On TV tonight, the DIY SOS Children in Need special sees Nick Knowles helping out a charity, David Mitchell returns with Outsiders, Kevin McCloud crowns House of the Year and Florence Pugh's new film arrives on Netflix. 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
DIY SOS Children in Need Special, 9 pm, BBC One
Be sure to add an extra-large box of tissues to the weekly shop before tuning in to this DIY SOS Children in Need special, because the sheer goodness at its core is bound to have even the most stoic of viewers sobbing on the sofa. Leeds-based charity Getaway Girls provides vital support for girls and young women, but has outgrown its old home and is currently based in rented premises.
Enter Nick Knowles and the team, accompanied by an army of volunteers and a few famous faces, including Radio 2’s Scott Mills, Emeli Sandé and Zoe Ball to build them a brand-new facility with everything they could possibly need… ★★★★★ SP
Outsiders, 10 pm, Dave
The wonderfully dry-witted David Mitchell is back to preside over a new group of ‘Outsiders’ to see who has the skills and ingenuity to survive in the wild and build a new post-apocalyptic society (in the woods of Hertfordshire!).
The six comics competing in pairs are Joe Wilkinson and Jessica Hynes, Darren Harriott and Maisie Adam and Phil Wang and Fatiha El-Ghorri, who all seem to bond nicely over tonight’s opening challenges, which include erecting a tent in extreme weather and rustling up a meal for David from an array of unlabelled tins... without the use of a tin opener. Expect fun, frustration and plenty of entertaining banter as they get stuck in! ★★★★ TL
Grand Designs: House of the Year, 9 pm, Channel 4
If there’s ever a show to ruffle your house-proud feathers this is it. Kevin McCloud is doing the rounds of potential nominees for the RIBA House of the Year Awards. This week he visits five homes considered to be especially hard to build, including a striking pink beach house built to withstand strong gales on the south coast and an extreme DIY eco-property in Stirlingshire. ★★★ MC
Two Doors Down, 10 pm, BBC Two
Alan (Graeme Stevely) never strikes us as the kind of bloke who could fend for himself — we wouldn’t be at all surprised if he ate frozen chips straight from the packet. So when an accident leaves him incapacitated, it’s down to Beth and Eric (Arabella Weir and Alex Norton) to look after him while his other half Michelle is out.
Needless to say, there’s plenty of traffic through Beth’s living room while Alan is laid up on their sofa, including Colin, who is delighted to find a captive audience to tell about his latest internet date… ★★★★ JP
House of Cards, 10 pm, BBC Four
Wednesday night on BBC4 is now established as nostalgia drama night and this week sees a rerun of the 1990s political series. It centres on Francis Urquhart, a fictional Chief Whip of the Conservative Party, deliciously played by Ian Richardson, and follows the Machiavellian politics of the day as he elbows his way to the top job. A US TV adaptation starred Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright. ★★★★ MC
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
The Wonder, Netflix
In-demand Brit actor Florence Pugh gives a captivating and subtle performance in an atmospheric, multi-layered psychological drama set in Ireland in 1862. She plays English Nightingale nurse Lib Wright, who is called over to Ireland by a devout tight-knit community. Her job is to watch over 11-year-old Anna O’Donnell (Kíla Lord Cassidy) for 15 days to establish whether the young girl’s claim that she has not eaten for four months and is existing solely on ‘manna from heaven’ is a miracle or a hoax. As the conflict between faith and fact intensifies, Lib questions whether the community cares about Anna’s welfare. ★★★★ JE
Live Sport
- Live Snooker: UK Championship, 1:00 pm, BBC Two
- Live International Football: Turkey v Scotland, 5 pm (k-o 6 pm), Sky Sports Main Event
Soaps
- Coronation Street, 8 pm, ITV1
- EastEnders, 7.30 pm, BBC One
- Emmerdale, 7.30 pm, ITV1
- Hollyoaks, 6.30 pm, Channel 4
- Home and Away, 6 pm, 5Star
If you watch just one thing on TV tonight…
Don't miss DIY SOS Children in Need Special. Bring tissues!
Not found anything you want to watch on TV tonight? Check out our TV Guide.
Happy viewing!
