On TV tonight, paying tribute to some of the world's greatest singers is Cynthia Erivo: Legendary Voices at the Proms on BBC Two, Noel Edmonds: The Rise & Fall of Mr Saturday Night is on Channel 5, Anita Rani is in Kent for Britain by Beach on C4 and new property show Finding the Cornish Dream in on C4. Here's what you shouldn't miss on TV tonight.
- Our hand selected recommendations for what's on TV tonight include four 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
Cynthia Erivo: Legendary Voices at the Proms, 8 pm, BBC Two
This Prom, which sees British singer Cynthia Erivo join the BBC Concert Orchestra to pay tribute to legendary voices including Nina Simone, Shirley Bassey and Gladys Knight, was recorded in July, but makes its TV debut tonight. Cynthia, who portrayed Aretha Franklin in the TV series Genius and will star with Ariana Grande in the upcoming film version of the musical Wicked, only needs an Oscar (she’s already been nominated) to join the elite ‘EGOT’ – Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards – club. Here, she showcases her fantastic voice on songs including Midnight Train to Georgia, Feeling Good, I (Who Have Nothing) and Don’t Rain on My Parade in a set that deservedly has had rave reviews.
★★★★ JP
Noel Edmonds: The Rise & Fall of Mr Saturday Night, 9 pm, Channel 5
This documentary looks at the career of Noel Edmonds, which is quite extraordinary by any standard. From starting out at Radio Luxembourg, he took on the Radio 1 Breakfast Show slot as well as the Saturday morning TV show Multi-Coloured Swap Shop in the 1970s, with later prime-time Saturday series including Noel’s House Party. When it all came crashing down, for many that would have been the last we’d heard of them – but that would mean reckoning without a certain daytime show which involved contestants opening boxes…
★★★ JP
Britain by Beach, season 2, 8 pm, C4
As the second series continues, this week Anita Rani’s exploration of our beaches takes her to Kent, which has 350 miles of coastline. And while many holidaymakers have long made a beeline for that coast, the county’s location and closeness to the rest of Europe has meant it’s also known to some as ‘the invasion coast’. Anita has a look around a defensive mini fort and at Dover Castle finds out about a secret wartime operation. Elsewhere, under the white cliffs of St Margaret’s Bay, we hear how this was a spot much-loved by artists and writers, including Noel Coward and Ian Fleming – and that it was an inspiration for the Bond novel Moonraker!
★★★ JP
Finding the Cornish Dream, 5.30 pm, C4
This new series looks at Cornwall’s booming property market, following house-hunters and estate agents. In this first episode we meet a Wiltshire couple who are hoping to fulfil their dreams of living by the sea as they view a Grade II thatched cottage, a local resident who hopes to purchase her own room with a view, but who isn't the only hopeful buyer after the doer-upper with Perranporth coastal views and a couple who are selling up and moving to the country.
★★★ JL
Best box set to watch on TV tonight
The Capture, season 1, BBC iPlayer
The Capture season 2 begins tomorrow – Sunday, August 28 – on BBC One, but you can catch up with the first six-part series, which first aired in 2019, on the iPlayer. The lead in both seasons is the brilliant Holliday Grainger who plays Rachel Carey, an ambitious and determined police officer who in this first series thinks she is in control of her investigation about a possibly violent former soldier. But can she really believe everything she sees and is there a bigger and more sinister game at play that is hampering her attempts to get to the truth? Also starring Callum Turner as ex-soldier Shaun Emery and Ben Miles as Commander Danny Hart.
Best film to watch on TV tonight
The Pianist, 9.05 pm, Talking Pictures TV
This 2002 drama won three Oscars, including Best Actor for Adrien Brody and Best Director for Roman Polanski. It’s the true story of Polish Jewish pianist Wladyslaw (Brody) and how he survived the Holocaust. It also shows how the Nazis dehumanised Jewish people over a long period, so that many didn’t realise what was really happening until it was too late. It’s through the eyes of Wladyslaw, an ordinary man, that we see the effect of the war on Krakow and its residents.
Live Sport
- Premier League, Arsenal vs Fulham, 5 pm (k-o 5.30 pm), Sky Sports Main Event/NOW
If you watch just one thing on TV tonight…
Don't miss Cynthia Erivo: Legendary Voices at the Proms on TV tonight — a celebration of some beautiful music.
Not found anything you want to watch on TV tonight? Check out our TV Guide.
Happy viewing!
