Saturday night's tv guide has a genuine event at the top of the bill -- the launch of Saturday Night Live UK on Sky One at 10pm -- and a five-star Italian film hiding away on BBC Four that deserves far more attention than its scheduling slot suggests. The tv listings elsewhere are a proper Saturday night spread: Britain's Got Talent in Birmingham, Casualty in crisis mode, a new BBC Two music special for Red Nose Day, and Match of the Day rounding things off late. Check the tonight page for what's on right now, or browse this freeview tv guide and full schedule below.
What's On TV Tonight: Quick Picks
- Saturday Night Live UK ★ -- Sky One, 10pm -- Series premiere; live from London; Ania Magliano, Emma Sidi, Hammed Animashaun; nobody knows how this will go, which is most of the fun
- La Chimera -- BBC Four, 9:20pm -- Five stars; Josh O'Connor; Italian; gorgeous; don't miss it
- Casualty -- BBC One, 8:30pm -- Ep 10/12; prison riot fallout; Iain gets bad news
- Britain's Got Talent -- ITV1, 6:45pm -- NEW; Birmingham auditions; Stacey Solomon guest judge
- Bill Bailey's Vietnam -- Channel 4, 9pm -- Ep 4; Hanoi; tiny stools; laughing yoga
TV Guide: Early Evening (5:45pm – 8pm)
Gladiators -- BBC One, 5:45pm
The semi-final. For the men, it's sales manager Josh against aerospace apprentice Shaun, who has fashioned himself a nickname ("The Shaunado") and is trying to go one better than his dad, a semi-finalist in the original series back in 1995. There is something quite endearing about that. Sabre's unbeaten record comes to an end, which will upset a lot of people. Bradley Walsh gets startled by a balloon. Available on BBC iPlayer.
Michael McIntyre's The Wheel -- BBC One, 6:45pm
Episode 3 of 10 of the celebrity general knowledge game where contestants spin a wheel to find out which celebrity expert they're borrowing for each question. McIntyre is an excellent host for this kind of thing -- genuinely warm, won't let anyone off lightly, and very good at milking a wrong answer. Available on BBC iPlayer.
Britain's Got Talent -- ITV1, 6:45pm (NEW)
New auditions from Birmingham with Stacey Solomon joining the panel as guest judge. The BGT audition format is essentially unchanged at this point -- extraordinary acts, baffling acts, the occasional genuinely moving moment -- and none of that is a complaint. Stacey Solomon on the judging panel should add something; she's better television than most of the people who get asked to do this. Available on ITVX.
TV Tonight: Prime Time (8pm onwards)
Celebrity Sabotage -- ITV1, 8pm (NEW)
The new ITV reality format that has been described as harking back to Game for a Laugh -- which tells you something about who is commissioning television in 2026. Jo Brand is the Guest Saboteur this week, doing mischief to celebrity contestants GK Barry, Sam Thompson, Joel Dommett and Judi Love, while Dragons' Den's Sara Davies hosts. The concept sounds fine. Whether it actually works is another matter entirely. The RT verdict is diplomatically unkind. Worth half an eye. Available on ITVX.
The Weakest Link Gladiators Special -- BBC One, 7:45pm
Six Gladiators -- Bionic, Sabre, Giant, Diamond, Fire and Athena -- go through the classic quiz format. With referee Mark Clattenburg and commentator Guy Mowbray also on hand, the whole thing has a pleasantly surreal sporting-television crossover energy. Gladiators being unpleasant to each other as a game show format is probably better television than Gladiators being pleasant to each other. Available on BBC iPlayer.
Roman Empire by Train with Alice Roberts -- Channel 4, 8pm (SERIES FINALE)
The final leg of Alice Roberts's 1,300-mile railway journey through the Roman world. This last episode takes her through Spain -- specifically the story of how Rome conquered the Iberian peninsula -- from Tarragona down to Cartagena. It's been a quietly good series: Roberts is a proper historian rather than a celebrity who read a Wikipedia article, and the combination of train travel with ancient history is a format that suits the subject well. Available on Channel 4 streaming.
Casualty -- BBC One, 8:30pm
Episode 10 of 12, and things are coming to a head. Siobhan heads inside a prison to confront her racist -- and you can probably guess what happens next, because Casualty characters are constitutionally unable to do anything without finding themselves in the middle of an incident. A riot breaks out. An inmate escapes. There is a road accident. Cam and Indie are also dealing with consequences, Kim's secret edges closer to exposure, and Iain gets the news he was dreading about his hopes of becoming a father. A lot happening this week. Available on BBC iPlayer.
Bill Bailey's Vietnam -- Channel 4, 9pm
Episode 4, and Bill Bailey has reached Hanoi. The running joke about Vietnam's aggressively uncomfortable tiny stools continues. He finds some relief in a session of laughing yoga -- "giggling my way to enlightenment," as he puts it. The series has found a good balance between the comedy and the history; this episode includes a meeting with an American veteran who went back to help clean up the environmental mess left behind by the war, and a former Vietnamese counter-intelligence officer who collects war relics. Good, unusual television. Available on Channel 4 streaming.
