What's on TV tonight Thursday 21 May 2026? Five teams. Twelve thousand kilometres. Forty-two days with no phones, no credit cards, and a series of increasingly improbable countries between them and the finish line in northern Mongolia. Race Across the World Series 6 has been building to this moment across nine episodes and a schedule rearrangement courtesy of Eurovision -- and tonight, on BBC One at 8pm, we find out who gets to Hatgal first.

The BBC has done well by Thursday nights this spring, and 21 May is the payoff. The Race Across the World finale is followed immediately at 9pm by The Reunion -- not a making-of, not a production diary, but the five teams themselves, filmed six months after the race concluded, in the same room for the first time since the cameras stopped. Meanwhile, BBC Four is marking Marilyn Monroe's upcoming centenary with a four-programme evening of documentary and classic film -- the centenary itself is 1 June 2026, making tonight a fitting run-up. Bergerac wraps its six-episode Series 2 on U&Drama. Michele Dotrice causes trouble on Channel 5. Taskmaster has Kumail Nanjiani doing something that almost certainly cost him a Hollywood meeting to be there. A lot to cover. Let's go.

Browse what's on right now for live updates, check tonight's highlights, or head to the full channels list including dedicated pages for BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Four, ITV1, Channel 4, Channel 5, Sky Arts, Sky Atlantic, U&Drama, TNT Sports 1, and Sky Sports Cricket. Yesterday's TV guide covered the Europa League Final and Under Suspicion: Kate McCann: see our Wednesday 20 May 2026 TV guide.

What's on TV tonight: quick picks

  • "Race Across the World: The Final" -- BBC One, 8pm -- Series 6, Episode 8; 12,000km Sicily to Hatgal Mongolia; FIVE teams; Jo + Kush, Katie + Harrison, Molly + Andrew, Puja + Roshni, Mark + Margo; £10,000 prize; COVER PICK
  • "Race Across the World: The Reunion" -- BBC One, 9pm -- Series 6, Episode 9; NOT a making-of; filmed six months post-race; all five teams; unseen footage; candid reflections
  • Marilyn Monroe Night on BBC Four -- BBC Four, from 8pm -- centenary run-up (Monroe born 1 June 1926); 8pm "Eve and Marilyn" doc (Eve Arnold); 8.30pm Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953); 10pm Jane Russell programme; 10.45pm How to Marry a Millionaire (1953)
  • Bergerac -- U&Drama, 9pm -- Series 2, Episode 6 "No More Secrets" SERIES FINALE; Damien Molony; Zoë Wanamaker; Philip Glenister; Adrian Edmondson; every secret exposed
  • The Hardacres -- Channel 5, 9pm -- Series 2, Episode 2; Michele Dotrice as Lady Imelda Hansen (antagonist); Julie Graham as Ma Hardacre; bridge humiliation plot; 1895 Yorkshire
  • Taskmaster -- Channel 4, 9pm -- Series 21, Episode 7; Amy Gledhill, Armando Iannucci, Joanna Page, Joel Dommett, Kumail Nanjiani; Greg Davies; All 4
  • "The Elon Musk Show: the Next Chapter" -- BBC Two, 9pm -- ONE-OFF 60-minute documentary; 72 Films (Fremantle); Musk post-Twitter; Techno Mechanicus; Mars; trillionaire
  • The Miniature Wife -- Sky Atlantic, 10pm -- Elizabeth Banks as Lindy; Matthew Macfadyen as Les; insults escalating to mutually assured destruction; all 10 eps on NOW from 9 April
  • Prisoner -- Sky Atlantic, 9pm -- Episode 4 of 6; Izuka Hoyle as Amber; Tahar Rahim as Tibor; family reunions; all 6 eps already on NOW from 30 April
  • The Hotel Inspector -- Channel 5, 8pm -- SERIES FINALE; Alex Polizzi at Breaks Fold Farm, Yorkshire Dales; four-generation family farm; shepherd's huts
  • "Classic Movies: The Story of Three Days of the Condor" -- Sky Arts, 8pm -- Ian Nathan hosts; 1975 film follows at 9pm; One Battle After Another Oscar connection; free-to-air on Freeview
  • RHS Chelsea Flower Show -- BBC Two, 8pm -- FIRST PUBLIC DAY (members-only Tue/Wed); Monty Don + Arit Anderson presenting
  • Coronation Street -- ITV1, 8.30pm -- Summer (Harriet Bibby) overhears George's tip-off to police and prepares to flee to America; Todd finds her with luggage
  • "Rising Bills: How Can You Save Money? -- Tonight" -- ITV1, 7.30pm -- Paul Brand presents; Tonight strand; cost of living in a volatile international climate

See what's on right now for live updates.

