TV Tonight: our highlights for Friday, September 23, 2022

Which celebs will be pairing up with these pro dancers? (Image credit: BBC)

On TV tonight, bring on the sequins as after a week's delay Strictly Come Dancing launches on BBC One, followed by a new series of comedy Ghosts. Crime drama Professor T continues on ITV, Bob and Paul head to the Highlands in Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing on BBC Two and Pam continues her travels in The Cotswolds & Beyond with Pam Ayres on Channel 5. Here's what you shouldn't miss on TV tonight.

Our hand selected recommendations for what's on TV tonight include five TV shows, a film, live sport and the latest trending need-to-binge-on-now box set
Keep up to date with the latest soap spoiler storylines on TV tonight with our daily soap synopsis
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

*Please note that these TV shows are subject to change — we will update this page if any alterations should be made to the TV schedules.*

Strictly Come Dancing, 7 pm, BBC One

Here come the girls! (Image credit: BBC)

Bring on the sequins! Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman are back to welcome the 15 Strictly stars of 2022 into the ballroom, including Paralympic swimmer Ellie Simmonds, former Bros frontman Matt Goss and EastEnders star James Bye (Martin). Tonight’s a soft launch for the celebrities as they find out which of the show’s 20 professional dancers – the largest pro cast in the show’s history – will be their partner for the journey ahead. But they won’t be getting off too lightly, as they’ll also be performing a group dance – so keep your eyes peeled to spot who’s already showing off some seriously fancy footwork…

★★★★★ SP

Ghosts, season 4, 8.50 pm, BBC One

The residents of Button House return. (Image credit: BBC)

It’s always a delight to catch up with the residents of Button House – both living and dearly departed – but, as this new run begins, nerves are jangling. Alison (Charlotte Ritchie) and Mike (Kiell Smith-Bynoe) have opened their B&B and Alison is worried that their first guests aren’t enjoying themselves. They wouldn’t be if they knew that disreputable ghostly MP Julian (Simon Farnaby) is trying to spy on them 24/7! Meanwhile, the fabulously revolting spectres of long-dead plague victims have become besotted with Regency poet Thomas (Mathew Baynton), who, obviously, is taking the opportunity to act like a total diva!

★★★★ CC

Professor T, season 2, 9 pm, ITV

When a prominent barrister and his wife are found dead, CID discover a striking similarity to another double murder that took place 15 years before – which the victim helped to prosecute. With the person convicted of that crime still in jail, and a copycat killing quickly ruled out, this new case throws doubt on the historic conviction, casting a cloud over the reputation of DCI Brand (Juliet Aubrey). Naturally, Professor T (Ben Miller) isn’t about to let this stand, vowing to solve the crime – and he won’t let a little thing like the fact that he’s in hospital recovering from acute appendicitis hold him back.

★★★★ SP

Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing, season 5, 9 pm, BBC Two

Paul and Bob head to the Scottish Highlands. (Image credit: BBC)

Best friends Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse are pretty good at selecting beautiful landscapes for their fishing trips, but this week they really push the boat out as they catch a sleeper train from London Euston to the magnificent Scottish Highlands. Surrounded by pine forests and snow topped mountains, the pair are blown away by the beauty and tranquility of their fishing spot and it makes for a charming half hour of telly.

★★★★ JL

The Cotswolds & Beyond with Pam Ayres, 8 pm, Channel 5

Lady Bath with Pam at Longleat. (Image credit: Channel 5)

There’s more pottering and poetry as Pam continues her travels around the Cotswolds and its borders. Her first visit is to the Longleat Estate, where she helps feed the koalas and enjoys a tour of the house with Lady Bath herself. After a restorative trip to the beautiful Botanic Garden in Oxford, Pam returns to the village of Uffington, where her dad was born and where she spent happy childhood days. She also meets regal residents at The Horse Trust and concludes this leg by making her own gin at an organic farm. ‘The more you drink, the nicer it gets,’ is her cheerful verdict.

★★★ JL

Best box set to watch on TV tonight

Simon Reeve's South America, BBC iPlayer

Simon with soldiers from the French Foreign Legion. (Image credit: BBC)

The adventurer is in South America to complete an epic 4000-mile trip from Peru to Paraguay with five new episodes. As usual Reeve takes on a journey that isn’t for the fainthearted, as he meets refugees, warlords and forgotten tribes. His new journey starts in the Guiana Shield, an area of pristine rainforest that spreads through Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana, which is being ravaged by the illegal gold mining trade. There, he visits a remote Wild West-style mining town where everything is paid for in gold, joins a former rebel fighter at his gold mine in the Suriname jungle and even raids an illegal mine with the French Foreign Legion. He also visits Brazil, Peru, Bolivia and Chile, finding extraordinary stories and meeting remarkable people along the way. Epic stuff.

Best film to watch on TV tonight

I Used to Be Famous, Netflix

Ed Skrein stars. (Image credit: Netflix)

Vince (Ed Skrein) used to be in a hot boy band, with everyone wanting to be a part of his success. But, as this comedy-drama charts, those days are well and truly behind him and he’s now alone and desperate. Then things take an unexpected turn when a jam with Stevie (newcomer Leo Long), an autistic drummer with a gift for rhythm, sparks a friendship.