Wondering what's on TV tonight? The biggest emotional moment of the week is buried in tonight's tv listings at 7:30pm, and it's on the show you'd expect but for a reason you might not. Browse the full tv guide below, check what's on right now, see tonight's highlights, or browse the channels list including BBC One, ITV1, Channel 4 and BBC Four. The Freeview TV guide runs right through to one of the best British horror films ever made, just before midnight.
What's On TV Tonight: Quick Picks
- EastEnders ⭐ – BBC One, 7:30pm – Mark Fowler calls his estranged father Grant Mitchell with devastating news about Nigel's dementia; the setup for Ross Kemp's on-screen return on Monday; watch it live
- MasterChef – BBC One, 9pm – FIRST QUARTER-FINAL; Jay Rayner on salads ("I do NOT want a bowl of limp lettuce"); Grace Dent and Anna Haugh
- Taskmaster – Channel 4, 9pm – Hampton Court Palace; conservators watching contestants sprint past 300-year-old paintings in quiet terror
- Big Mood – Channel 4, double bill from 10pm – Nicola Coughlan's medication mix-up; Robert Lindsay as Maggie's estranged father in Ep 4
- The Wicker Man – BBC Four, 10pm – 1973; Christopher Lee; still one of the best British horror films ever made; Lee took no fee
- Race Across the World – BBC One, 8pm – Tbilisi next; 4,500km behind them; sibling pair Katie and Harrison as cover feature
- Premier League Darts – Sky Sports, from 7pm – Littler vs Humphries in Liverpool; Night 12
See what's on right now for live updates.
TV Guide: Early Evening (7pm – 8pm)
EastEnders ⭐ – BBC One, 7:30pm
This is the one. Paul Bradley's Nigel Bates — a character first introduced in 1992 — has been sliding through a dementia storyline all year, and tonight's episode is the emotional pivot. Mark Fowler leaves a heartfelt voicemail plea to his estranged father Grant Mitchell (Ross Kemp) telling him that Nigel's health is declining rapidly. Sam resists getting involved. Grant had vowed months ago to stand by his old schoolmate through the illness. Ross Kemp's on-screen return is scheduled for Monday 27 April, so tonight is the setup — the emotional chess moves being put on the board before the reunion plays out next week.
Watch it live. The regular soap business (Max and Cindy, Ravi, Lauren and Mark) is layered on top, but this is the week's real EastEnders story. iPlayer afterwards if you can't.
Pet Stars: Can My Pet Pay My Bills? Tonight – ITV1, 7:30pm
Chris Choi consumer special. The title does the work here: people who believe their pets could become the next internet sensation encounter the gap between that belief and actual commercial reality. Mild entertainment.
Springtime on the Farm – Channel 5, 7pm
Series 9, episode 3 of 4. Back at Cannon Hall Farm, dairy week — smart collars on the cattle, and a Highland heifer who is apparently going places. Honest spring telly for anyone who finds a field of calves more relaxing than a meditation app.
TV Tonight: Prime Time (8pm onwards)
Race Across the World – BBC One, 8pm
Series 6, episode 4 of 9. The teams have now clocked 4,500km and are pushing towards Tbilisi, Georgia's futuristic capital — the fourth checkpoint. This is always when Race Across the World finds its groove: the novelty has worn off, the racers are tired, and that's the point they start telling each other the stuff they'd normally keep quiet. Siblings Katie and Harrison are the RT cover this week. One pair is delayed because one of them feels unwell — in Race Across the World terms, that means a lot of stressed pacing at a remote bus station.
You can't fake distance on a travel show, and 4,500km on no flights and a limited budget genuinely looks like 4,500km. One of the best things on BBC One this year.
Paul Merton: Driving Amazing Trains – Channel 4, 8pm
Episode 3. Merton is on the French Riviera and clearly having the time of his life. The Pine Cone line (Train des Pignes — "pignes" is local dialect for pine cones) is a gorgeous narrow-gauge steam railway that runs from Nice up into the mountains. Merton climbs into the cab with the expression of an eight-year-old who has won the week. He also rides Paul Ricard's private railway — Ricard of pastis-fortune fame, who apparently decided at some point that what he really needed was his own train line. He stops off at Provence's own, lesser-known D-Day landing beaches (Operation Dragoon, August 1944), and ends at a wild-west ranch in the Camargue where the local livestock are bulls and flamingos instead of cattle and horses.
As Johnathon Hughes puts it in Radio Times, Merton has a "childlike wonder" whenever he boards a steam engine cab, and it's exactly that quality that makes these programmes work. No cynicism. No showing off. Just a comedian who loves trains, riding a train.
