THE NATIVES: THIS IS OUR AMERICA, BBC1, 11.25pm
FORGET the Hollywood image of noble Native Americans: this documentary shows them as ordinary blokes trying to make lives for themselves in modern America whilst still respecting their heritage. We visit Pine Ridge Reservation (“the Res”) in South Dakota to meet young men of the Lakota tribe.

Despite looking like teenagers from all over the Western world, with their hoodies and T-shirts, they’re doing something unusual: they lie on the rippling grass with guns and learn how to shoot buffalo. They joke that they no longer use a bow and arrow; instead, they say it feels like playing Call Of Duty.

They’re learning how to be Lakota warriors, and so keep their old identities alive, but this isn’t a sentimental act. It’s an attempt at combatting modern evils like crystal meth and alcohol addiction, and a way of navigating disputes with the authorities over land and oil.

However, the voice of the narrator is annoying. It’s cool, young and Cockney, but having such a tone seems to diminish the importance of this film.

THE SWEET MAKERS, BBC2, 8pm
MORE “living history” from the BBC, where the participants dress up in the costumes of the era. When this is done with serious history it aggravates me, but this new series is about sweets and sugar, so where’s the harm in a bit of fun?

In this new three-part series, a group of sweet makers look back at three historical eras which shaped the modern confectionery trade.

Tonight we kick off with the Tudor era, and the team must use old recipes, and old equipment, to recreate sweet treats invented for royalty which haven’t been tasted for hundreds of years.

We also look at the role of sugar in shaping the British Empire and slave trade.