On TV tonight there's live coverage of the Paralympics opening ceremony from Tokyo, heart-warming outdoor transformations in Love Your Cottage Garden, and the last episode of Secrets of the Museum. Here’s what you shouldn’t miss on TV tonight.
What's on TV tonight
Our expert TV journalists have picked the best things on TV tonight...
Best TV shows on TV tonight
Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020, from 11.30am, C4
Ade Adepitan, Clare Balding, Ed Jackson and JJ Chalmers make up the presenting team bringing daily live coverage and highlights of the Paralympics, before Adam Hills, Josh Widdecombe and Alex Brooker give their take on the Games each evening in The Last Leg of Tokyo 2020. After today’s opening ceremony (highlights are showing at 11.05pm), the first three days see action in track cycling, equestrian, judo, powerlifting, swimming, wheelchair fencing, then from Friday, athletics.
★★★★ IM
Love Your Cottage Garden, 8pm, ITV
Gardens have never been more appreciated post-lockdown and Alan Titchmarsh and his team bring the beauty of a cottage garden to two deserving NHS staff in this new one-off special. District nurse Pat Hastings in Redditch has a plant-free back yard, which is about to be transformed into a colourful haven, while paediatric A&E nurse Grace Finney in Stoke longs for an easy-to-manage sanctuary to return home to after a long shift. Expect lots of top tips from Alan on how to create your own cottage-style borders.
★★★★ MC
Secrets of the Museum, 9pm, BBC2
In the final episode, the V&A wants to capture the mood of the nation during the pandemic by displaying a collection of rainbows made by children. Over 1,000 handmade pictures have been sent in and receive the same amount of care as any great work of art. Also, a new cloth painting from Thailand puzzles the experts, and curator Kate takes possession of a new costume collection from the musical Follies.
★★★★ JL
Best box set to watch on TV tonight
The Chair, season 1, Netflix
Best known as MI6 agent Eve Polastri in Killing Eve and as the no-nonsense Dr Cristina Yang in the long-running medical series Grey's Anatomy, Sandra Oh plays an academic hoping to shake up a top university that’s then hit by scandal in this new black comedy. As the first woman chair of Pembroke University’s English department and one of its few women of colour on staff, Dr Ji-Yoon Kim (Sandra) has something to prove. But when colleague and love interest Bill (Jay Duplass) is filmed making a controversial gesture and the student body come out in protest, can Ji-Yoon save Pembroke and her reputation? Very funny and irreverent in parts, The Chair is top of the class!
★★★★ VW
Best film to watch on TV tonight
High Society, BBC iPlayer
It’s often unfavourably compared to The Philadelphia Story, but this 1956 musical is a real classic in its own right. Along with Grace Kelly, in her final role before marrying Prince Rainier, are three of the greatest entertainers of the 20th century – Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and Louis Armstrong – plus top-drawer songs from Cole Porter. Best of all, it’s just a couple of hours of shimmering, escapist fun as a wealthy family prepare for a society wedding on Rhode Island. Catch it while it’s still on BBC iPlayer this month.
Live sport
- Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020, from 11.30am, C4
- UEFA Champions League, 7.45pm, BT Sport 1
Soaps on TV tonight
- EastEnders, 7.30pm, BBC1
- Emmerdale, 7pm, ITV
- Hollyoaks, 6.30pm, C4
If you watch just one thing on TV tonight…
Don't miss the start of the Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 on TV tonight – a spectacular opening ceremony kicks off this inspiring sporting event.
Not found anything you want to watch on TV tonight? Check out our TV Guide.
Happy viewing!
