Tuesday 17th March 2026 has a problem that is, in TV terms, a good one to have: at 9:00pm tonight, three series finales air simultaneously on three different channels. The Summit wraps on ITV1 with Ben Shephard, a mountain, and what the Radio Times promises is a heart-rending sacrifice at altitude. Handcuffed: Last Pair Standing reaches its £100,000 finish line on Channel 4, with Jonathan Ross watching to see who survives the race across Britain. And on BBC Three, RuPaul's Drag Race UK vs the World crowns its grand final winner. If you have two televisions and a phone, you might just manage. On BBC Two at the same hour, Europe on the Edge with Katya Adler reaches its own finale -- a fourth series ending, if you're counting. The decision is yours. Check the tonight page to see what's on right now.
What's On TV Tonight: Quick Picks
- Portrait of a Confused Father: Storyville ⭐ -- BBC Four, 10:00pm -- Norwegian doc filmed over 20 years; a father watches his son grow into a restless, troubled young man and then lose himself to a toxic digital world in Brazil. David Butcher calls it "a riveting watch and a deep, sad film about fatherhood, restlessness and failure." The best thing on television tonight
- The Summit -- ITV1, 9:00pm -- Series finale; 48 hours to the summit; one person makes an extraordinary, heart-rending sacrifice; will anyone finally see through Dockers?
- Handcuffed: Last Pair Standing -- Channel 4, 9:00pm -- Series finale; the final challenge across Britain; £100k prize; Jonathan Ross hosting the finish line
- RuPaul's Drag Race UK vs the World -- BBC Three, 9:00pm -- Grand final, episode 8 of 8; the winner of the international crossover is crowned tonight
- Europe on the Edge with Katya Adler -- BBC Two, 9:00pm -- Series finale; Spain's surprising Chinese alignment and France's wildfire crisis; one of the better foreign-affairs series of the year ends here
- Sort Your Life Out with Stacey Solomon -- BBC One, 8:00pm -- Almarie's south London home contains 204 pairs of shoes, 55 coats, 2,765 plastic toys and two dozen unused chairs; she needs a lodger but can't get one until they go
- The Dog House -- Channel 4, 8:00pm -- New series 9; cockapoo twins, a stray lurcher and a timid pomeranian looking for homes; still the warmest hour on television when it works
TV Guide: Early Evening (6pm – 8pm)
The Martin Lewis Money Show Live – ITV1, 7:15pm
Series 18, episode 8. Martin Lewis doing what Martin Lewis does: personal finance advice delivered with the specific evangelical energy of a man who genuinely cannot believe more people don't know about this. Live viewer questions and topical money guidance. Available on ITVX.
The One Show – BBC One, 7:00pm
Lauren Laverne and Alex Jones on the sofa for the Tuesday edition. Useful for the first half of the evening. Available on BBC iPlayer.
Great British Menu – BBC Two, 7:00pm
Episode 10 of 29, and the Welsh heat is in full swing. Four chefs compete for the honour of cooking at a banquet celebrating British film, with two Michelin-starred chef Tommy Banks sitting in judgment on the canapé round. Tonight three of the four make doughnut-based canapés, which suggests either a trend or a conspiracy. The vegan starters draw on Welsh inspiration from the British film industry, and at least one chef has reached for Sir Anthony Hopkins -- specifically his role as Hannibal Lecter. Borlotti rather than fava beans are involved, thank goodness. "I like the strangeness of all this," laughs Andi Oliver before she and Tommy Banks start impersonating Lecter's dusty, creepy slurping sound. Television, as they say, contains multitudes. Available on BBC iPlayer. (Note: John Chantarasak, who appears in MasterChef: The Professionals later tonight, also crosses over into this week's Great British Menu.)
EastEnders – BBC One, 7:30pm
Lauren gets her stride back, which in Walford terms means she's about to become either very useful or very dangerous. Suki receives a shock, which could mean any number of things but is unlikely to be pleasant. Available on BBC iPlayer.
TV Tonight: Prime Time (8pm onwards)
Sort Your Life Out with Stacey Solomon – BBC One, 8:00pm
Episode 2 of 6, and the series has chosen its second subject well. Almarie is a single parent in a three-bedroomed south London house, whose husband died unexpectedly a few years ago. She's never dealt with his belongings. She also fostered children, who contributed 2,765 plastic toys to the situation. The current inventory: 204 pairs of shoes, 55 coats, two dozen chairs that nobody uses, and what amounts to an entire secondary household of things nobody has had the heart -- or the emotional bandwidth -- to sort through. Almarie needs a lodger for financial reasons, but she can't take one in until the chairs go, and the chairs can't go until everything else shifts first. Jane Rackham in the Radio Times describes the transformation Stacey Solomon and team achieve as "jaw-dropping," and notes that Almarie's experience makes plain why this show works: decluttering is an emotional process, and the show doesn't pretend otherwise. There are tears and screams of joy. "There's no better feeling than knowing that the person you've just spent a week with is going to wake up feeling lighter," says Solomon. Available on BBC iPlayer.