The Forgotten Prince: The Mystery of the Duke of Kent -- Channel 5, 9pm (NEW)
Prince George, Duke of Kent -- younger brother of King George VI and uncle to the future Queen Elizabeth II -- died in an RAF plane crash in 1942 along with 13 other people. Seventy-odd years later, the conspiracy theories haven't gone away. Newly discovered documents claim to shed fresh light on what happened. Was there an unidentified passenger on board? Was the plane on a secret mission? The Duke had a colourful personal life and, if rumours are to be believed, some complicated wartime connections. Whether this documentary answers the questions or just stokes more of them is the point of watching. Available on My5.
TV Guide UK: Late Night
The Walsh Sisters -- BBC One, 9:15pm
Episode 5 of 6, and Rachel is facing some uncomfortable truths. The series has been doing strong work throughout -- it has that quality of the best BBC dramas where it earns its difficult moments rather than just manufacturing them. One episode left after tonight. Contains strong language. Available on BBC iPlayer.
La Chimera -- BBC Four, 9:20pm
The late-night discovery of the week, and genuinely one of the best things on television this weekend. Josh O'Connor plays Arthur, a British man drifting through 1980s Tuscany with an uncanny ability to locate buried Etruscan tombs. He sells what he finds and spends the rest of his time being consumed by grief for his dead lover. Director Alice Rohrwacher rewrote the film around O'Connor's strengths after he reached out to her -- having watched Happy as Lazzaro, he sent letters to various random addresses trying to find her; one eventually reached her parents' house, though she never actually received it. She contacted him independently, and then reshaped the role around what she saw in him. You can feel that collaboration in every scene. O'Connor does much of it in Italian and is entirely convincing. Five stars. Available on BBC iPlayer.
Saturday Night Live UK -- Sky One, 10pm (SERIES 1 PREMIERE) ★
The big question of the evening. SNL has been running in America for fifty years; the UK has never tried it. Some US formats transplant well to British television and some land completely flat -- the recent UK version of Jeopardy! being the obvious cautionary tale. But sketch comedy is something Britain is actually good at, and Sky has assembled a cast that includes some of the better young comics working right now: Ania Magliano and Emma Sidi (both recently on Taskmaster), and Hammed Animashaun from Black Ops. Nobody had heard of Will Ferrell or Eddie Murphy before they joined the American version. It'll come down entirely to whether they make you laugh. Nobody knows yet. That's the interesting part. Live from London.
Comic Relief's Hits and Hidden Gems at the BBC -- BBC Two, 8:45pm
Scott Mills takes a look back through the Red Nose Day archives at musical moments -- some brilliant, some bewildering. The Alan Partridge Kate Bush medley is reportedly a highlight. Top of the Pops 1987 and 1988 follow at 9:45pm and 10:45pm respectively, featuring Rick Astley, New Order, Enya, Neneh Cherry and S'Express. Available on BBC iPlayer.
Sport
Carabao Cup Final: Arsenal v Manchester City -- ITV1, Sunday 22 March, kick-off 4:30pm (coverage from 3:30pm). Note: this is Sunday's match, not tonight. The full match will be on ITVX.
Premier League: Leeds Utd v Brentford -- Sky Sports Main Event, coverage 7:55pm (k/o 8pm). Saturday night football on Sky. Leeds back in the top flight with something to prove; Brentford as stubborn as ever.
Match of the Day -- BBC One, 10:30pm (approx). Highlights from five Premier League matches. Available on BBC iPlayer.
Athletics: World Indoor Championships -- BBC Two, from 9am and 5:15pm. Day two from Torun, Poland.
Tennis: Miami Open -- Sky Sports Main Event / Tennis, 3pm and 10:45pm. Day five in Florida.
UFC Fight Night: Lerone Murphy v Movsar Evloev -- TNT Sports 1, from 8pm. Live from the O2 in London.
Cycling: Milan-San Remo -- TNT Sports 4, 8:30am, 11:30am and 1:45pm. The men's and women's one-day classics.
See our full sport on TV guide for kick-off times and channels.
Tonight's TV Listings: Full Schedule
Here are the complete TV listings for Saturday 21st March 2026 across all major Freeview, Sky and streaming channels.