This Farming Life – BBC Two, 8pm
Series 8, episode 9 of 12. Not in Wales tonight — Scrum V takes that slot — but the rest of the UK gets the full episode. Noah, Bethany, and Ally are at a local agricultural show, which tends to produce the sort of understated human competition this series has always been good at. Lucy and Adam meanwhile have a new baby and a new business plan arriving at more or less the same time, which is an optimistic scheduling decision. And Callum receives a surprise award, which is the kind of quiet moment the show does particularly well. Last week's Radio Times cover featured Lucy and Adam with their baby, so there's context if you've been following.
MasterChef – BBC One, 9pm
The first quarter-final. Six amateurs who have made it this far now face knock-out week, which focuses the mind considerably. The invention test this time is pancakes — not the two-minute Tuesday morning kind, but Italian, Korean, Mexican, and Sri Lankan versions, with mixed results according to those who've seen it early. Mixed results in a MasterChef invention test generally means at least one person produces something that looks like they've misread the brief by roughly one continent.
The main event tonight is the salad round, set by guest judge Jay Rayner, who arrives with a very clear brief: "I do NOT want a bowl of limp lettuce." Rayner, as anyone who has read his restaurant reviews will know, is not a man to pretend something is fine if it isn't. Two of the six deliver — one he calls "exactly what I was hoping for", another "amazing". That leaves four people somewhere between disappointed and mortified, which is about right for a quarter-final. Dent and Haugh preside, and the new-era judging feels different to what went before: more technical, less theatre. iPlayer after.
Taskmaster – Channel 4, 9pm
Series 21, episode 3. Alex Horne has written a song. The contestants must now respond, presumably with varying levels of dignity. Kumail Nanjiani is apparently being embraced by both Amy Gledhill and Joel Dommett while being quizzed about a horse — a sentence that really doesn't need unpacking.
But the episode's real prize is the location task. This week: Hampton Court Palace, and specifically the 300-year-old King's Staircase, decorated with paintings that English Heritage would really prefer nobody sprinted past. The contestants sprint past them. The conservators, present and apparently watching in terror, are part of the show now. There's a reason location tasks beat studio tasks — the higher the stakes for the venue, the funnier the outcome.
Saving Lives at Sea – BBC Two, 9pm
Episode 8 of 10. A kayaker is reported missing off Mudeford in Dorset. That would be a manageable search — until the coastguard realises there are six more kayaks unaccounted for. The RNLI does what it does: escalates calmly, deploys everything, goes out in the dark if it needs to. Quietly essential television.
Big Mood – Channel 4, 10pm and 10:30pm
Back-to-back double bill, which is the right way to watch this series. Episode 3 ("Cubits") takes a sitcom-ready premise and lands something more interesting with it: Maggie, who is bipolar, accidentally takes her night meds instead of her day meds and then has to try to support bar owner Eddie (Lydia West) through an evening while fighting off industrial-strength drowsiness. Coughlan pulls off the physical comedy and the actual weight of the situation at the same time. Not easy.
Episode 4 ("Hands") drops Robert Lindsay in as Maggie's estranged father — a reunion that's been quietly building — and Whitney, being Whitney, decides the moment calls for a "rainstick healing ritual". The reunion does not survive contact with Whitney's plan. Lindsay is exactly the casting Big Mood needs: someone who can play complicated without playing heavy. Both on Channel 4 streaming afterwards.
TV Guide UK: Late Night
The Wicker Man – BBC Four, 10pm
Robin Hardy's 1973 folk horror lands on BBC Four. Edward Woodward plays Sergeant Neil Howie, a devoutly Christian policeman sent to the remote Scottish island of Summerisle to investigate the disappearance of a young girl. Christopher Lee is Lord Summerisle, the island's genial but deeply, deeply strange leader. Lee took no fee for the part and spent the rest of his career calling it his favourite film — an endorsement that should tell you something, given his CV.
It was originally released as a B-support to Don't Look Now, which is one of the more ridiculous double-bills in cinema history, and it flopped. Now it's treated, rightly, as one of the best British horror films ever made. The ending still lands thirty-plus viewings in. Contains sexual content and disturbing imagery — worth knowing before committing the household to it. iPlayer afterwards. The Ex-S documentary about the film follows at 11:30pm for anyone who wants the making-of.
Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing – BBC Two, 10pm
Series 7, episode 3 of 8. Bob and Paul are in East Yorkshire on Driffield Beck, the chalk stream the trout-fishing community regards with something approaching reverence. Whatever they catch is secondary to the conversation, as usual. A reliable 10pm.
