TV Tonight: our highlights for Wednesday, May 11
The Repair Shop is just one of the gems on TV tonight.
![TV tonight – Steve undertakes his largest-ever repair for Andrew and Monica.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/9xvX6GG9wFoMW2RBeig8FS-320-80.jpg)
On TV tonight, it's still one of those shows that just makes us feel happy, so settle in for another series of The Repair Shop on BBC One, the hugely creative Glow Up: Britain's Next Make-Up Star kicks off on BBC Three, the much-anticipated spin-off series How I Met Your Father drops on Disney Plus, a new series of DNA Family Secrets arrives to BBC Two, Inside No 9 continues and a new series of book club Between the Covers begins, 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 six 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
The Repair Shop, 8pm, BBC One
There’s mechanical wizardry afoot in the barn tonight as the much-loved restoration series returns in its prime-time slot. Horologist Steve can’t believe his luck when he’s bought a three-metre-tall clock to restore, his largest-ever repair, which requires him to call on his apprentice and son, Fred, who proves to be a natural in front of the camera. Meanwhile, Dominic is in dream repair heaven restoring a rusty Austin J40 toy pedal car, and can electronics expert Mark pull off a feat of acoustic engineering and get china dog Polly answering to her name again? You betcha.
★★★★ RF
Glow Up: Britain's Next Make-Up Star, 8pm, BBC Three
Prepare for some truly jaw-dropping creativity as a fourth search gets underway for the next big thing in make-up. Ten wannabe make-up artists (MUAs) are hoping to be crowned winner after some seriously skilful challenges, including tonight’s opener which tasks them with creating a ‘gym-friendly’ look for a fitness brand and a look on themselves showing their hidden strengths. Unsurprisingly, it gets emotional, as the MUAs bare their souls (so to speak) on their faces. Maya Jama hosts, with judges Val Garland and Dominic Skinner casting their expert eyes over the brushwork. Who will glow and who will be first to go?
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★★★★ RF
How I Met Your Father, Disney Plus
Lizzie McGuire’s Hilary Duff returns to her Disney roots for a spin-off, which follows in the footsteps of the popular How I Met Your Mother. The original saw the unseen Ted (Bob Saget), in 2030, recounting to his son and daughter the events that led him to meet their mum, with the younger Ted played by Josh Radnor. This new 10-part series has a similar format, with Kim Cattrall as narrator Sophie, who, in 2050, tells her (off-screen) son how she met his dad. Duff is the younger Sophie, a romantic photographer finding her place in 2022 and looking for true love.
★★★★ ER
DNA Family Secrets, 9pm, BBC Two
Stacey Dooley returns as the host of this emotional show, which uses DNA testing to answer questions about heritage and history. First up is Richard from Liverpool, who is desperate to know the identity of his biological father. "I’ve missed out on a sense of belonging," he says. Sisters Janet and Liz want to find out if there’s any truth in a story they heard as children about their father having a daughter with an Austrian countess during World War Two. Finally, after growing up in care and never meeting his dad, Glen wants to know where he is from.
★★★★ JL
Inside No 9, season 7, 10pm, BBC Two
Oscar-nominated star Sophie Okonedo takes us down a psychological rabbit hole when she guest stars as a detective. Hard-drinking and with more than one divorce on her record, Kat is a bit of a copper cliché, but she’s desperate to defeat her inner demons and solve the case of a missing boy. A winding episode that takes us inside the weird and wonderful world Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton have created with this show.
★★★★ SMA
Between the Covers, 7.30pm, BBC Two
Richard Osman, who has announced he is leaving Pointless to concentrate on his writing career, talks about his passion for literature in series three of the book show hosted by Sara Cox, whose debut novel is out tomorrow. Actor David Morrissey, comedian Deborah Frances-White and DJ Vick Hope are the other guests sharing their favourite books and reviewing this week’s two book club choices – People Person by Candice Carty-Williams and The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje.
★★★★ RMC
Best box set to watch on TV tonight
The Pentaverate, season 1, Netflix
Austin Powers’ Mike Myers is rarely content with playing just one character, and in this quirky comedy, the chameleon-like star has a whale of a time tackling no less than eight different roles! Among them is veteran Canadian reporter Ken Scarborough, who is investigating a secret society known as The Pentaverate, which has been saving the world from disaster since the Middle Ages, but is suddenly under threat… He also portrays their oldest member, Lord Lordington. Look out, too, for Jennifer Saunders.
Best film to watch on TV tonight
Cop Car, 9pm, Horror Channel
Two runaway 10-year-old boys find a police car parked at the edge of a wood and go for a joy ride, buzzing with pre-pubescent bravado. But the car belongs to Kevin Bacon’s corrupt local sheriff, currently up to no good in the trees, and he’d rather no one found out what he’s got stashed in the trunk. A taut thriller that grips ever tighter the more the boys’ naive adventure gets out of hand, it was made by Jon Watts who went on to helm the latest Spider-Man movies with Tom Holland.
Live Sport
- Premier League, Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Manchester City, 8pm (k-o 8.15pm), Sky Sports Main Event/NOW
Soaps on TV tonight
- EastEnders, 7.30pm, BBC One
- Emmerdale, 7.30pm, ITV
- Coronation Street, 8pm, ITV
- Hollyoaks, 6.30pm, C4
- Neighbours, 6pm, Channel 5
- Home and Away, 6pm & 6.30pm, 5Star
If you watch just one thing on TV tonight…
Don't miss The Repair Shop on TV tonight – sit back and enjoy as this lovely show repairs the soul as much as it does the objects brought in for restoration.
Not found anything you want to watch on TV tonight? Check out our TV Guide.
Happy viewing!
Joanne Lowles has been writing about TV since 2002. After graduating from Cardiff University with a Postgraduate Diploma in Magazine Journalism, she worked for All About Soap magazine covering the ups and downs of life on the cobbles, the square and the Dales.
Next came nearly 10 years at TV Times magazine as a writer and then deputy features editor. Here she spent many happy days interviewing the biggest names in entertainment and visiting the sets of some of our most popular shows including Downton Abbey, Call the Midwife and Strictly Come Dancing.
With a love of nature and wildlife she’s also interviewed the leading experts in this area including David Attenborough, Chris Packham and Steve Backshall. She’s also travelled the world visiting Mongolia, Canada and South Africa to see how the best in the business make the most brilliant natural history documentaries.
Freelance since 2013, she is now is a digital writer and editor for What to Watch, previews the best on the box for TV Times mag each week and loves being constantly surprised, entertained and informed by the amazing TV that she is lucky enough to watch.