Tonight's TV schedule: full listings

Time Channel Programme
10.30am TNT Sports 1 "Cycling: Giro d'Italia" Stage 12 -- Imperia to Novi Ligure, 175km; sprinter's stage
~2.50pm Sky Sports Cricket "Cricket: IPL" Match 67: Gujarat Titans v Chennai Super Kings -- Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad; first ball 3pm BST
7pm DMAX Giro d'Italia highlights -- Stage 12; Warner Bros. Discovery free-to-air; 7-8pm
7.30pm ITV1 "Rising Bills: How Can You Save Money? -- Tonight" -- Paul Brand presents; Tonight strand; cost of living
8pm BBC One "Race Across the World: The Final" S6 Ep 8 -- 12,000km Sicily to Hatgal Mongolia; FIVE teams; £10,000 prize; RT LEAD PICK
8pm BBC Two RHS Chelsea Flower Show -- FIRST PUBLIC DAY; Monty Don + Arit Anderson
8pm BBC Four "Eve and Marilyn" (1987 doc; photographer Eve Arnold) -- MARILYN MONROE NIGHT begins
8pm Channel 5 The Hotel Inspector SERIES FINALE -- Alex Polizzi; Breaks Fold Farm, Yorkshire Dales
8pm Sky Arts "Classic Movies: The Story of Three Days of the Condor" -- Ian Nathan; free-to-air Freeview
8.30pm ITV1 Coronation Street -- Summer (Harriet Bibby) panics; Todd finds her with luggage; America escape plot
8.30pm BBC Four Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953; Howard Hawks; Monroe + Jane Russell) -- MARILYN MONROE NIGHT
9pm BBC One "Race Across the World: The Reunion" S6 Ep 9 -- NOT a making-of; six months post-race; all five teams; unseen footage
9pm Channel 4 Taskmaster S21 E7 -- Amy Gledhill, Armando Iannucci, Joanna Page, Joel Dommett, Kumail Nanjiani; Greg Davies; All 4
9pm U&Drama Bergerac S2 E6 "No More Secrets" SERIES FINALE -- Damien Molony; Zoë Wanamaker; Philip Glenister
9pm Channel 5 The Hardacres S2 E2 -- Michele Dotrice as Lady Imelda Hansen; Julie Graham as Ma Hardacre; bridge episode
9pm BBC Two "The Elon Musk Show: the Next Chapter" ONE-OFF 60 MINS -- 72 Films; Musk post-Twitter; Mars; Techno Mechanicus
9pm Sky Atlantic Prisoner Episode 4 of 6 -- Izuka Hoyle; Tahar Rahim; all 6 eps already on NOW from 30 April
9pm Sky Arts Three Days of the Condor (1975 film; Sydney Pollack; Robert Redford) -- follows 8pm documentary
10pm Sky Atlantic The Miniature Wife -- Elizabeth Banks; Matthew Macfadyen; insults escalating; all 10 eps on NOW
10pm BBC Four Programme on Jane Russell -- MARILYN MONROE NIGHT continues
10.45pm BBC Four How to Marry a Millionaire (1953; Jean Negulesco; Monroe, Betty Grable, Lauren Bacall) -- MARILYN MONROE NIGHT
Now streaming BBC iPlayer Race Across the World Series 6 -- full series available
Now streaming Sky/NOW The Miniature Wife -- all 10 episodes from 9 April 2026
Now streaming Sky/NOW Prisoner -- all 6 episodes from 30 April 2026

"Race Across the World: The Final" -- BBC One, 8pm (Series 6, Episode 8)

Race Across the World Series 6 finale on BBC One at 8pm Thursday 21 May 2026. The 12,000km race from Palermo, Sicily, to Hatgal by Lake Hovsgol in northern Mongolia. Five teams. No phones, no credit cards, a strict budget per leg. The winning team takes £10,000 cash. Reviewer Jane Rackham.

The finale is here a week early, and the reason is Eurovision. Episode 7 of Series 6 was moved from its scheduled Thursday 15 May slot to Wednesday 13 May to avoid a scheduling conflict, which cascaded everything forward seven days -- bringing the double-bill finale to Thursday 21 May rather than 28 May. If you have been wondering why the schedule felt slightly compressed in the final weeks, that is why.

What has not felt compressed is the race itself. Series 6 traced a route that is, by any measure, one of the most ambitious itineraries the show has ever constructed: from Palermo in Sicily, the teams moved through Greece, Turkey, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan before arriving in Mongolia -- a route that largely follows the ancient Silk Road. The distance is 12,000km. That figure matters because early listings had it as 11,000km, which undersells what these teams actually did.

Five teams, not four

Some early Radio Times listings named only four competing pairs. There are five. The full lineup:

  • Jo Diop and Kush Burman -- childhood best friends
  • Katie Devine and Harrison Devine -- siblings
  • Molly Clifford and Andrew Clifford -- daughter and father
  • Puja Khajuria and Roshni Ghelani -- cousins
  • Mark Blythen and Margo Oakley -- in-laws

All five arrive at the finale. The omission of Puja and Roshni from some early summaries has done them a mild injustice; they are in this race as much as anyone, and the cousins' dynamic has been one of the series' more interesting relationships to watch develop under the very specific pressure of sustained travel with no modern financial infrastructure.

