On TV tonight, Adrian Dunbar's new travel series sees him returning to his hometown in Ireland, Dan Snow explores the history of dinosaurs, Two Doors Down continues and Wednesday arrives on Netflix (on a Wednesday!). 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
Adrian Dunbar: My Ireland, 8 pm, Channel 5
Although his acting career means he spends a lot of time in London, Adrian Dunbar will always be an Irishman at heart. And in this series he travels around his homeland, taking us on a tour of the places that hold special memories for him and sharing his passion for the stunning scenery, history and traditional food.
In the first episode, Adrian returns to his hometown of Fermanagh, taking to the water to visit the sixth-century monastic island of Devenish, where he would take girls on dates. He also gets to work on an oyster farm and helps cook a special Irish duck dish.
★★★★ NH
Into Dinosaur Valley with Dan Snow, 9 pm, Channel 5
Dan begins this one-off documentary at London’s Natural History Museum, looking at the cast of bones of ‘Dippy’ the Diplodocus that were found in Wyoming over 120 years ago. He then goes on a palaeontology odyssey of America’s ‘Wild West’ revealing why the region became a dinosaur gold rush after the first discoveries of remains of the prehistoric giants, including Triceratops, Stegosaurus and T-Rex, were unearthed. He hops over to Wyoming to see where Dippy was found and, to his amazement, discovers a Diplodocus bone himself. Could it be beginner’s luck?
★★★ MC
Two Doors Down, 10 pm, BBC Two
The suburban Scottish comedy outdoes itself in the cringe stakes tonight as Colin’s new love interest Anne-Marie (played by Siobhan Redmond) insists on cooking a lavish three-course meal as a way of getting to know Colin’s carousel of busybody neighbours.
Of course Anne-Marie turns out to be an insufferable oversharer, with a passion for cleaning and an unhealthy obsession with her 24-year-old son, Jackson. Only Beth (Arabella Weir) gives her the benefit of the doubt, and that’s despite Anne-Marie having a hissy fit over some peas and insisting on wiping spilled cream from Michelle’s décolletage!
★★★★ HD
The ‘creepy and kooky’ Addams Family are back for an eight-part spin-off series following the misadventures of terror-loving teenager Wednesday, played by You star Jenna Ortega. Directed by Tim Burton, the story follows Wednesday at Nevermore Academy, a school for supernaturally gifted outcasts in New England.
But when Wednesday discovers local townsfolk are being terrorised, she turns detective to unravel a 25-year-old murder-mystery that still haunts her parents, Morticia (a perfectly cast Catherine Zeta-Jones) and Gomez (Luis Guzmán). Look out for Game of Thrones’ Gwendoline Christie plus Christina Ricci, who starred in the ’90s movies, among Nevermore’s spook-tacular teachers.
★★★★ RMC
Best box set on TV tonight
1899 is the latest series by Dark creators Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese. Their newest offering is an enigmatic show that will have viewers question what is going on at every turn of its eight-episode first season, so it's perfect for those looking for a twisty new thriller to entertain them over the weekend.
All eight episodes are now available to stream on Netflix and feature a great cast including The Pursuit of Love's Emily Beecham and It’s for Your Own Good's Andreas Pietschmann.
★★★★ LB
Best film on TV tonight
The Wolf of Wall Street, 11.10 pm, ITV Four
Making almost $50million by the time he had hit his mid-twenties, real-life stockbroker Jordan Belfort plunged into hedonism like a professional pearl diver. What makes Martin Scorsese’s three-hour journey into his rise and fall so spectacular is that it’s almost entirely played for laughs, with Leonardo DiCaprio proving his funny bones as Belfort, along with Jonah Hill as his hilarious sidekick (both were Oscar-nominated).
★★★★ NP
Soaps
- EastEnders, 7.30 pm, BBC Two
- Emmerdale, 7 pm, ITV
- Coronation Street, 8 pm, ITV
- Hollyoaks, 6.30 pm, Channel 4
- Home and Away is on a Christmas break
Live Sport
- FIFA World Cup: Germany v Japan, 12:10 pm (Kick-off 1.00 pm), BBC One
- FIFA World Cup: Spain v Costa Rica, 3:10 pm (k-o 4.00 pm), BBC One
- FIFA World Cup: Belgium v Canada, 6:30 pm (k-o 7.00 pm), BBC One
If you watch just one thing on TV tonight…
Don't miss Line of Duty legend Adrian Dunbar as he travels to Ireland in his new Channel 5 travel series, Adrian Dunbar: My Ireland!
Not found anything you want to watch on TV tonight? Check out our TV Guide.
Happy viewing!