Digging for Britain – BBC Two, 8:00pm
Episode 5 of 6. Alice Roberts and the latest round of significant archaeological finds from across Britain. The series has maintained a good balance between sites with obvious visual drama and those whose significance requires a bit more explanation -- both are here. Available on BBC iPlayer.
Emmerdale – ITV1, 8:00pm
Paddy receives a prison sentence for killing Ray, and in the guilt of it comes clean about Dylan's involvement. The kind of Emmerdale plot that spirals outward from one confession and takes several people with it. Reviewed by Jonathon Hughes. Available on ITVX.
The Dog House – Channel 4, 8:00pm
The new series begins with Woodgreen animal charity in Cambridgeshire reopening its doors, and the matchmaking format that made the earlier series work is back intact. Tonight: cockapoo twins Milo and Mabel, who need owners who can actually match their energy (a higher bar than it sounds); Floyd the stray lurcher, making his case for a permanent home; and Wills the timid pomeranian, who finds an unlikely companion in Dory the terrier. Jane Rackham's Radio Times review draws the obvious comparison to First Dates -- warm, optimistic television built around the moment two personalities click -- and it holds. The dogs are better-looking than most First Dates contestants. Available on Channel 4 streaming.
The Yorkshire Vet – Channel 5, 8:00pm
Series 22, episode 4, and the discovery at the centre of tonight's programme is genuinely good television: in Holmfirth, in the 1940s, a group of travelling acrobats adopted a tiger cub called Fenella. She grew up to become a beloved local figure who could be seen walking through town on a lead, stopping for children to pet her. Matt Smith and Rohin Aojula investigate. Fenella, as the review notes, never harmed anyone in her ten years in Holmfirth. Which is more than can be said for hot-headed calf Frosty, who provides a more chaotic subplot. Veteran vet Peter Wright is also on hand, along with a pregnant ewe rushed into surgery for twins. Available on My5.
Coronation Street – ITV1, 8:30pm
Sam, Kit, Todd and Leanne. The week on the Street continues. Available on ITVX.
MasterChef: The Professionals – BBC One, 9:00pm
Episode 17 of 21, and the semi-final arrives with a guest who has been busy this week. Michelin-starred chef John Chantarasak -- who you may have just watched in Great British Menu on BBC Two -- now turns up on BBC One to give a masterclass in cooking that draws on both his Thai and British roots. It is, as the Radio Times notes, a cross-over evening. The challenge for the remaining chefs: create their own dish using a larder of ingredients he has selected, built around what he says makes Thai food sing. The brief is specific enough to expose anyone who doesn't actually understand Thai flavour principles, and generous enough to allow real expression from those who do. The semi-finals conclude on Thursday. Available on BBC iPlayer, running until approximately 10:40pm.
Europe on the Edge with Katya Adler – BBC Two, 9:00pm (11:00pm in Northern Ireland)
The third and final episode of what has been a quietly impressive foreign affairs series. Adler visits France and Spain, and it's the Spanish section that delivers the surprises. When you picture Spain, East Asian influence isn't what comes to mind first -- but the Chinese economic presence there is, as the programme makes clear, huge and growing. When forced to choose between Trump's America and closer links with China, the Spanish know, as the review puts it, which side their barra is buttered. In France, Adler joins the fight against wildfires accelerated by climate change, which is becoming a structural problem rather than an exceptional event. David Butcher reviewed the series throughout and has found it consistently rewarding. Available on BBC iPlayer.
The Summit – ITV1, 9:00pm
Series finale, episode 8. If you haven't watched this week's episode yet, stop here. Ben Shephard hosts as the remaining climbers approach the final 48 hours, and the central question -- whether Dockers is genuinely a nice guy or has been playing everyone from the start -- is apparently resolved in a way that includes a surprise. One person makes what Stephen Kelly's Radio Times review calls "the most extraordinary, heart-rending sacrifice" of the series, which bonds the final three as they set off for the summit push. Whether the result feels earned will depend on whether you've bought into the characters over eight weeks, and the series has done enough work to make that likely. Available on ITVX.
Handcuffed: Last Pair Standing – Channel 4, 9:00pm
Series finale, episode 6. The final race runs across Britain, with £100,000 waiting at the end of it. Jonathan Ross is hosting the finish line. The pairs who have survived to this point have been through enough that the final leg carries genuine weight -- the early episodes were about endurance, but by now it's about who has managed their partnership well enough to still be functioning as a unit when it matters. Available on Channel 4 streaming.
RuPaul's Drag Race UK vs the World – BBC Three, 9:00pm
Grand final, episode 8 of 8. The international crossover series crowns its winner tonight. The format has always been a strong one -- established queens from multiple Drag Race franchises, none of the usual rookie-season awkwardness, all of them good enough to make the finale competitive. Available on BBC iPlayer.
