Karl Pilkington looks at a winged lion atop a column in St Mark's Square in Venice and decides, "If that were done today, you'd go, 'What's that shit?'"

And upon that rock, Ricky Gervais has built An Idiot Abroad (One, 9.30pm). He and Stephen Merchant have amused themselves senseless by sending Pilkington on whingeing tours around the globe.

This time, with The Short Way Round, Gervais gives Pilkington a travelling companion - and someone else for him to complain about - in the form of Warwick Davis. He is another member of the Gervais stable, having starred in the mockumentary Life's Too Short.

The pair are to retrace the path of Marco Polo, from Italy to China. They begin in Venice, a city from which civilisation has moved on, according to the "idiot".

"It doesn't work," he says, glaring at the sinking city from a gondola. "It's a pain in the arse."

Davis has the "can do" attitude to further provoke Pilkington's "shouldn't have to, don't want to".

Who knows how much is genuine ennui but Pilkington's observations are extremely funny. Despite the faux nastiness of Gervais' set-up, this is another sweet piece of comic travel documentary.

The toxic relationship between Earl Haraldson and Ragnar Lothbrok turns volcanic in Vikings (SBS One, 9.30pm), with a raiding party destroying Ragnar's village and leaving him with all manner of pointy weaponry poking out of his body.

In desperate need of medical assistance, Ragnar is dragged to the hillside home of one of his supporters. Sadly, the medical aid involves poking red-hot knives into various wounds to help with cleaning.

"But I've just pulled a spear out of there," I'd be squealing. Naturally, Ragnar says nothing, because he is tough, despite being a Calvin Klein underpants model.

Haraldson, played beautifully by Gabriel Byrne, confirms his low level of humanity by arranging the marriage of his young daughter to a wheezy fat old bloke with lots of silver and very few teeth.

Their meeting is far more awkward than anything that has popped up so far on It's a Date (ABC1, 9.01pm), although the liaison between Stephen Curry and Asher Keddie this week has the potential to go anywhere.

Speaking of Vikings, Simon "The Wizard" Whitlock has the look and the sharp weapons as he lines up in his lairy Australian shirt for the Sydney Darts Masters (FoxSports 2, 8pm).

Ah, yes, the sport that began with a few beer-infused gents hurling arrows in the corner of a pub has come so far. Now, a few beer-infused gents hurl arrows in vast arenas in front of souped-up crowds in fancy dress and a global television audience. Phil "The Power" Taylor is the star attraction.