| Time | Channel | Programme |
|---|---|---|
| 5:45pm | BBC One | Gladiators (semi-final) |
| 5:15pm | BBC Two | Athletics: World Indoor Championships (Torun, Poland -- live) |
| 6:45pm | BBC One | Michael McIntyre's The Wheel (S1 Ep 3/10) |
| 6:45pm | ITV1 | Britain's Got Talent (NEW -- Birmingham auditions; Stacey Solomon) |
| 7:45pm | BBC One | The Weakest Link Gladiators Special (Ep 6/14 -- Bionic, Sabre, Giant, Diamond, Fire, Athena) |
| 7:55pm | Sky Sports Main Event | Premier League SNF: Leeds Utd v Brentford (k/o 8pm) |
| 8:00pm | ITV1 | Celebrity Sabotage (NEW -- Jo Brand Guest Saboteur; Sara Davies hosts) |
| 8:00pm | Channel 4 | Roman Empire by Train with Alice Roberts (Ep 6/6 -- SERIES FINALE) |
| 8:30pm | BBC One | Casualty (Ep 10/12) |
| 8:45pm | BBC Two | Comic Relief's Hits and Hidden Gems at the BBC (Scott Mills) |
| 9:00pm | ITV1 | The 1% Club (Lee Mack hosts) |
| 9:00pm | Channel 4 | Bill Bailey's Vietnam (Ep 4 -- Hanoi) |
| 9:00pm | Channel 5 | The Forgotten Prince: The Mystery of the Duke of Kent (NEW) |
| 9:00pm | Film4 | Captain Phillips (2013 -- Tom Hanks, Paul Greengrass) |
| 9:15pm | BBC One | The Walsh Sisters (Ep 5/6) |
| 9:20pm | BBC Four | La Chimera (2023, 5 stars -- Josh O'Connor) |
| 9:45pm | BBC Two | Top of the Pops 1987 (Rick Astley, New Order, Wet Wet Wet) |
| 10:00pm | ITV1 | The Jonathan Ross Show (S23 Ep5 -- Ruth Jones, Rachel Zegler, Ben Platt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Kathryn Newton, Alison Hammond) |
| 10:00pm | Channel 4 | Mission Impossible Rogue Nation (2015 -- Tom Cruise) |
| 10:00pm | Sky One | Saturday Night Live UK (S1 Ep1 -- SERIES PREMIERE, live from London) |
| 10:10pm | BBC One | BBC News |
| 10:30pm | BBC One | Match of the Day (five Premier League highlights) |
| 10:45pm | BBC Two | Top of the Pops 1988 (S'Express, Enya, Neneh Cherry, Eurythmics) |
Freeview TV Guide: What's On Streaming
Can't watch live? This freeview tv guide covers streaming options too. Use our now and next guide to see what's on right now, or browse the full channels list for every available station.
BBC iPlayer: Gladiators, Michael McIntyre's The Wheel, The Weakest Link Gladiators Special, Casualty, The Walsh Sisters, Comic Relief's Hits and Hidden Gems at the BBC, La Chimera (BBC Four), Match of the Day
ITVX: Britain's Got Talent, Celebrity Sabotage, The 1% Club, The Jonathan Ross Show
Channel 4 streaming: Roman Empire by Train with Alice Roberts (finale), Bill Bailey's Vietnam, Mission Impossible Rogue Nation (Channel 4), Captain Phillips (Film4)
My5: The Forgotten Prince: The Mystery of the Duke of Kent
Frequently Asked Questions
Is EastEnders on TV tonight, Saturday 21st March 2026?
No, EastEnders is not on tonight. EastEnders does not broadcast on Saturdays. You can catch up on recent episodes on BBC iPlayer.
What time is Saturday Night Live UK on Sky One tonight?
Saturday Night Live UK begins at 10pm on Sky One. It's the very first episode of the UK version of the American sketch institution -- broadcast live from London with a cast that includes Ania Magliano, Emma Sidi and Hammed Animashaun.
What time is Britain's Got Talent on ITV1 tonight?
Britain's Got Talent is on ITV1 from 6:45pm with new auditions from Birmingham and Stacey Solomon as guest judge. Available on ITVX.
What time is La Chimera on BBC Four tonight?
La Chimera starts at 9:20pm on BBC Four. It's Alice Rohrwacher's five-star 2023 Italian film with Josh O'Connor as a British grave-robber in 1980s Tuscany. Available on BBC iPlayer.
What time is Casualty on BBC One tonight?
Casualty is on BBC One at 8:30pm -- episode 10 of 12. Available on BBC iPlayer.
What's the best thing to watch on TV tonight?
Saturday Night Live UK on Sky One at 10pm is the television event of the night -- the first ever UK version, live from London, and genuinely impossible to predict. For something you can be more confident about, La Chimera on BBC Four at 9:20pm is a five-star film with a Josh O'Connor performance that stays with you. If you want the full Saturday night experience, Britain's Got Talent kicks everything off on ITV1 from 6:45pm.
TV Guide UK: Final Verdict
Saturday Night Live UK is the headline act tonight and the honest answer is that nobody knows whether it will be brilliant or a disaster, and that uncertainty is exactly what makes live television worth watching in 2026. Sky has made the right casting decisions. The rest is down to the room on the night.
The other unmissable of the evening is La Chimera on BBC Four at 9:20pm -- Josh O'Connor, five stars, Alice Rohrwacher's direction, and one of those films that makes you grateful television still occasionally programmes something genuinely special on a Saturday night.
Browse the full channels list or check what's on now to follow the evening as it unfolds.