Bergerac – U&Drama, 9pm
The 2026 revival, series 2, episode 2 — "A Small Affair". Those who know the original will remember Barney Crozier, Jim's superior. In the new series he's still trying to climb the ladder, and tonight that path may be opening up: Superintendent Richard Gibbon appears to be sitting on a case with some corrupt or compromised involvement, and if that unravels, Barney's position changes considerably. Jim is the sharper detective; Barney is the more ambitious one. The full series is on U.
Sport
Premier League Darts – Sky Sports Main Event, from 7pm
Night 12, from Liverpool. Luke Littler plays Luke Humphries, which is the match that darts fans circle when the fixture list comes out. Two of the biggest names in the sport right now, playing in front of a crowd that will not be quiet about it. Stephen Bunting vs Jonny Clayton is the other first-round match. Sky Sports Main Event from 7pm.
Snooker World Championship Day 6 – BBC Four, 7pm–10pm; TNT Sports 1 & 3 from 6:30pm
Day 6 from the Crucible. BBC Four has the evening session to 10pm, when The Wicker Man takes over. TNT Sports 1 and 3 have coverage from 6:30pm. Still well into the earlier rounds but the Crucible does not do boring snooker.
IPL: Mumbai Indians v Chennai Super Kings – Sky Sports Cricket, from 2:50pm
The afternoon IPL fixture. Mumbai v Chennai is the fixture in Indian cricket — neither side ever approaches this one as a routine game. Coverage from 2:50pm on Sky Sports Cricket, finishing around 7pm.
Tonight's TV Listings: Full Schedule
Full tv listings for Thursday 23rd April 2026 across all major Freeview, Sky, and streaming channels.
| Time | Channel | Programme |
|---|---|---|
| 2:50pm | Sky Sports Cricket | IPL: Mumbai Indians v Chennai Super Kings (LIVE) |
| 6:30pm | TNT Sports 1 | World Snooker Championship Day 6 (LIVE) |
| 7pm | BBC Four | World Snooker Championship Day 6, evening session (LIVE) |
| 7pm | Channel 5 | Springtime on the Farm (S9 Ep 3) |
| 7pm | Sky Sports Main Event | Premier League Darts Night 12 – Liverpool (LIVE) |
| 7:30pm | BBC One | EastEnders – Mark calls Grant about Nigel |
| 7:30pm | ITV1 | Pet Stars: Can My Pet Pay My Bills? Tonight |
| 8pm | BBC One | Race Across the World (S6 Ep 4) |
| 8pm | BBC Two | This Farming Life (S8 Ep 9) |
| 8pm | ITV1 | Emmerdale |
| 8pm | Channel 4 | Paul Merton: Driving Amazing Trains (Ep 3) |
| 8pm | Channel 5 | Casualty 24/7: Every Second Counts (S10 Ep 5) |
| 8pm | U&Drama | Queens of Mystery (S2 Ep 4) |
| 8:30pm | ITV1 | Coronation Street |
| 9pm | BBC One | MasterChef (S22 Ep 3 – FIRST QUARTER-FINAL) |
| 9pm | BBC Two | Saving Lives at Sea (Ep 8) |
| 9pm | ITV1 | I'm a Celebrity South Africa (S2 Ep 13) |
| 9pm | Channel 4 | Taskmaster (S21 Ep 3) |
| 9pm | Channel 5 | The Hotel Inspector (S21 Ep 6) |
| 9pm | BBC Three | The Beauty Queen and the Catfish (Eps 1–3, full series) |
| 9pm | U&Drama | Bergerac (S2 Ep 2) |
| 10pm | BBC Four | The Wicker Man (1973) |
| 10pm | BBC Two | Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing (S7 Ep 3) |
| 10pm | Channel 4 | Big Mood (S2 Ep 3 "Cubits") |
| 10pm | Channel 5 | Snatched (Ep 3) |
| 10pm | U&Drama | New Tricks (S6 Ep 7) |
| 10:20pm | ITV1 | ITV News at Ten |
| 10:30pm | Channel 4 | Big Mood (S2 Ep 4 "Hands") |
| 10:30pm | BBC Two | Newsnight |
| 11pm | ITV1 | The Real Stonehouse (documentary) |
| 11:05pm | Channel 4 | Gogglebox |
| 11:30pm | BBC Four | Ex-S: The Wicker Man (documentary) |
| 10:40pm | BBC One | Question Time (Fiona Bruce) |
| 10:15pm | Sky Atlantic | The Miniature Wife (S1 Ep 3) |
Freeview TV Guide: What's On Streaming
Can't watch live tonight? Here's where to find everything on catch-up:
BBC iPlayer: EastEnders, Race Across the World, MasterChef, This Farming Life, Saving Lives at Sea, Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing, Newsnight, Question Time, The Wicker Man, The Beauty Queen and the Catfish, and World Snooker Championship
ITVX: Pet Stars, Emmerdale, Coronation Street, I'm a Celebrity South Africa, The Real Stonehouse
Channel 4 streaming: Paul Merton: Driving Amazing Trains, Taskmaster, Big Mood (both episodes), Gogglebox
My5: Springtime on the Farm, Casualty 24/7: Every Second Counts, The Hotel Inspector, Snatched
NOW TV / Sky: Premier League Darts, The Miniature Wife, Bergerac, World Snooker Championship on TNT Sports (Sky or NOW subscription required)
Frequently Asked Questions
Is EastEnders on TV tonight, Thursday 23rd April 2026?