The finish line

Hatgal. Population around 3,000. Situated on the southern shore of Lake Hovsgol in northern Mongolia -- one of the country's most remote and spectacular landscapes. The teams have crossed deserts, mountain passes, and the fringes of the Kazakh steppe to get here. The last team member to arrive at the finish line will have covered roughly 12,000km overland in six weeks of filming, and will have done it without a smartphone or a contactless card. The winner takes £10,000.

Race Across the World has grown in audience each year it has aired. The format is, on paper, simple: pairs of people travel a long distance without modern conveniences, and the one who arrives first wins. What it turns out to be, in practice, is one of the best observational formats on British television -- a programme about how people treat each other when they are exhausted, disoriented, and dependent on strangers. The finale of Series 6 is the television that does not need a twist. The journey is the story. The finish line is just where it ends.

On BBC One at 8pm. Full series on BBC iPlayer.

"Race Across the World: The Reunion" -- BBC One, 9pm (Series 6, Episode 9)

Race Across the World: The Reunion on BBC One at 9pm Thursday 21 May 2026. NOT a making-of documentary. Filmed six months after the race concluded. All five teams together for the first time since the finish line. Unseen footage. Candid reflection.

Let us be specific about this programme, because descriptions have been imprecise. The 9pm show is not a "Race Across the World: The Making Of." There is no behind-the-scenes production diary for Series 6. What airs at 9pm is The Reunion -- and the distinction is meaningful.

The Reunion was filmed approximately six months after the race finished (the race itself took place September-October 2025). All five teams were brought together in the same room -- for, in several cases, the first time since they crossed or watched someone else cross the finish line at Hatgal. The programme gives them the space to reflect on what the journey actually was, once the adrenaline had dissipated and the distances had become something they could talk about rather than simply endure.

This means: things they did not say on camera during the race itself. Things they said that did not make the edit of the nine episodes. Unseen footage from moments across the 12,000km that were captured but not broadcast. And the honest reassessment that comes from six months of processing an experience that most of us will only ever watch on television.

It is, by any reasonable description, the better companion to a finale than a making-of special would be. The making-of is for the production; The Reunion is for the people who were in it. Thursday night BBC One gets both.

On BBC One at 9pm. On BBC iPlayer.

Marilyn Monroe Night on BBC Four -- from 8pm

BBC Four marks Marilyn Monroe's upcoming centenary (she was born 1 June 1926; her centenary is 1 June 2026 -- 11 days from tonight) with a four-programme evening from 8pm Thursday 21 May 2026. "Eve and Marilyn" (1987 documentary) at 8pm; Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) at 8.30pm; a programme on Jane Russell at 10pm; How to Marry a Millionaire (1953) at 10.45pm.

BBC Four at its best is a channel that knows what it is for: the curated evening around a single subject that streaming algorithms cannot produce and schedulers who actually care can. The Marilyn Monroe Night on Thursday is that BBC Four. A themed evening built around an anniversary, sequenced logically, blending documentary and film.

One clarification on timing: tonight is not Monroe's centenary. She was born Norma Jeane Mortenson on 1 June 1926 in Los Angeles. Her 100th birthday is 1 June 2026, which is 11 days from tonight. BBC Four is running this evening as part of the centenary run-up, not as the main event. The BFI's own centenary season begins on 1 June. If you need to know where the actual birthday programming will land, it will not be tonight. Tonight is the warm-up, and it is a very good warm-up.

"Eve and Marilyn" -- BBC Four, 8pm

The evening opens with "Eve and Marilyn" (1987), a documentary built around the work of photographer Eve Arnold. Arnold's relationship with Monroe was one of the most significant photographic partnerships of the twentieth century. Arnold photographed Monroe over a period of years -- on set, in private moments, in ways that went well beyond the standard promotional arrangement between actress and photographer. The images Arnold produced are among the defining representations of Monroe that exist, and the 1987 documentary gives that relationship its context.

This is BBC archive material -- not a new commission, not a streaming-first production, but a genuine piece of television history that belongs on BBC Four precisely because that is where archive material of this quality should live.

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) -- BBC Four, 8.30pm

Howard Hawks directed. Jane Russell and Marilyn Monroe starred. The film is 73 years old and has not aged in the way that some films of its era have aged -- the comic performances at its centre remain precisely calibrated, and the "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" sequence is still one of the most technically accomplished musical numbers in American cinema.

Monroe plays Lorelei Lee, the gold-digging blonde of the title. Russell plays Dorothy Shaw, her more romantically independent friend. The dynamic between the two performers -- the warmth, the timing, the mutual support in a film that could easily have framed them as rivals -- is what makes the 73-year runtime feel like no time at all.

