What's on TV tonight? Thursday's tv guide has a 9pm slot that's going to cause arguments in households with one telly. Our tv listings are headlined by two major premieres -- Taskmaster kicks off its 21st series on Channel 4 with a cast that includes Kumail Nanjiani and Armando Iannucci, while BBC Two opens Inside Barlinnie, a two-part look inside Scotland's most notorious prison. BBC One meanwhile delivers The Apprentice interviews round -- the one episode every year where the series earns its reputation. Browse the freeview tv guide below, or check the tonight page to see what's on right now.
What's On TV Tonight: Quick Picks
- Taskmaster -- Channel 4, 9pm -- NEW SERIES 21; Joel Dommett, Kumail Nanjiani, Armando Iannucci, Amy Gledhill, Joanna Page; T-shirt cannons; series premiere
- The Apprentice -- BBC One, 9pm -- EP 11/12 interviews round; Claude Littner; Mike Soutar product tests; five candidates; penultimate episode
- Inside Barlinnie -- BBC Two, 9pm -- NEW; Scotland's largest prison; drug overdose; religion; raw documentary
- Paul Merton: Driving Amazing Trains -- Channel 4, 8pm -- NEW SERIES; Isle of Wight; refitted Tube stock; cow birth; Merton being Merton
- The Miniature Wife -- Sky Atlantic, 9pm -- NEW; Matthew Macfadyen; Elizabeth Banks; six inches tall; marriage in crisis
TV Guide: Early Evening (7pm – 8:30pm)
Great British Menu -- BBC Two, 7pm
Judging day arrives for the London and South East heats. The two chefs who've scored highest across the week go head to head, and Simon Callow gets to sit at the top of the table and decide who's going to the final banquet. Great British Menu in its judging episodes tends to be better than the cooking rounds -- the tension is real, the food is extraordinary, and Simon Callow is a considerably more entertaining judge than you'd expect from a theatre actor. On BBC iPlayer.
EastEnders -- BBC One, 7:30pm
Jasmine's trial verdict is delivered tonight, which brings a storyline to the courtroom conclusion it's been building towards. Thursday EastEnders are often about consequence rather than incident, and this one should deliver. Worth catching on BBC One live or on iPlayer if you've been keeping up.
Race Across the World -- BBC One, 8pm
Episode two, and the teams are making their way from Greece towards Istanbul -- a leg that involves ferry crossings, border crossings, and the increasingly dawning realisation of exactly how far Mongolia is. The gap between the teams is starting to widen, and some early dynamics are beginning to look a bit shaky. Addictive stuff. On BBC iPlayer.
TV Tonight: Prime Time (8pm onwards)
Paul Merton: Driving Amazing Trains -- Channel 4, 8pm
Paul Merton has wanted to drive trains since childhood, and Channel 4 has let him. This new series sends him to some genuinely interesting locations -- the premiere takes him to the Isle of Wight, where passengers are still being transported in refurbished London Underground rolling stock from the 1930s. His dad drove Tube trains, so you can see where this comes from. He also immerses himself in D-Day history and helps deliver a calf, which is either a charming extra or a baffling detour depending on your tolerance for Merton going off-script. Either way, it's warm and funny. On Channel 4 streaming.
The Apprentice -- BBC One, 9pm ⭐
The interviews round. Eleven episodes in and this is the one. Five candidates remain, and they now have to sit down individually with Lord Sugar's advisors and justify everything they've ever claimed, thought, or been. Claude Littner sends a chill across all five before he's even opened his mouth -- that remains unchanged after all these years. Mike Soutar is the new menace this series, devising specific knowledge tests for two of the candidates to see whether they actually understand the businesses they claim to be running. The answer in both cases is: not well enough. Penultimate episode before the final. On BBC iPlayer.
Taskmaster -- Channel 4, 9pm
Series 21. Twenty-one. Let that sink in. And yet here we are, and the show isn't remotely running out of steam. The new cast is worth going through: Joel Dommett is the warm, slightly chaotic anchor; Kumail Nanjiani brings the novelty of being an actual Hollywood actor who was once a Marvel superhero and has presented at the Oscars; Armando Iannucci is a joy because you have no idea whether he'll be brilliant or completely useless at this kind of thing; Amy Gledhill is sharp and competitive; Joanna Page (Gavin from Gavin and Stacey) rounds off a line-up that actually makes you curious about all five. The premiere tasks involve a food-based riddle and a T-shirt cannon. Greg Davies is in fine contemptuous form. Alex Horne continues to do whatever Alex Horne does. On Channel 4 streaming.
