So what's on tv tonight this Easter Sunday? The tv guide brings an uncommonly good lineup for a bank holiday. The tv listings run from a new David Attenborough nature series on BBC One at 6pm through to a Hunger Games prequel past midnight, with Grace on ITV1, The Capture, and a Sarah Millican stand-up special filling the hours in between. Check the tonight page for what's on right now, browse the full tv listings below, or use the Freeview TV guide for your complete channel rundown.
What's On TV Tonight: Quick Picks
- Secret Garden ★ -- BBC One, 6pm -- NEW SERIES; David Attenborough narrates hidden garden wildlife; filmed on the River Thame; tribute for his 99th birthday
- Grace -- ITV1, 8pm -- NEW episode; stalking at a university; John Simm in form; two full hours
- The Capture -- BBC One, 9pm -- deep fake backstory; Noah Pierson's real identity; tense and clever
- The Hunger Games: Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes -- BBC One, 10:30pm -- Tom Blyth as young Snow; 4.5 stars; stay up for it
- Pilgrimage: The Road to Holy Island -- BBC Two, 9pm -- 200 miles, 12 rainy days, a Christian, an atheist and a Jew walk into a documentary
TV Guide: Early Evening (6pm – 7:30pm)
Secret Garden – BBC One, 6pm ★
This is the one tonight. David Attenborough at 99 -- ninety-nine -- narrating a new series about the extraordinary wildlife that takes up residence in ordinary British gardens. Filmed partly at a mill-house by the River Thame in Oxfordshire, the camera crews have captured things you genuinely wouldn't believe possible without seeing them: a kingfisher transferring a catch to its mate, an otter hunting ducks in a millstream, vole pups so small they sit comfortably inside a thimble. Attenborough's narration still has that quality of making you feel you're being told a secret by someone who's earned every syllable of authority. A new series, and exactly the kind of thing Easter Sunday was made for. On BBC iPlayer.
Inside Classical: Stravinsky's Firebird – BBC Four, 7:30pm
Georgia Mann presents the BBC Symphony Orchestra at the Barbican Hall performing Stravinsky's Firebird. If you're the kind of person who'd rather spend the early evening with a concert than a soap, this is your evening sorted. On iPlayer.
Antiques Roadshow – BBC One, 7pm
Reliable as ever. Experts, heirlooms, the moment someone discovers their attic find is either worth a fortune or absolutely nothing. Easter Sunday Roadshow has a slight festive-bank-holiday atmosphere to it that somehow makes the whole thing even more pleasant. On iPlayer.
TV Tonight: Prime Time (8pm onwards)
The Other Bennet Sister – BBC One, 8pm & 8:30pm
Two episodes before the 9pm news. Mary Bennet takes on board some advice from Mr Collins -- of all people -- and decides to attempt a trip to the Lake District, which is the kind of decision that either goes brilliantly or results in a week of narrative complications. The series has been doing something genuinely interesting with a character Austen largely used as a punchline: Mary is no longer just the bookish oddity, and the show is better for it. On iPlayer.
Grace – ITV1, 8pm
A new two-hour episode of Peter James's Brighton detective series, with John Simm back as DS Roy Grace. Tonight's case centres on a university campus where women have been targeted by someone operating with deliberate, methodical intent -- the kind of case that doesn't have the obvious bluster of a violent crime but is arguably more frightening for it. Grace doesn't shout, which suits it. Two hours goes by quicker than you'd expect. On ITVX.
The Capture – BBC One, 9pm
The series steps back in time tonight, revisiting the late Home Secretary's deep fake television interview -- the one that kicked the whole mess off -- and what it tells us about who was actually pulling the strings. Noah Pierson's real identity, his earlier career, and the question of a heart implant all get their moment, Everyone in it is compromised. Nobody seems particularly surprised by this. Classic British spy drama, basically. On iPlayer.