10pm and 10.45pm

The evening continues at 10pm with a programme focusing on Jane Russell -- completing the pair from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and giving Russell her own space in a night that is, technically, a Marilyn Monroe tribute but contains enough awareness of the people around Monroe to be something richer. How to Marry a Millionaire (1953) follows at 10.45pm: Monroe alongside Betty Grable and Lauren Bacall in Jean Negulesco's romantic comedy, another film from the same extraordinarily productive year in Monroe's career.

On BBC Four from 8pm. On BBC iPlayer.

Bergerac Series 2 finale: "No More Secrets" -- U&Drama, 9pm

Bergerac, Series 2, Episode 6 "No More Secrets" -- SERIES FINALE on U&Drama at 9pm Thursday 21 May 2026. Damien Molony as Jim Bergerac. Zoë Wanamaker as Charlie Hungerford. Philip Glenister, Adrian Edmondson, Lesley Sharp in the cast. Jersey. Every secret exposed. Jim abducted and woozy. Reviewer David Brown.

The modern Bergerac reboot has had two series to establish its identity, and "No More Secrets" -- the title is not subtle -- brings Series 2 to its close on the promise implicit in every episode that preceded it: that the secrets holding the various characters in their orbits around each other cannot hold indefinitely, and that a finale is the right time to let them unravel simultaneously.

Damien Molony's Jim Bergerac has been the connective tissue of the reboot -- a contemporary version of the role that John Nettles defined across the 1980s and early 1990s, updated for a Jersey that looks the same from the outside and has changed considerably underneath. Zoë Wanamaker's Charlie Hungerford -- Jim's formidable mother-in-law, and one of the better casting decisions of the reboot -- brings a specific institutional pressure to the proceedings that the original series never quite had.

The finale

Jim is abducted. He is found woozy, with two guilty-looking figures looming. The circumstances of his abduction are the engine of the final episode, and the fact that Barney Crozier (Robert Gilbert) is apparently slower on the uptake than Jim suggests the resolution will not come through conventional police procedure. Philip Glenister's Arthur Wakefield and the rest of the established Series 2 cast -- Adrian Edmondson, Lesley Sharp, Camilla Beeput, Sasha Behar, Pippa Haywood -- all have their part in the conclusion.

Series 2 began on Thursday 16 April 2026, six episodes on a weekly Thursday 9pm slot on U&Drama. The full series is available on U for anyone who has fallen behind. Whether a Series 3 follows is not yet confirmed.

On U&Drama at 9pm. Full series on U.

The Hardacres Series 2, Episode 2 -- Channel 5, 9pm

The Hardacres, Series 2, Episode 2 of 6, on Channel 5 at 9pm Thursday 21 May 2026. Michele Dotrice as Lady Imelda Hansen (the antagonist). Julie Graham as Ma Hardacre. Zak Ford-Williams as Harry. Claire Cooper as Mary. Shannon Lavelle as Liza. 1895. Yorkshire. Bridge. Humiliation attempt.

This is the second episode of Series 2, not the premiere -- the series launched on Thursday 14 May and will run six weeks on Channel 5 Thursday nights. What episode two delivers is a development of the Series 2 structural threat: Lady Imelda Hansen.

Michele Dotrice is best known to many viewers as Betty Spencer in Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em -- the long-suffering wife of Frank Spencer, played with warmth and comic precision across a career that stretches back decades. The role of Lady Imelda Hansen is something rather different. She is the antagonist that period drama does particularly well when it finds the right actor: impeccably mannered, socially lethal, and entirely convinced that her authority is both hereditary and correct.

A note on the name: some early listings spell the character as "Lady Imelda Hanson." Official sources -- including press materials and the production -- confirm the spelling is Hansen. Use Hansen.

The bridge episode

Lady Imelda Hansen's chosen weapon tonight is the bridge table. An attempt to humiliate Ma Hardacre (Julie Graham) at bridge is the episode's social centrepiece -- and if you know anything about period drama's relationship with competitive card games as vehicles for class warfare and personal insult, you will understand exactly what scene this is promising. Julie Graham plays Ma Hardacre with the particular flinty dignity of a woman who has earned her position and is not about to lose it to someone who inherited theirs.

Elsewhere: Harry (Zak Ford-Williams) is dealing with an education question that will be transformed by the arrival of an inspiring new tutor. Liza (Shannon Lavelle) experiences romantic disappointment before a chance encounter that suggests the second half of the series has ideas about her storyline. Mary (Claire Cooper) continues as the Hardacres' moral anchor in a household increasingly under pressure.

On Channel 5 at 9pm. On My5.

Taskmaster Series 21, Episode 7 -- Channel 4, 9pm

Taskmaster, Series 21, Episode 7 of 10, on Channel 4 at 9pm Thursday 21 May 2026. Amy Gledhill, Armando Iannucci, Joanna Page, Joel Dommett, Kumail Nanjiani. Greg Davies as Taskmaster. Alex Horne as assistant. On All 4.

