On TV tonight, a new series of Midsomer Murders begins on ITV, candid documentary Elizabeth: The Unseen Queen is on BBC One, while Gentleman Jack comes to a close also on BBC One. Stacey Dooley presents powerful documentary Two Daughters and Eden: Untamed Planet heads to the Galapagos Islands, both on BBC Two. 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
Midsomer Murders, 8pm, ITV
Midsomer’s annual Scarecrow Festival is interrupted by a highly unorthodox submission: the dead body of Naomi Ashworth (Emily Bevan), padded with straw and posed in a shop window. DCI Barnaby (Neil Dudgeon) and DS Winter (Nick Hendrix) set about interrogating the potential culprits – with Winter’s ex-girlfriend, journalist Caitlin Dawson (played by Nick’s real-life wife Jessica Ellerby), hot on their heels. Winter’s romantic woes add a welcome personal touch to the mystery, which is typically twisty and picturesque. Fans also won’t want to miss the documentary Midsomer Murders: 25 Years of Mayhem at 7pm, featuring interviews with past and current stars.
★★★★ SP
Elizabeth: The Unseen Queen, 7.45pm, BBC One
She’s one of the most photographed women in the world, but after 70 years on the throne, this candid documentary gives a fresh look at the life of the Queen and her family through private home videos. Narrated by Her Majesty from recordings made throughout her reign, the glorious archive footage sees her as a little princess in her pram with her mother, Queen Elizabeth, and as a bride-to-be showing off her engagement ring at Balmoral with future husband Prince Philip. There’s also moving film of her father, George VI, on his last visit to the Scottish castle and with his grandchildren, Prince Charles and Princess Anne.
★★★★ CC
Gentleman Jack, season 2, 9pm, BBC One
The acrimonious to-and-fro between Ann Walker and her brother-in-law Captain Sutherland (Derek Riddell in brilliantly villainous mode!) over the estate division has been bubbling for weeks and now, in a fabulous series finale, matters come to a head. As Sutherland and wife Elizabeth (Katherine Kelly) visit Halifax to sign the papers, the crooked captain shows his true colours when he tries to prove that Anne Lister has an ‘unnatural’ influence over his sister-in-law. Meanwhile, growing friction between Anne and Ann leaves them contemplating their future… Sort it out, ladies, because we’ve got our fingers crossed for a third series!
★★★★★ CC
Two Daughters, 9pm, BBC Two
On 5 June 2020, sisters Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman went to a park in north London to celebrate Bibaa’s 46th birthday. Two days later, their bodies were found. They had been brutally stabbed to death. In this powerful documentary, their parents, Mina and Chris, talk about the tragic events and the appalling handling of the case by the Met Police, in which two officers took selfies with the dead women’s bodies. It’s an emotional watch that confronts some critical issues. Stacey Dooley presents.
★★★★★ TL
Eden: Untamed Planet, 7.10pm, BBC Two
The Galapagos Islands are unique, home to more than 2,000 species, many of which can’t be found anywhere else. This Eden edition shows how these animals have evolved to thrive in such a seemingly inhospitable place. There are the penguins that have shrunk to cope with the heat and the famous giant tortoises that can survive a year without food and water. As narrator Helena Bonham Carter says, it’s definitely "nature’s greatest experiment" and it makes for fascinating viewing.
★★★★ NH
Best box set to watch on TV tonight
Stranger Things, season 4 (part 1), Netflix
The much-loved series makes the shift from the nostalgic 1980s supernatural smash to full-blown horror as it returns for its much-anticipated fourth series (part one’s eight episodes are available from Friday, May 27; part two from July 1). Three years in the making, the penultimate chapter begins with a now powerless Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) in California with the Byers clan, while her pals back home head to high school in Hawkins. The show’s creators have promised lots of answers, as we delve deeper into the parallel world of the Upside Down, and there’s also a terrifying new monster on the prowl, played by Nightmare on Elm Street’s Robert Englund.
Best film to watch on TV today
Monsters University, 2pm, BBC One
A fun prequel to Pixar’s 2001 smash hit Monsters, Inc., this takes us back to the college days of big blue furball Sulley (again voiced by John Goodman) and walking eyeball Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal). The duo are at a seat of learning to study scare tactics on human kids (their frights power the monster city), but rub each other the wrong way before becoming firm friends as they compete in the Scare Games. While’s it not quite up to the level of the original movie, it’s still very entertaining.
Live Sport
- Formula 1, The Monaco Grand Prix, from 12.30pm (start-time 2pm), Sky Sports Main Event/Now
If you watch just one thing on TV tonight…
Don't miss Midsomer Murders on TV tonight – DCI Barnaby and DS Winter are back solving crime on the vicious streets of Midsomer!
Not found anything you want to watch on TV tonight? Check out our TV Guide.
Happy viewing!
