TV Tonight: Our highlights for Thursday, April 13

Paul O'Grady with Newfoundland Peggy
The final series of Paul O'Grady's For the Love of Dogs is on TV Tonight. (Image credit: ITV)

On TV tonight, the final series of Paul O'Grady's For the Love of Dogs begins, Long Lost Family: What Happened Next catches up with some previous stars, and there are more intense challenges in Limitless with Chris Hemsworth. 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

Paul O'Grady For the Love of Dogs, 8:30 pm, ITV1 

It’s bittersweet to begin this series in light of Paul O’Grady’s recent death. But we can think of no more fitting tribute to his endless capacity for love and compassion than watching his effortless bond with the people and animals at Battersea Dogs & Cats Home. True to form, Paul falls head over heels in tonight’s opener when he meets Peggy, a Newfoundland, who needs an operation on her back legs, and Paul’s anxiety as she goes under the knife is palpable. 

He also teaches Katie, a very frightened Bichon Frise who was found wandering in a forest, to rediscover her confidence with a little help from a four-legged friend… 

★★★★★ SP

Long Lost Family: What Happened Next, 9 pm, ITV1

In 2021, the reunion between Roy, the show’s oldest searcher to date, and his daughter Cheryl was truly life-affirming. We catch up with Roy, now sadly losing his sight to glaucoma, as he celebrates his 89th birthday with a trip to see Cheryl in New York, and they visit the Harlem church where he tried to reconnect with her when she was a child. 

Meanwhile, Maria –who in 2018 traced relatives of her late Italian birth mother Gilda – is overjoyed after a Long Lost Family viewer reveals more about Gilda’s time in London. But can Maria unravel the mystery surrounding her birth father? 

★★★★ CC

Limitless with Chris Hemsworth, Disney Plus

Crane-gazing!

(Image credit: Disney Plus)

Hollywood star Chris takes on six extraordinary challenges under the guidance of psychologists to help him stave off the ageing process. Areas include dealing with pain, fasting and memory work, beginning with how our bodies cope with stress. 

Chris undertakes some tremendously challenging ordeals, such as ‘drown-proofing’, used in military training to help him harness fear. He is not afraid to bare all – both body and soul – and the scenery on location in Australia is equally as eye-catching! 

★★★ MC

Waco Untold: The British Stories, ITVX

Waco Untold promo image

(Image credit: ITVX)

The Waco siege has gone down in history as one of the US’ most controversial tragedies, and the story has been told many times. But this two-parter focuses on the Brits at the centre of the disaster. During April 1993, the world watched in horror as a stand-off between government forces and a religious cult, led by self-proclaimed prophet David Koresh, ended in a deadly fire. 

In all, 86 people were killed, including four federal agents and 23 British cult members. There is moving testimony from Sam Henry, whose wife and five children were killed, as well as survivor Derek Lovelock, who reveals how he was sucked in. 

★★★ HD

Best box set on TV tonight

BeefNetflix

Amy (Ali Wong) in her car in Beef

(Image credit: Andrew Cooper/Netflix)

Beef is a new 10-part comedy series about two people who collide after a road rage incident. This causes Danny Cho (Steven Yeun), a failing contractor with a chip on his shoulder, to go head-to-head with Amy Lau (Ali Wong), a self-made entrepreneur with a picturesque life.  

Danny and Amy find their lives affected by this seemingly everyday encounter. With a great supporting cast on board too, this "edgy, smart, revenge fable" should be perfect binge-watch material.

LB

Best film on TV tonight

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, 9 pm, BBC Four

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid promo shot

(Image credit: 20th Century Studios)

Two notorious outlaws' routine of bank and train robberies is cut short when a seemingly unstoppable posse is formed to catch them. The pair plan to flee America and start a new life in Bolivia, with the Sundance Kid's schoolmistress lover in tow - but staying ahead of the law is not so easy. Western, starring Paul Newman, Robert Redford and Katharine Ross.

Soaps

Live Sport

  • UEFA Europa League: Manchester United v Sevilla, 7pm (Kick-off 8 pm), BT Sport 1

If you watch just one thing on TV tonight…

Don't miss Paul O'Grady's For the Love of Dogs on TV tonight.

Not found anything you want to watch on TV tonight? Check out our TV Guide

Happy viewing!

Lucy Buglass
Senior Staff Writer

Lucy joined the WhatToWatch.com team in 2021, where she writes series guides for must-watch programmes, reviews and the latest TV news. Now she works for our sister site TechRadar in the same role. Originally from Northumberland, she graduated from Oxford Brookes University with a degree in Film Studies and moved to London to begin a career writing about entertainment.

She is a Rotten Tomatoes approved film critic and has a huge passion for cinema. She especially loves horror, thriller and anything crime-related. Her favourite TV programmes include Inside No 9, American Horror Story, Stranger Things and Black Mirror but she is also partial to a quiz show or a bit of Say Yes to the Dress