Pilgrimage: The Road to Holy Island – BBC Two, 9pm
Two hundred miles from Whitby to Lindisfarne. Twelve days of reliably terrible April weather. A lineup that includes a Christian, an atheist, an orthodox Jew, and an observant Muslim, all walking together and having the kinds of conversations about faith that don't usually happen on television without someone performing for the camera. What makes Pilgrimage work is that the discomfort -- physical and philosophical -- is genuine, and the huffing and puffing is not hidden. On iPlayer.
Sarah Millican: Late Bloomer – Channel 4, 9pm
New stand-up special from Sarah Millican on Channel 4. If you've seen her live you'll know what you're getting: warmth, precise observation, and material that sounds easy but really isn't. A good post-Grace option if you want to end the evening laughing rather than anxious about deep state conspiracies. On Channel 4 streaming.
Harry Wild – U&Drama, 8pm
Series 4 gets underway with Jane Seymour and Rohan Nedd back as Harry and Fergus, taking on a serial killer case with a particularly disturbing pattern. The show has a light touch that stops it from becoming grim -- Seymour is very watchable -- and this opener sounds like it's pulling the series into darker territory. Worth picking up if you haven't found it yet.
TV Guide UK: Late Night
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes – BBC One, 10:30pm
The 2023 prequel, and the best film on tonight by some margin. Tom Blyth plays a young Coriolanus Snow -- the character Donald Sutherland played with chilling elegance in the original trilogy -- and manages the difficult job of making you understand, without forgiving, how someone becomes that kind of person. The 10th Hunger Games are grimmer and more improvised than the polished spectacle of later years, which is the point. Runs to about 1am. Rated 12. Radio Times gave it four and a half stars, which feels about right. On iPlayer.
The Imitation Game – BBC Two, 10pm
Benedict Cumberbatch as Alan Turing in the 2014 Oscar-winning drama. If you've never seen it, tonight is as good an occasion as any. If you have, it holds up. On iPlayer.
Top Gun: Maverick – E4, 9pm
Tom Cruise returning to the cockpit 36 years after the original, and doing it with more conviction than anyone had any right to expect. Maverick is a film about very fast planes and the people who fly them, and it's better than it has any right to be. On E4 at 9pm.
Sport
Snooker: Tour Championship Final -- Channel 5, from 12:30pm. The final of the Tour Championship, with the afternoon session running through until around 6pm and evening play resuming afterwards. Proper tournament snooker -- not the Crucible, but the calibre of players is excellent. Stream via My5.
FA Cup Quarter-Final: West Ham v Leeds -- TNT Sports 1, 3:30pm. The last of the quarter-finals. West Ham on home turf against a Leeds side that will need a result. If either team is serious about making the semis, today is where it shows.
Boxing: Caroline Dubois v Terri Harper -- Sky Sports Action, 7pm. WBC and WBO World Lightweight titles on the line in a genuine all-British world title fight. Dubois has been building to this and Harper has been here before. Worth watching.
See the full sport on TV guide for times and channels.
Tonight's TV Listings: Full Schedule
Here are the complete TV listings for Easter Sunday 5th April 2026 across all major Freeview, Sky and streaming channels.
