On TV tonight, there's trouble on the farm in The Larkins, Giovanna Fletcher: Made in Italy sees the star tracing her family history on the continent, Stanley Tucci is heading to Italy's "boot" in Searching for Italy, and football pros pay tribute to the legend Geoff Hurst in Hurst: The First and Only. Here's what you shouldn't miss on TV tonight.
- Our hand selected recommendations for what's on TV tonight include 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
Giovanna Fletcher: Made in Italy, 8 pm, ITVBe
Giovanna and her family are heading to Italy to get a better understanding of their heritage. The I’m a Celebrity… queen, her brother, TOWIE’s Mario Falcone, and sister, Giorgina, are joining their dad, Big Mario, on a trip back to Campania, where he grew up, tasting the best Italy has to offer in the process. There’s pizza and pasta school, foraging for mushrooms, sipping cocktails on the Amalfi Coast and a poignant trip back to the village of Valva, home of their late Nonna, who died just before the pandemic. ★★★★ NH
Hurst: The First and Only, 7 pm, Sky Documentaries, NOW
A host of players and pundits pay tribute to football legend Geoff Hurst in this feature-length documentary that looks back on his career and the life-changing hat-trick that helped England win the 1966 World Cup. Football fans will be familiar with much of the content relating to the win, but there’s also moving testimony from Geoff about his brother’s suicide and the death of his daughter from a brain tumour. Harry Kane is one of the stars contributing, and it’s hard to imagine him having to sign on, as Geoff did, when he hangs up his boots! ★★★★ IM
The Larkins season 2, 8 pm, Channel 5
We are at last introduced to new regular cast member Joelle Rae, who takes over the role of Mariette from Sabrina Bartlett, who appeared in series one. The Larkins’ eldest daughter is finally back from her honeymoon with husband Charley (Tok Stephen) and she soon finds out that all is not well on the farm, what with the Jerebohms’ legal action against Pop (Bradley Walsh) and him planning to conduct his own defence in court. Naturally, the freewheeling patriarch has other, more enjoyable things on his mind, such as finishing the construction of the swimming pool – until the kids decide to do him a ‘favour’ and take over… ★★★★ IM
Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy season 2, 7.20 pm, BBC Two
Stanley is exploring Puglia, which is situated in the heel of Italy’s ‘boot’. In its capital, Bari, he samples some ‘Italian sushi’, as well as spaghetti all’assassina, in which pasta is cooked in a most unconventional way. With 60 million olive trees, the region supplies almost half of Italy’s olive oil, while the production of durum wheat also means it’s known as the breadbasket of Italy. But poverty in southern Italy once meant parts of this area were labelled ‘Italy’s shame’, prompting Stanley to investigate how it has, in effect, gone from rags to riches. ★★★★ JP
Best box set on TV tonight
The Queen and her family find themselves on the back foot as this lavish saga moves into the 1990s with a brand-new cast (including Imelda Staunton as the Queen) and plenty of royal drama. The breakdown of Charles and Diana’s marriage hogs all the headlines, with Dominic West capturing our new King wonderfully, but the first episode of this 10-part series also sees him toying with the idea of ousting his mother. The show’s writer, Peter Morgan, handles the story with subtlety and skill, yet even the pulled punches can’t remove the edge from a story that resonates deeply in light of recent events. ★★★★★ SMA
Best film on TV tonight
Here Before, 10.30 pm (times vary), BBC Three, iPlayer
An astonishingly assured film debut from writer-director Stacey Gregg, this mysterious drama revolves around Andrea Riseborough’s Northern Irish mother Laura, who’s struggling to come to terms with the death of her young daughter. To compound matters, little Megan (Niamh Dornan) has just moved next door and seems uncannily similar to her lost child. Has her daughter been reincarnated? An incisive depiction of grief, there is a hint of Don’t Look Now about proceedings, with an intangible, ethereal essence pervading this intriguing tale, helped by an utterly convincing performance by Riseborough, who grounds the movie emphatically. ★★★★ NP
Live Sport
- England v Pakistan T20 World Cup final, 8am, Channel 4
- EFL: Burnley vs Blackburn Rovers, 12.30 pm k-o, Sky Sports Main Event
- Premier League: Brighton & Hove vs Aston Villa, 2 pm k-o, Sky Sports Main Event
- Premier League: Fulham vs Manchester United, 4 pm (k-o 4.30 pm), Sky Sports Main Event
- F1: Sao Paulo Grand Prix, from 4.30 pm (race at 6 pm), Sky Sports F1
If you watch just one thing on TV tonight…
Don't miss Hurst: The One and Only - its a great way to get prepped for the 2022 World Cup.
Not found anything you want to watch on TV tonight? Check out our TV Guide.
Happy viewing!
