrested for releasing information to Wikileaks, the website run by Julian Assange. Among Manning’s leaks was shocking footage, shown again here, of U.S. military misdeeds in Iraq — and of a cold, callous attitude from U.S. military personnel that is very hard to listen to. Sentenced to 35 years in prison (though released after serving seven), and transitioning behind bars, Chelsea is now looking to rebuild her life, working in the tech industry as a speaker and as a part-time DJ in New York. This is quite a weird interview, even by Louis’s standards, something that the host notes early on. Chelsea’s awkwardness is off the charts, and she doesn’t always take Louis’s questions well. Ultimately, though, Louis gives her room to make her case.