| Time | Channel | Programme |
|---|---|---|
| 6:00pm | BBC One | Secret Garden (NEW SERIES -- David Attenborough, garden wildlife) |
| 7:00pm | BBC One | Antiques Roadshow |
| 7:00pm | BBC Two | Big Cats 24/7 (Ep 6/6 -- SERIES FINALE) |
| 7:30pm | BBC Four | Inside Classical: Stravinsky's Firebird (BBC Symphony Orchestra, Barbican) |
| 7:00pm | ITV1 | Emmerdale |
| 7:40pm | Channel 4 | The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up to Cancer (NEW -- Sam Thompson, Vicky Pattison) |
| 8:00pm | BBC One | The Other Bennet Sister (Ep 1 -- Mr Collins's advice; Lake District plan) |
| 8:00pm | ITV1 | Grace (NEW -- university stalking; John Simm) |
| 8:00pm | U&Drama | Harry Wild (NEW S4 -- serial killer; Jane Seymour) |
| 8:30pm | BBC One | The Other Bennet Sister (Ep 2 -- double bill continues) |
| 9:00pm | BBC One | The Capture (deep fake backstory; Noah Pierson's identity) |
| 9:00pm | BBC Two | Pilgrimage: The Road to Holy Island (200 miles; Whitby to Lindisfarne) |
| 9:00pm | Channel 4 | Sarah Millican: Late Bloomer (NEW stand-up special) |
| 9:00pm | E4 | Top Gun: Maverick (2022 -- Tom Cruise, 12A) |
| 9:00pm | Film4 | Cocaine Bear (2023) |
| 8:00pm | BBC Two | Burma with Simon Reeve |
| 10:00pm | BBC Two | The Imitation Game (2014 -- Benedict Cumberbatch as Turing, 12A) |
| 10:00pm | Channel 4 | The Hunt: Prey vs Predator (Ep 6 -- predator through forest) |
| 9:00pm | BBC Four | Harry Secombe: Welsh Greats (documentary, 25 years since death) |
| 10:30pm | BBC One | The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2023 -- Tom Blyth, 12) |
Freeview TV Guide: What's On Streaming
Can't watch live? Browse the channels list or check now and next for what's on right now.
BBC iPlayer: Secret Garden, The Other Bennet Sister, The Capture, Antiques Roadshow, Big Cats 24/7, Pilgrimage, Harry Secombe Welsh Greats, Inside Classical, Burma with Simon Reeve, The Imitation Game, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
ITVX: Grace (full episode), Emmerdale, Coronation Street
Channel 4 streaming: The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up to Cancer, Sarah Millican: Late Bloomer, The Hunt: Prey vs Predator
My5: Snooker Tour Championship Final (Channel 5)
Frequently Asked Questions
Is EastEnders on TV tonight, Easter Sunday 5th April 2026?
No -- EastEnders does not air on Sundays. It runs Monday to Friday on BBC One. Catch up on any episodes you've missed via BBC iPlayer.
What time is Secret Garden on BBC One tonight?
6pm on BBC One. David Attenborough narrates the new series exploring the wildlife that lives in British gardens -- filmed partly on the River Thame in Oxfordshire. It marks his 99th birthday. On BBC iPlayer.
What time is Grace on ITV1 tonight?
8pm on ITV1, running for approximately two hours. John Simm as DS Roy Grace investigates a stalking campaign against women at a university. On ITVX.
What time is The Capture on BBC One tonight?
9pm on BBC One. The episode revisits the late Home Secretary's deep fake TV interview and begins to unpack Noah Pierson's real backstory. On BBC iPlayer.
What time is The Hunger Games: Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes on?
10:30pm on BBC One. Tom Blyth as a young Coriolanus Snow. The 2023 prequel runs for just under two and a half hours. Rated 12. Available on BBC iPlayer.
What's the best thing to watch on TV tonight?
Start with Secret Garden at 6pm on BBC One -- it's beautiful and Attenborough is in full voice. For the evening proper, Grace on ITV1 at 8pm is the main event, and The Capture on BBC One at 9pm is essential if you've been following the series. If you can stay up, The Hunger Games: Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes at 10:30pm on BBC One is well worth it.
TV Guide UK: Final Verdict
Easter Sunday delivers. The tv guide tonight has Secret Garden at 6pm -- Attenborough narrating garden otters, which is all you really need to know. Grace at 8pm on ITV1 has a stalking case that'll keep you watching, The Capture at 9pm is doing things no other British drama is doing right now, and The Hunger Games prequel closing out the night gives insomniacs something worthwhile to stay up for.
Catch the full sport lineup if you're a snooker fan -- the Tour Championship Final on Channel 5 is the real deal. And if the weather is anything like a typical April Easter, you'll probably be grateful to have Top Gun: Maverick on E4 at 9pm as a backup.
Browse the channels list or check what's on now as the evening unfolds.