Seven episodes in, and Series 21's panel has settled into the specific social ecology that every Taskmaster series eventually produces: somebody who turns out to be much better at tasks than expected, somebody who is worse than expected and deeply frustrated about it, and at least one contestant whose relationship with the rules is creative in ways that Greg Davies finds both impressive and maddening.

Kumail Nanjiani brings a specifically transatlantic dynamic to the group. He is an Oscar-nominated US comedian and actor -- the co-writer and star of The Big Sick, the semi-autobiographical comedy that earned him and Emily V. Gordon their Academy Award nomination -- and his presence on a British panel show carries the faint implication of a scheduling decision that was not made lightly on either side. Armando Iannucci, his fellow Oscar-adjacent cast member (In the Loop earned Iannucci nominations of his own), represents an entirely different television intelligence: the writer who created The Thick of It and Veep, deployed in tasks that have nothing to do with political satire and everything to do with putting a tennis ball in a bin using only a piece of string.

The panel so far

Amy Gledhill won the Edinburgh Comedy Award in 2024 and has brought the competition winner's particular quality to the series: genuine wit operating at speed. Joanna Page is an actress and presenter who turns out to be extremely competent at most things. Joel Dommett -- best known to mainstream audiences as the presenter of The Masked Singer on ITV1 -- has found that fame as a game show host does not automatically translate to task completion. That mismatch has been one of the series' minor running pleasures.

Episode 7 is the third from last. The final standings are beginning to matter.

On Channel 4 at 9pm. On All 4.

"The Elon Musk Show: the Next Chapter" -- BBC Two, 9pm

The Elon Musk Show: the Next Chapter is a one-off 60-minute BBC Two documentary airing at 9pm Thursday 21 May 2026. NOT a series. Produced by 72 Films (Fremantle). Follows the 2022 "The Elon Musk Show" from the same production company. Reviewer David Butcher.

This is a single film. One broadcast. A sequel in the sense that 72 Films made the first Elon Musk documentary for BBC Two in 2022, and that production company has returned to the subject because the subject, since 2022, has become significantly more consequential. When the first film was made, Musk was a tech eccentric with large ambitions. Since then he has bought Twitter and renamed it X, spent a substantial period as de facto head of a US government efficiency operation, backed Donald Trump's presidential campaign, subsequently fallen out with Trump, had more children by more partners, named one of those children Techno Mechanicus, and maintained that colonising Mars is not a long-term project but a medium-term one.

72 Films -- a Fremantle company -- is among the UK's more reliable documentary producers. John Douglas and Mark Raphael executive produce; Gussy Sakula-Barry directs; Yasmine Permaul produces. It was commissioned by Jack Bootle, BBC Head of Commissioning for Specialist Factual.

The film covers Musk's political evolution, the Techno Mechanicus detail (which is a genuine name for a genuine child), his procreation philosophy, Mars colonisation timelines, the prospect of becoming the world's first trillionaire, and a reportedly genuine tweet about money and happiness that lands rather differently when written by someone who has more money than almost anyone alive. It is 60 minutes. David Butcher reviews for Radio Times.

On BBC Two at 9pm. On BBC iPlayer.

The Miniature Wife -- Sky Atlantic, 10pm

The Miniature Wife on Sky Atlantic at 10pm Thursday 21 May 2026. Elizabeth Banks as Lindy. Matthew Macfadyen as Les Littlejohn. Created by Jennifer Ames and Steve Turner. Based on Manuel Gonzalez's 2013 short story. All 10 episodes available on Sky/NOW from 9 April 2026.

A clarification that is worth making regularly for this series: all ten episodes of The Miniature Wife have been available as a complete box set on Sky and NOW since 9 April 2026. If you have been watching on Sky Atlantic's Thursday night linear schedule, you are at the episode they choose to broadcast. If you have been watching on demand, you are wherever you are. The two audiences are watching different episodes simultaneously, which is the state of television in 2026.

Tonight on the linear schedule: the insult war between Lindy (Elizabeth Banks) and Les Littlejohn (Matthew Macfadyen) escalates to what is described as mutually assured destruction. The series' central conceit -- a technological accident has shrunk Lindy, fundamentally altering the power dynamic in a marriage that was already under strain -- has been deployed as a vehicle for one of the better explorations of domestic negotiation on television this spring. Elizabeth Banks executive produces and stars; Matthew Macfadyen does the same. The marriage on screen has the particular quality of one that has been managed very carefully by both parties for a long time, and is now no longer being managed at all.

On Sky Atlantic at 10pm. All 10 episodes on Sky/NOW now.

Prisoner, Episode 4 -- Sky Atlantic, 9pm

Prisoner, Episode 4 of 6, on Sky Atlantic at 9pm Thursday 21 May 2026. Created by Matt Charman. Directed by Otto Bathurst. Izuka Hoyle as Amber; Tahar Rahim as Tibor (Stone). All 6 episodes on NOW from 30 April 2026.