Inside Barlinnie -- BBC Two, 9pm
HMP Barlinnie has been operating in the east end of Glasgow since 1882 and has housed some of the most notorious criminals in Scottish history. This two-part documentary gets inside the walls for an honest look at what life there actually involves. The first episode follows JP, who has been using drugs since he was thirteen and ends up hospitalised after an overdose; Nory, who is trying to make peace with the weight of what he's done; and Ryan, who has been violent but is now turning to religion. Prison governor Mick Stoney describes the place as capable of going from zero to chaos in any given second. This is not a flattering portrait of the prison system, but it doesn't feel like it's trying to be anything other than true. On BBC iPlayer.
The Miniature Wife -- Sky Atlantic, 9pm
The high-concept pitch: inventor Les Littlejohn (Matthew Macfadyen) accidentally reduces his wife Lindy (Elizabeth Banks) to a height of six inches. The complication: the two of them were already locked in a deeply unpleasant marriage of petty score-settling and accumulated resentments before Les got the shrink ray out. What follows is a comedy-drama about power, ego and who actually controls a relationship when everything has been stripped down -- literally -- to basics. Macfadyen is excellent at barely suppressed panic and Banks is good at making you sympathise with someone you probably shouldn't. First episode, and the show is still finding its tone, but it could go somewhere.
TV Guide UK: Late Night
Cannabis Cove -- BBC One, 10:40pm
A west Wales fishing village, 1983. A major drugs smuggling operation hidden inside a small coastal community. This is the first of two documentaries telling the story of how the operation was discovered and what happened next -- Operation Seal Bay, as it was known. Late-night BBC One documentaries about forgotten British crime stories tend to be much better than they have any right to be, and this looks like another one. On BBC iPlayer.
Brideshead Revisited -- BBC Four, 8pm
The 2008 film adaptation, starring Matthew Goode as Charles Ryder alongside Emma Thompson and Ben Whishaw. It's not the 1981 ITV series -- nothing ever is -- but as a standalone film it's handsomely made and worth two hours of a Thursday evening. Gosford Park (2001) follows at 10:50pm with a brief introduction from Dame Helen Mirren at 10:30pm, which makes BBC Four the place to be if your evening involves a glass of wine and no intention of leaving the sofa. On BBC iPlayer.
Sport
The Masters -- Round 1: Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Golf from 2pm. The first major of the golfing year gets under way at Augusta National, with Rory McIlroy defending the title he won in 2025. Day one form can be misleading at Augusta, but first-round leaders tend to be worth watching.
Europa League QF -- Porto v Nottingham Forest: TNT Sports 1, 7pm (kick-off 8pm). Forest in Europe is still one of the genuinely good stories in English football right now. Porto at home is a tough ask, but they've shown all season they can handle tough asks.
Europa League QF -- Bologna v Aston Villa: TNT Sports 2, 7pm (kick-off 8pm). Villa's European run continues in Italy. Both legs of a quarter-final away from home is never comfortable.
Conference League QF -- Crystal Palace v Fiorentina: TNT Sports 3, 7pm (kick-off 8pm). Palace hosting Fiorentina at Selhurst Park. Good atmosphere for a European tie if the crowd gets behind them early.
Grand National Festival Day 1 -- Aintree: ITV1 from 1:30pm. The build-up to Saturday's main event begins with a strong Thursday card at Aintree.
See the full sport on TV guide for all times and channels.
Tonight's TV Listings: Full Schedule
Here are the complete TV listings for Thursday 9th April 2026 across all major Freeview, Sky and streaming channels.
