Wondering what's on TV tonight? Thursday's schedule has a genuinely difficult decision at its heart. The 9pm slot is split between two programmes that couldn't be more different in tone -- one will leave you shaken, the other will have you shouting at the screen. Check the TV listings below for every detail, or browse the Freeview TV guide for the full channel-by-channel breakdown. Either way, clear your evening.
What's On TV Tonight: Quick Picks
- Molly vs the Machines -- Channel 4, 9pm -- Devastating documentary on social media and a teenager's death
- The Apprentice -- BBC One, 9pm -- The candidates cause chaos organising corporate away days in Egypt
- Dragons' Den -- BBC One, 8pm -- Susie Ma returns as guest Dragon
- Murder Case -- BBC Two, 9pm -- Concluding episode of the Arlene Fraser case
- Misery -- BBC Four, 9pm -- Kathy Bates's Oscar-winning performance
- Crufts -- Channel 4, 7.30pm / More4, 6.30pm -- Working and Pastoral groups plus Agility
Is EastEnders on tonight?
Yes. EastEnders is on BBC One at 7.30pm tonight. Clare is back in Walford -- and if that name doesn't ring a bell, you either weren't watching in the 1990s or you've blocked it out. Gemma Bissix first played the role as a child over thirty years ago, and she's returning alongside Julie to help Phil settle Nigel into a care home following his diagnosis. It's the kind of long-game storytelling that EastEnders does best when it remembers to slow down. Phil preparing for a big change adds another layer, and Lexi apparently dishes out some wisdom of her own. Half an hour, then straight into Dragons' Den.
TV Guide: Early Evening (7pm -- 8pm)
EastEnders -- BBC One, 7.30pm
See above. Clare's return is the headline, but there's something quietly affecting about the Nigel storyline playing out alongside Phil's own reckoning. EastEnders has been threading these generational callbacks more often lately, and they tend to land better than the show's louder moments. Worth tuning in even if you've drifted away from the Square.
Live Crufts 2026 -- Channel 4, 7.30pm
Crufts takes over Channel 4 for the second evening running, with Clare Balding presenting live from Birmingham NEC and Claudia Winkleman handling interviews with the four-legged competitors and their handlers. Tonight it's the Working and Pastoral groups under the judges' gaze -- think dobermanns, rottweilers and sheepdogs -- alongside the Agility and Flyball competitions. Earlier coverage runs from 3pm on Channel 4 and from 6.30pm on More4. If you're the sort of person who rates a border collie clearing a seesaw above most primetime drama, this is your night.
Cars What's Driving Up Costs Tonight -- ITV1, 7.30pm
Paul Brand investigates why running a car now costs the average driver around three and a half thousand pounds a year. It's one of those programmes where you already know the answer will make you angry, but Brand does a decent job of explaining exactly who's pocketing what.
TV Tonight: Prime Time (8pm onwards)
Dragons' Den -- BBC One, 8pm
Episode six, and Susie Ma is back in the guest Dragon's chair. Peter Jones apparently can't resist a string of puns about a food composting product -- which tells you everything about the tone of that particular pitch. Steven Bartlett and Jones squabble over a range of stylish bags, there's a pre-owned kitchen business trying to make the circular economy fashionable, and someone pitches make-your-own drink kits. The best moment comes from an entrepreneur who wraps up his pitch with the line "I'm not looking forward to your questions, but I suppose I'm here now" -- which is frankly the most honest thing anyone has ever said in that room.
Alexander Armstrong in India -- Channel 5, 8pm (new series)
Armstrong was last in India as a backpacking twenty-something over four decades ago, and this three-part series sees him return to take the temperature of a country that's changed beyond recognition. He starts in Mumbai, viewing a lavish apartment that costs a casual three million pounds before heading to the slums of Dharavi just a short walk away. He joins the famous dabbawallas delivering home-cooked lunches, and later observes a cremation in Varanasi. It's a travelogue built on contrasts, and Armstrong seems genuinely affected by what he finds.