Again, the box set context is relevant: Prisoner has been available in full on NOW since its 30 April 2026 premiere. Some viewers will be watching Episode 4 for the first time tonight on Sky Atlantic; others have already finished the series. If you are in the latter group, no spoilers in this listing.

Episode 4, on the linear schedule: Amber -- the prison transport officer who handcuffed herself to dangerous contract killer Tibor during a convoy ambush, and has since been hunted with him by organised crime -- is reunited with her family. It is a respite of sorts, and the show knows how to use respite. Tibor meets his mother. Olly contacts the National Crime Unit, which introduces a new layer of institutional involvement in a situation that has until now been defined by its absence of institutional support.

The series earned a second-series renewal in May 2026. Whether that news changes how you watch the finale is a matter of personal television philosophy.

On Sky Atlantic at 9pm. All 6 episodes on NOW.

The Hotel Inspector series finale -- Channel 5, 8pm

The Hotel Inspector, series finale, on Channel 5 at 8pm Thursday 21 May 2026. Alex Polizzi at Breaks Fold Farm, West End, Yorkshire Dales. A four-generation family farm offering shepherd's hut accommodation.

Alex Polizzi's Hotel Inspector series ends where so many of the best episodes have been set: somewhere in rural Britain, in a property that is genuinely remarkable on its own terms but has found the business side of hospitality rather more complicated than the welcome side. Breaks Fold Farm is a four-generation family farm in the Yorkshire Dales, which means it has more history than most boutique hotels will ever accumulate, and has converted that history into shepherd's hut accommodation. Warm welcome is confirmed. The gap between warm welcome and sustainable hospitality business is what the Hotel Inspector exists to close.

Alex Polizzi is one of those television personalities who makes her expertise feel entirely natural rather than performed -- she is from a family of hoteliers, she knows this world, and when she says something is wrong the observation carries genuine professional authority rather than the manufactured conflict of formats that depend on disagreement for their structure. The series finale is the show at its most itself.

On Channel 5 at 8pm. On My5.

"Classic Movies: The Story of Three Days of the Condor" -- Sky Arts, 8pm

"Classic Movies: The Story of Three Days of the Condor" on Sky Arts at 8pm Thursday 21 May 2026. Hosted by Ian Nathan. The 1975 film itself follows at 9pm. Sky Arts is free-to-air on Freeview and Freesat.

The "Classic Movies: The Story Of" documentary series is a Sky Arts and 3DD Productions co-production -- each episode devoted to a single film, hosted by film journalist Ian Nathan, exploring the context, the production, the legacy. The Three Days of the Condor episode focuses on Sydney Pollack's 1975 CIA thriller: Robert Redford plays Joe Turner, a CIA analyst who returns from his lunch break to find all his colleagues murdered, and must survive while trying to understand what he has accidentally become involved in.

The film is a product of its specific moment -- the Watergate aftermath, American institutional mistrust at its most acute -- and the documentary makes the argument that this moment has not passed. The reference point Ian Nathan reaches for is Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another, the film that won six Oscars at the 98th Academy Awards on 15 March 2026, including Best Picture -- a film whose themes of institutional opacity and individual conscience place it in direct conversation with what Pollack was doing in 1975.

The pattern is standard for Sky Arts' classic film evenings: the documentary at 8pm sets up the film at 9pm. Sky Arts is free-to-air on Freeview and Freesat, which means this is an accessible option for anyone who does not have a Sky or NOW subscription. Worth noting.

On Sky Arts at 8pm and 9pm.

RHS Chelsea Flower Show -- BBC Two, 8pm (First public day)

RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2026 coverage on BBC Two at 8pm Thursday 21 May 2026. Presented by Monty Don and Arit Anderson. Today is the first day the general public can attend. Also: BBC One daytime coverage from approximately 3pm (Nicki Chapman and Angellica Bell).

The Chelsea Flower Show's structure matters to understanding why today's BBC Two coverage carries a particular energy. Tuesday 19 May and Wednesday 20 May were Members' Preview days -- RHS members only. The Royal Horticultural Society has been doing this for long enough that the members know exactly what the members-only days mean: the most exclusive access, the first impressions, the gardens before the public crowds arrive.

Thursday 21 May is when everyone else gets in. The BBC Two 8pm coverage with Monty Don and Arit Anderson is, in that sense, the public opening show -- the moment when Chelsea stops being a private preview and becomes the national event it has been since 1913.

Monty Don and Arit Anderson are the right team for this coverage. Don has an unshowy authority in garden television that comes from genuine knowledge rather than television confidence. Anderson brings a warmth and accessibility that makes the coverage work for viewers who are not RHS members and are encountering the show through a screen rather than in person. The combination covers the full audience range.

Rachel de Thame, who appears earlier in the week's coverage, is not on tonight's programme. BBC One carries daytime coverage from approximately 3pm with Nicki Chapman and Angellica Bell. The full week's coverage is on BBC iPlayer.

