Downton Abbey is just one of the gems on today...
Enjoy the final series of Downton Abbey as it gets a rerun on ITV, The Luminaries comes to its dramatic conclusion, and Romesh Ranganathan remembers more Misadventures From His Sofa. Here’s what you shouldn’t be missing on TV tonight.
- Our hand-selected recommendations for what's on TV tonight include three TV shows, a film, live sport and the latest trending need-to-binge-on-now box set
- For more information about what’s on TV tonight see our TV Guide
What's on TV tonight
Our expert TV journalists have picked the best things on TV tonight...
Best TV shows on TV tonight
The Luminaries, 9pm, BBC1
Eleanor Catton’s atmospheric tale has surrendered its secrets more reluctantly than the rivers of Hokitika have given up their gold, but there are plenty of answers in tonight’s satisfying finale. The day of Anna’s murder trial has finally arrived and she seems doomed as Lydia Wells’ expertly spun plot tightens around her. Yet Anna isn’t the only one to have been wronged by the brothel madam and she finds an unlikely ally in the form of Alistair Lauderback. Sensing how high the stakes have become, Francis Carver cautions his lover against overextending herself but will Lydia listen? And where has Emery Staines got to?
★★★★ SMA
Downton Abbey, from 8pm, ITV
We can all agree that these are strange times when ITV’s Sunday-night schedule is taken up by repeats of The Durrells and Downton Abbey. But with apologies to a certain high-street store, these are not just repeats, these are some of ITV’s greatest hits. After a run on weekday early evenings on ITV3, Downton is switching to ITV for the sixth, final, series, showing in double bills. Tonight begins with a feature-length episode, in which Lady Mary is blackmailed and Lord Grantham is advised to sell up. There’s a reason why this series averaged 10m viewers when it was first shown…
★★★★ JP
The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan: From My Sofa, 9pm, BBC2
Romesh Ranganathan continues his look back at highlights and previously unseen footage of the trips he took to some of the world’s most off-the-beaten-track places. In tonight’s episode, Romesh recalls misadventures in Albania, The Arctic and Mongolia, including a terrifying high-speed car rally in the latter. You can see the whole of the Mongolia episode, plus other Misadventures from the second series, on BBC iPlayer.
★★★★ JP
Best box set to watch on TV tonight
Mum, seasons 1-3, BritBox
Lesley Manville is sublime as the recently widowed Cathy – quietly coping with her grief and rediscovering herself in the face of her selfish and insensitive family. Meanwhile, her late husband’s best friend Michael (Peter Mullan) adores her from afar in a poignantly funny comedy.
Best film to watch on TV tonight
The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, 6.35pm, Film4
The box-office hit about a group of British pensioners in India has a sequel and, unsurprisingly, it sticks with the winning formula of cherished British thespians playing to type. So Dames Maggie Smith and Judi Dench and fellow veterans are all still there in Dev Patel’s dilapidated Jaipur hotel. The place is bursting at the seams with storylines in an overloaded plot but the assured cast give even the lamest lines a comic zing.
Live sport
- Hungarian Grand Prix from 12.30pm, Sky Sports F1 (highlights, 7.30pm, C4)
- Premier League Football: Tottenham Hotspur v Leicester City 3.30pm (k-o 4pm), Sky Sports Premier League
- FA Cup Semi-final: Manchester United v Chelsea 5.30pm (k-o 6pm), BBC1
If you watch just one thing on TV tonight…
Don't miss Downton Abbey on TV tonight – another chance to see how the saga ends…
Not found anything you want to watch on TV tonight? Check out our TV Guide.
Happy viewing!