The Apprentice -- BBC One, 9pm
This week Lord Sugar's candidates are in Egypt, tasked with organising corporate away days for a group of executives who don't look thrilled to be there. One team takes them on a Red Sea cruise, the other hauls them across the Sahara, and both teams rely heavily on Wikipedia for their pharaoh facts. Even the candidates who get fired this week have probably racked up enough air miles to jump a loyalty tier. It's exactly the kind of episode where the location does all the heavy lifting and the candidates do their best to sabotage it. Followed by Unfinished Business on BBC Two at 10pm.
Molly vs the Machines -- Channel 4, 9pm ⭐
This is the programme that matters most tonight. Marc Silver's documentary tells the story of Ian Russell, who has spent nearly a decade campaigning for stronger social media regulation after his daughter Molly, a sociable fourteen-year-old, took her own life in 2017. The inquest that followed -- key moments of which are reconstructed here in close collaboration with the Russell family -- revealed that Molly had been repeatedly served content about depression, self-harm and suicide by platform algorithms that prioritised engagement over safety. The film follows Russell's journey from suburban grief to the corridors of Silicon Valley, and the social media companies' response ranges from evasive to flatly indifferent. It runs nearly two hours to 10.50pm. This is not easy viewing, but it is necessary viewing. If you or someone you know is affected by the issues raised, the Samaritans are available on 116 123.
Murder Case: The Hunt for Arlene Fraser's Killer -- BBC Two, 9pm
The concluding episode of this two-part true-crime documentary. When young mother Arlene Fraser vanished from her Elgin home in 1998, police found virtually nothing -- no forensics, no body, and a husband in Nat Fraser who had a previous conviction for assaulting her and an alibi that seemed suspiciously airtight. This second part covers the murder trial, three weeks of evidence, and a jury verdict that proved to be anything but the end of the story. Both episodes are available on iPlayer.
The Hotel Inspector -- Channel 5, 9pm
Alex Polizzi visits The Navigator Hotel in Bognor Regis -- or Sussex, depending on which EPG listing you trust. It's a seafront property with a cracking location and often full occupancy, but the building is falling apart around its owner. Kathleen, 56, is drowning in debt while single-handedly running the place and raising a large family, including twelve-year-old Hope who pitches in wherever she can. Polizzi's suggestions about the decor are practical, but it's her breakdown of a proper pricing strategy for the hotel's enormous menu that really lands. You'll never look at a hotel restaurant bill the same way again.
TV Guide UK: Late Night
Misery -- BBC Four, 9pm
Rob Reiner's 1990 thriller remains the only Stephen King adaptation to win an Academy Award, and it's not hard to see why. Kathy Bates is extraordinary as Annie Wilkes, a devoted fan who rescues her favourite romance novelist (James Caan) from a car crash and then refuses to let him leave. Bates was virtually unknown in film at the time -- Bette Midler turned the role down and reportedly spent years regretting it. Followed at 10.40pm by a 2006 Mark Lawson interview with Stephen King himself, making this a solid BBC Four double bill for horror fans.
Question Time -- BBC One, 10.40pm
Fiona Bruce chairs the usual hour of topical debate with a panel of politicians and public figures. The format hasn't changed in decades, and that's either its greatest strength or its biggest problem depending on your tolerance for people talking over each other.
Sport
Football -- Premier League: Tottenham Hotspur v Crystal Palace is live on TNT Sports 1 from 7pm (kick-off 8pm). Spurs host the Eagles with interim coach Igor Tudor looking to build momentum in his third game in charge.
Darts -- Premier League: Coverage from Cardiff on Sky Sports Main Event from 7pm. The weekly league format keeps the atmosphere electric.
Tennis -- Indian Wells Open: Live on Sky Sports Tennis from 7pm, with highlights on Sky Sports Main Event from 11pm.
Golf -- Arnold Palmer Invitational: Day one from Orlando, Florida on Sky Sports Golf from 3.30pm, with coverage also on Sky Sports Main Event from 5pm.