On BBC Two at 8pm. On BBC iPlayer.

Coronation Street -- ITV1, 8.30pm

Coronation Street on ITV1 at 8.30pm Thursday 21 May 2026. Summer, played by Harriet Bibby, overhears George telling Christina that he has gone to the police. Summer panics. She contacts her US university and plans to fly to America immediately. Todd finds her with luggage. Will she make it?

The Theo Silverton murder investigation has been building steadily toward its first major resolution, and Thursday's episode is where one of the six suspects -- Danielle, Todd, Summer, George, Christina, Gary -- makes a decisive move. Summer (Harriet Bibby) is the one who breaks, and her break is the theatrical kind: bags packed, university contacted, airport taxi ordered, and the fundamental problem of looking catastrophically guilty by the act of trying to escape.

Todd finding her with the luggage is the dramatic peak of the episode -- the moment when whatever Summer thought she was planning comes into contact with reality. Whether George's police tip-off reaches the right people in time, and whether Summer makes it to the departure gate, is the episode's driving question.

The parallel storylines -- Will's anxiety around Megan's bail release, Driscoll family tensions -- give the episode its usual texture around the main event. Coronation Street at its best uses the murder plot as the spine and the rest of the street as the body. This is the series at a strong moment.

On ITV1 at 8.30pm. On ITVX.

Sport on Thursday 21 May 2026

"Cycling: Giro d'Italia" -- Stage 12: Imperia to Novi Ligure, 175km

Giro d'Italia 2026, Stage 12: Imperia to Novi Ligure, 175km. A sprinter's stage. UK coverage on TNT Sports from 10.30am BST. DMAX carries free-to-air highlights 7-8pm.

Stage 12 moves from the Ligurian coast -- where Stage 11 ended in Chiavari the previous day -- inland toward the Piedmontese plains at Novi Ligure. At 175km it is a substantial day's racing, and the profile -- largely flat with categorised climbs that are unlikely to trouble a sprint finish -- makes this one for the fast men. The peloton will be watchful but the general classification contenders will be conserving energy. Stage start is 11.30 Italian time (10.30 BST). DMAX carries the day's highlights free-to-air in the 7-8pm slot.

On TNT Sports 1 from 10.30am.

"Cricket: IPL" -- Match 67: Gujarat Titans v Chennai Super Kings

IPL 2026, Match 67: Gujarat Titans v Chennai Super Kings at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. First ball 3pm BST. UK coverage from approximately 2.50pm on Sky Sports Cricket.

Match 67 takes the IPL to Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium -- the largest cricket ground in the world, with a capacity of over 132,000. The Gujarat Titans are at home; Chennai Super Kings, one of the competition's most decorated franchises, are the visitors. The 7.30pm IST start translates to 3pm BST. Pre-match coverage begins on Sky Sports Cricket from approximately 2.50pm.

No England international cricket on Thursday. The India IT20 series has a rest day between the 20 May match at Derby and the 23 May match at Canterbury.

On Sky Sports Cricket from approximately 2.50pm.

Also on Thursday 21 May 2026

"Rising Bills: How Can You Save Money? -- Tonight" (ITV1, 7.30pm) -- Paul Brand presents the Tonight documentary strand's cost-of-living special, examining how international instability is feeding through to UK household bills and what, if anything, practical steps are available.

"UK Crime Files: The Leanne Tiernan Murder" (True Crime Channel, from 7pm) -- the case of Leanne Tiernan, the 16-year-old Leeds schoolgirl who disappeared on 26 November 2000 and whose murder by John Taylor became one of the most significant Yorkshire crime investigations of the early 2000s. Her body was found at Lindley Woods near Otley in August 2001.

Streaming on Thursday 21 May 2026

  • BBC iPlayer: Race Across the World Series 6 full series; The Elon Musk Show: the Next Chapter (from broadcast); Chelsea Flower Show week
  • All 4: Taskmaster Series 21 Episode 7 (after broadcast)
  • ITVX: Coronation Street (all recent episodes)
  • Sky/NOW: The Miniature Wife (all 10 episodes from 9 April); Prisoner (all 6 episodes from 30 April)
  • Netflix: The Boroughs (new drama series, drops 21 May 2026)
  • Prime Video: Good Omens Season 3 (available from 13 May 2026)

Frequently asked questions: What's on TV tonight Thursday 21 May 2026

What's on TV tonight Thursday 21 May 2026?