| Time | Channel | Programme |
|---|---|---|
| 7:00pm | BBC Two | Great British Menu (Ep 21/29 -- judging day; London & South East heats; Simon Callow decides) |
| 7:30pm | BBC One | EastEnders (Jasmine's trial verdict; BBC iPlayer) |
| 8:00pm | ITV1 | Emmerdale |
| 8:00pm | BBC One | Race Across the World (Ep 2/9 -- Greece to Istanbul) |
| 8:00pm | BBC Two | This Farming Life (Ep 7/12 -- Adam and Lucy; dairy cows; beef calves; feed costs) |
| 8:00pm | Channel 4 | Paul Merton: Driving Amazing Trains (NEW SERIES Ep 1 -- Isle of Wight; Island Line; D-Day; cow birth) |
| 8:00pm | Channel 5 | Yorkshire's Poshest Hotel: Grantley Hall (Ep 3/4 -- country singer wedding; duck house; floral arrangements) |
| 8:00pm | BBC Four | Brideshead Revisited (2008 film -- Matthew Goode; Emma Thompson; Ben Whishaw) |
| 8:00pm | U&Drama | Queens of Mystery (spa whodunnit; dark final act; series two) |
| 8:30pm | ITV1 | Coronation Street |
| 9:00pm | BBC One | The Apprentice (Ep 11/12 -- interviews round; Claude Littner; Mike Soutar; five candidates remain) |
| 9:00pm | BBC Two | Inside Barlinnie (NEW Ep 1/2 -- HMP Barlinnie; JP overdose; Nory; Ryan; governor Mick Stoney) |
| 9:00pm | Channel 4 | Taskmaster (NEW SERIES 21 Ep 1 -- Joel Dommett; Kumail Nanjiani; Armando Iannucci; Amy Gledhill; Joanna Page) |
| 9:00pm | Channel 5 | Jane McDonald in Nashville (NEW Ep 1/2 -- Ryman Auditorium; line dancing; whiskey history) |
| 9:00pm | Sky Atlantic | The Miniature Wife (NEW Ep 1 -- Matthew Macfadyen; Elizabeth Banks; six inches tall) |
| 10:00pm | Channel 4 | The Copenhagen Test (Ep 3/8 -- spy thriller continues) |
| 10:30pm | BBC Four | Gosford Park introduction (Dame Helen Mirren introduction) |
| 10:40pm | BBC One | Cannabis Cove: Operation Seal Bay (NEW Ep 1/2 -- west Wales; 1983 smuggling operation) |
| 10:50pm | BBC Four | Gosford Park (2001 film -- Robert Altman; Helen Mirren; Kristin Scott Thomas) |
Freeview TV Guide: What's On Streaming
Can't watch live? The freeview tv guide has all the catch-up options. Check our now and next guide to see what's currently on, or browse the channels list for every station.
BBC iPlayer: The Apprentice, Race Across the World, EastEnders, Great British Menu, This Farming Life, Inside Barlinnie, Cannabis Cove, Brideshead Revisited
Channel 4 streaming: Taskmaster (all series available), Paul Merton: Driving Amazing Trains, The Copenhagen Test
My5: Yorkshire's Poshest Hotel: Grantley Hall, Jane McDonald in Nashville
ITVX: Emmerdale, Coronation Street
U: Queens of Mystery (series one and two available)
Frequently Asked Questions
Is EastEnders on TV tonight, Thursday 9th April 2026?
Yes -- EastEnders is on BBC One at 7:30pm tonight. Jasmine's trial verdict is delivered in this episode, which has been a central storyline for some time. Available on BBC iPlayer after broadcast.
What time is Taskmaster series 21 on tonight?
Taskmaster series 21 starts on Channel 4 at 9pm tonight. The cast is Joel Dommett, Kumail Nanjiani, Amy Gledhill, Armando Iannucci and Joanna Page. Greg Davies and Alex Horne are back in their usual roles. Available on Channel 4 streaming afterwards -- and all previous series are on there too.
What time is The Apprentice on tonight?
The Apprentice is on BBC One at 9pm. It's the penultimate episode -- the interviews round, episode 11 of 12. Five candidates face Lord Sugar's advisors including Claude Littner and Mike Soutar. The final is next week. On BBC iPlayer.
What is Inside Barlinnie about on BBC Two tonight?
Inside Barlinnie is a two-part documentary about HMP Barlinnie, Scotland's largest prison in Glasgow. The first episode is on BBC Two at 9pm tonight. It follows several prisoners including JP, who collapses from a drug overdose, Nory, who is confronting his past, and Ryan, a violent prisoner who has turned to religion. Available on BBC iPlayer afterwards.
What football is on TV tonight?
Three English clubs are in European quarter-final action tonight. Nottingham Forest play Porto in the Europa League on TNT Sports 1 (kick-off 8pm), Aston Villa face Bologna in the Europa League on TNT Sports 2 (kick-off 8pm), and Crystal Palace host Fiorentina in the Conference League on TNT Sports 3 (kick-off 8pm). All three games kick off simultaneously.
What's the best thing to watch on TV tonight?
Taskmaster series 21 on Channel 4 at 9pm is the most fun thing on telly tonight -- the new cast is excellent and the premiere lands well. If you want something more serious, Inside Barlinnie on BBC Two at 9pm is the real deal if you want something heavy. The Apprentice interviews round on BBC One at 9pm is the episode the whole series builds towards. Good luck picking just one at 9pm.
TV Guide UK: Final Verdict
The 9pm slot tonight is the most competitive Thursday has delivered in a while. Taskmaster, The Apprentice, Inside Barlinnie and The Miniature Wife are all starting or at peak on the same hour. Our tv guide recommendation is Taskmaster for the laugh and The Apprentice for the drama -- but they're both an hour, so you'll need to pick one and catch the other on streaming.
Earlier in the evening, Paul Merton's train series on Channel 4 at 8pm is the kind of gentle, curious television that Thursday evenings were made for, while Race Across the World continues to be the best thing on BBC One right now. Check what's on now as the evening unfolds, or browse the full channels list for everything available tonight.