Tonight's TV Listings: Full Schedule
| Time | Channel | Programme |
|---|---|---|
| 3:00pm | Channel 4 | Live: Crufts 2026 |
| 6:30pm | More4 | Live: Crufts 2026 |
| 7:00pm | BBC Two | Great British Menu |
| 7:00pm | Channel 5 | Celebrity Puzzling |
| 7:30pm | BBC One | EastEnders |
| 7:30pm | Channel 4 | Live: Crufts 2026 |
| 7:30pm | ITV1 | Cars: What's Driving Up Costs? Tonight |
| 8:00pm | BBC One | Dragons' Den |
| 8:00pm | BBC Two | This Farming Life |
| 8:00pm | Channel 5 | Alexander Armstrong in India (new series) |
| 8:00pm | ITV1 | Emmerdale |
| 8:30pm | ITV1 | Coronation Street |
| 9:00pm | BBC One | The Apprentice |
| 9:00pm | BBC Two | Murder Case: The Hunt for Arlene Fraser's Killer |
| 9:00pm | BBC Four | Misery (1990) |
| 9:00pm | Channel 4 | Molly vs the Machines (new) |
| 9:00pm | Channel 5 | The Hotel Inspector |
| 9:00pm | ITV1 | Prescription for Murder: True Crime Presents |
| 9:00pm | Film4 | Reality (2023) |
| 10:00pm | BBC Two | The Apprentice: Unfinished Business |
| 10:40pm | BBC One | Question Time |
| 10:40pm | BBC Four | Mark Lawson Talks to Stephen King |
| 10:45pm | ITV1 | Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) |
| 10:50pm | Channel 4 | Gogglebox |
Freeview TV Guide: What's On Streaming
Can't watch live? Use our now and next guide to see what's showing right now, or browse the full channels list for every available station.
BBC iPlayer: EastEnders, Dragons' Den, The Apprentice, Murder Case (both episodes), This Farming Life, Question Time, Misery, Mark Lawson Talks to Stephen King ITVX: Emmerdale, Coronation Street, Cars: What's Driving Up Costs?, Prescription for Murder Channel 4 streaming: Molly vs the Machines, Crufts 2026, Gogglebox Channel 5 streaming: Alexander Armstrong in India, The Hotel Inspector
Frequently Asked Questions
What time is Molly vs the Machines on Channel 4 tonight?
Molly vs the Machines is on Channel 4 at 9pm tonight (Thursday 5th March 2026). The documentary runs for nearly two hours, finishing at around 10.50pm.
What's the best thing to watch on TV tonight?
Our top pick is Molly vs the Machines on Channel 4 at 9pm -- a documentary about Ian Russell's fight for social media regulation after the death of his daughter Molly. For something lighter, The Apprentice on BBC One at 9pm takes the candidates to Egypt.
Is EastEnders on tonight?
Yes, EastEnders is on BBC One at 7.30pm tonight (Thursday 5th March 2026). Clare returns to Walford for the first time in over 30 years, played by Gemma Bissix, as Phil prepares for a big change.
What's on BBC One tonight?
BBC One's highlights tonight include EastEnders at 7.30pm with Clare's return, Dragons' Den at 8pm with guest Dragon Susie Ma, The Apprentice at 9pm in Egypt, and Question Time at 10.40pm.
What time is The Apprentice on tonight?
The Apprentice is on BBC One at 9pm tonight (Thursday 5th March 2026). Episode 6 of series 20 sees the candidates head to Egypt to organise corporate away days.
What time is Crufts on TV tonight?
Crufts 2026 is on Channel 4 from 3pm and again from 7.30pm, with additional coverage on More4 from 6.30pm. Clare Balding and Claudia Winkleman present from Birmingham NEC.
TV Guide UK: Final Verdict
Molly vs the Machines on Channel 4 at 9pm is tonight's essential viewing. It tells the story of a father's decade-long campaign against social media platforms that fed his daughter harmful content, and the companies' failure to take responsibility. Set aside nearly two hours for it.
Beyond the headline pick, Thursday is packed. The Apprentice on BBC One at 9pm delivers the goods with an Egypt-set episode full of corporate cringe, Dragons' Den at 8pm has Susie Ma back and Peter Jones in pun mode, and Murder Case on BBC Two at 9pm wraps up the Arlene Fraser investigation. EastEnders at 7.30pm brings back a face from the 1990s, Crufts fills Channel 4 and More4 all evening, and Misery on BBC Four at 9pm is a reminder that Kathy Bates was once the most terrifying person in cinema. Sport fans have Premier League football on TNT Sports and darts from Cardiff on Sky Sports. For a quick look at what else is on TV tonight, check our tonight's highlights page.