The headline is Race Across the World Series 6 finale on BBC One at 8pm -- the 12,000km race from Sicily to Hatgal, Mongolia, reaches its conclusion. Five teams competed: Jo and Kush (best friends), Katie and Harrison (siblings), Molly and Andrew (daughter and father), Puja and Roshni (cousins), Mark and Margo (in-laws). The £10,000 winning prize is awarded at the Hatgal finish line. Race Across the World: The Reunion follows at 9pm on BBC One. BBC Four runs a Marilyn Monroe Night from 8pm (centenary run-up; centenary is 1 June 2026). Bergerac Series 2 finale "No More Secrets" at 9pm U&Drama. The Hardacres S2 E2 at 9pm Channel 5. Taskmaster S21 E7 at 9pm Channel 4. The Elon Musk Show: the Next Chapter (one-off, 60 mins, BBC Two, 9pm). Prisoner Episode 4 and The Miniature Wife on Sky Atlantic at 9pm and 10pm respectively. The Hotel Inspector series finale at 8pm Channel 5. Chelsea Flower Show first public day on BBC Two at 8pm (Monty Don and Arit Anderson). Sport: Giro Stage 12 on TNT Sports from 10.30am; IPL Match 67 Gujarat Titans v Chennai Super Kings on Sky Sports Cricket from 2.50pm.

Is the 9pm show a making-of or a reunion?

It is a reunion. Race Across the World: The Reunion is a separate programme from any behind-the-scenes documentary. It was filmed six months after the race concluded, with all five teams coming together to reflect on their experiences. It contains unseen footage and candid accounts of moments that did not make the main series. It is not a "Race Across the World: The Making Of." No making-of documentary was produced for Series 6. The 9pm BBC One programme is The Reunion, and it is more interesting than a making-of would be.

Is today the first day the public can attend Chelsea Flower Show 2026?

Yes. Thursday 21 May 2026 is the first day of public access to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2026. The Members' Preview ran on Tuesday 19 May and Wednesday 20 May. The show is open to the public from Thursday 21 May through Friday 22 May, with the Great Plant Sale on Saturday 23 May. BBC Two covers the public opening at 8pm with Monty Don and Arit Anderson.

Is Thursday 21 May the Marilyn Monroe centenary?

No. Marilyn Monroe was born on 1 June 1926. Her centenary is 1 June 2026 -- eleven days from tonight. BBC Four is running its Marilyn Monroe Night on Thursday 21 May as part of the centenary run-up. The BFI's centenary season begins on 1 June. The Channel 4 documentary "Marilyn and the Mob" aired on Wednesday 20 May. Tonight's BBC Four evening is the warm-up act for the centenary itself.

How many teams are in Race Across the World Series 6?

Five teams. Jo Diop and Kush Burman (childhood best friends); Katie Devine and Harrison Devine (siblings); Molly Clifford and Andrew Clifford (daughter and father); Puja Khajuria and Roshni Ghelani (cousins); and Mark Blythen and Margo Oakley (in-laws). Some early listings incorrectly named four teams, omitting Puja Khajuria and Roshni Ghelani. All five teams competed across all nine episodes.

Why is the Race Across the World finale tonight and not next week?

Eurovision scheduling moved Episode 7 from its planned Thursday 15 May slot to Wednesday 13 May 2026. That shift cascaded the finale double bill -- originally planned for Thursday 28 May -- forward to Thursday 21 May. The 21 May date is confirmed.

What is Taskmaster Series 21 Episode 7 about?

Taskmaster Series 21 Episode 7 airs on Channel 4 at 9pm. The five contestants are Amy Gledhill (Edinburgh Comedy Award Winner 2024), Armando Iannucci (The Thick of It, In the Loop), Joanna Page, Joel Dommett (The Masked Singer), and Kumail Nanjiani (The Big Sick, Oscar-nominated). Greg Davies is Taskmaster; Alex Horne is the assistant. Episode 7 is the third from last in the series, which runs until 11 June 2026 on Channel 4.

Who plays Summer in Coronation Street?

Summer is played by Harriet Bibby. In Thursday 21 May's episode (8.30pm ITV1), Summer overhears George telling Christina that he has gone to the police about her lies. Panicking, she contacts her US university and arranges to leave the country that day. Todd finds her with luggage packed. Whether she successfully escapes before police can act is the episode's central tension.

What sport is on TV tonight Thursday 21 May 2026?

Giro d'Italia Stage 12 -- Imperia to Novi Ligure, 175km sprinter's stage -- is on TNT Sports from 10.30am BST. DMAX carries free-to-air highlights 7-8pm. IPL 2026 Match 67: Gujarat Titans v Chennai Super Kings at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, is on Sky Sports Cricket from approximately 2.50pm BST (first ball 3pm). There is no England international cricket on Thursday 21 May -- the India IT20 series has a rest day between the 20 May Derby fixture and the 23 May Canterbury fixture.

Is The Elon Musk Show: the Next Chapter a series or a one-off?

It is a single one-off 60-minute documentary on BBC Two at 9pm Thursday 21 May 2026. Not a series. It is produced by 72 Films (Fremantle), the same company that made the original 2022 Elon Musk documentary for BBC Two. The new film covers Musk's political evolution since the Twitter/X takeover, his relationship with and subsequent falling out with Trump, his private life including child Techno Mechanicus, his Mars colonisation plans, and the prospect of trillionaire status. It airs once and is then on BBC iPlayer.