Yes. EastEnders is on BBC One at 7:30pm. Mark Fowler leaves a heartfelt voicemail plea to his estranged father Grant Mitchell, telling him Nigel Bates's dementia is declining rapidly. Sam resists getting involved. It's the setup episode for Ross Kemp's on-screen return, which is scheduled for Monday 27 April. Available on BBC iPlayer afterwards.
Is Grant Mitchell back in EastEnders tonight?
Not in this episode. Tonight is the scene where Mark contacts Grant with the devastating news about Nigel — the emotional groundwork. Ross Kemp's actual return to Walford is scheduled for Monday 27 April 2026. Tonight is the setup; Monday is the payoff.
What time is MasterChef on tonight?
MasterChef is on BBC One at 9pm tonight — series 22, episode 3, and the first quarter-final. Six amateurs face a pancakes invention test and then a salad round with guest judge Jay Rayner, who has made clear he is not there to receive a bowl of limp lettuce. Grace Dent and Anna Haugh are the main judges. Available on BBC iPlayer.
What time is Taskmaster on Channel 4 tonight?
Taskmaster series 21, episode 3 is on Channel 4 at 9pm. Kumail Nanjiani, Amy Gledhill, and Joel Dommett are among the contestants. The standout task this week takes place at Hampton Court Palace, where competitors were asked to do something involving the King's Staircase while the building's conservators watched in what can only be described as professional distress. Available on Channel 4 streaming.
What time is The Wicker Man on BBC Four tonight?
The Wicker Man (1973) is on BBC Four at 10pm. Robin Hardy's folk horror film with Edward Woodward and Christopher Lee. Lee took no fee. One of the best British films ever made. Contains disturbing content and sexual imagery. Available on BBC iPlayer.
What's the best thing to watch on TV tonight?
EastEnders at 7:30pm on BBC One is the emotional beat of the night — Mark calling Grant about Nigel is the teeing-up of Ross Kemp's return on Monday, and it's the kind of scene you'll want to watch as it happens. If you want a solid prime time two-hour block, Race Across the World at 8pm leads into MasterChef's first quarter-final at 9pm on BBC One. Taskmaster at 9pm on Channel 4 is a reliable alternative. And if you're up at 10pm, The Wicker Man on BBC Four is simply one of the finest British horror films on record, and it's free on the BBC.
TV Guide UK: Final Verdict
Thursday is carrying more weight than the schedule at first glance suggests. EastEnders tonight is the emotional pivot of the week — the Nigel dementia storyline has been given real time to land, and tonight's Mark-calls-Grant beat tees up Ross Kemp's on-screen return for Monday 27 April. Watch it live if you can; these episodes hit harder in real time.
After that, BBC One at 8pm and 9pm is a comfortable double: Race Across the World followed by MasterChef's first quarter-final with Jay Rayner on guest duty. Channel 4 at 9pm (Taskmaster) and 10pm (Big Mood double bill) is an equally solid alternative run if you've already seen Paul Merton on the trains at 8pm. Two decent viewing paths for the evening, depending on whether you want BBC One warmth or Channel 4 sharpness.
The Wicker Man at 10pm on BBC Four is the late highlight — not for every Thursday night, but if you've never seen it, or haven't for a while, BBC Four doing it justice on a Thursday is the right context. The Ex-S documentary about the film follows at 11:30pm.
Check what's on right now for live updates, browse the full channels list, or see tonight's highlights. This tv guide for Thursday 23rd April has substance from 7:30pm through to midnight, and the Freeview TV guide runs right across it.