Ellis – Channel 5, 9:00pm
Series 2, episode 3. A murder at a building site brings DCI Ellis and DS Harper to the door of Elliott Quinn (Mark Addy), owner of a construction company that has been an economic anchor for the area. The victim had been quietly digging into her boss before her death, which suggests the foundations of Quinn's operation are not as solid as they appear. David Brown's Radio Times review notes that Ellis keeps a straight face throughout -- and that if DS Harper won't rise to the available construction puns, Brown will do it himself. Mark Addy is a useful addition to a series that benefits from proper character actors in the antagonist role. Available on My5.
Saving Country Houses with Penelope Keith – More4, 9:00pm
The last in series 1. Storms in Dorset put Mapperton House's annual plant fair in jeopardy, and Penelope Keith visits to see how one of the country's more celebrated historic houses handles the kind of weather that turns a horticultural event into a muddy ordeal. A gentle series that has found its audience.
Made in Chelsea – E4, 9:05pm
Series 31, episode 2. The Chelsea set continue. Available on Channel 4 streaming.
I Hate Suzie – Sky Atlantic, 9:00pm
A double bill of episodes 5 and 6 from Sharon Horgan and Lucy Prebble's uncomfortable comedy drama. Billie Piper as Suzie Pickles, celebrity and disaster-in-progress. The series is sharp, sometimes difficult, and considerably better than its title suggests. Available on Sky Go or Now.
TV Guide UK: Late Night
Portrait of a Confused Father: Storyville – BBC Four, 10:00pm ⭐
Norwegian documentary maker Gunnar Hall Jensen filmed his son Jonathan over twenty years, from babyhood to young adulthood. That in itself could make a film -- watching a child grow, watching a specific personality form, watching a "wild flow of energy" and a short temper develop into something more complex. But Portrait of a Confused Father carries a weight from the beginning: we know, without being told precisely how, that Jonathan will die before his time. The film doesn't hurry toward it. Instead it watches, at length, as the emotional distance between father and son widens. Jonathan rebels, runs away to Brazil, and gets, as Jensen puts it, "swallowed up by a digital reality with twisted rules for how a man should succeed in the world." The picture of what that world does to a young man with Jonathan's temperament is specific and unsettling. David Butcher's Radio Times review is unambiguous: "Prepare to be floored." He calls it "a riveting watch and a deep, sad film about fatherhood, restlessness and failure." This is the best thing on television tonight, and it would be the best thing on television on most nights. Available on BBC iPlayer.
QI – BBC Two, 10:00pm
Sandi Toksvig with Tom Allen, Melanie Bracewell and Desiree Burch. A strong panel for the quiz that rewards lateral thinking over correct answers, and one that is considerably better when the panellists are actually funny rather than attempting to be. Available on BBC iPlayer.
Gogglebox – Channel 4, 10:00pm
Series 25. Britain's sofa-sitters react to the week's television, which tonight will presumably include at least two of the three series finales that aired an hour earlier. The meta-quality of watching people watch television is not lost on the format, which has survived long enough to become a cultural institution. Available on Channel 4 streaming.
Boarders – BBC One, 10:40pm
Episodes 1 and 2, repeated from BBC Three. Available on BBC iPlayer if you haven't caught up.
Sport
Champions League -- TNT Sports 1 and TNT Sports 2/3, from 7:00pm (coverage from 7:00pm, kick-off 7:45pm). Round-of-16 second-leg matches. The first legs will have set the context; tonight decides who goes through. TNT Sports 1 has the main match from 7:30pm.
League One -- Sky Sports Main Event, 7:30pm. Barnsley v Wigan Athletic. Two clubs with promotion ambitions; the kind of League One fixture that matters more than the level might suggest.
Miami Open -- Sky Sports Main Event, from 3:00pm. Tennis from Florida as the hard-court season continues.
World Snooker Open -- TNT Sports 1, from 6:00am and 11:30am.
See our full sport on TV guide for kick-off times and channels across every fixture tonight.
Tonight's TV Listings: Full Schedule
Here are the complete TV listings for Tuesday 17th March 2026 across all major Freeview, Sky and streaming channels.
| Time | Channel | Programme |
|---|---|---|
| 7:00pm | BBC One | The One Show (Lauren Laverne, Alex Jones) |
| 7:00pm | BBC Two | Great British Menu (Ep 10/29 -- Welsh heat, Tommy Banks judges) |
| 7:15pm | ITV1 | The Martin Lewis Money Show Live (S18 Ep 8) |
| 7:30pm | BBC One | EastEnders (Lauren gets her stride back; Suki shocked) |
| 7:30pm | TNT Sports 1 | Champions League coverage |
| 7:30pm | Sky Sports Main Event | Barnsley v Wigan Athletic (League One) |
| 7:45pm | TNT Sports 2/3 | Champions League second-leg matches |
| 8:00pm | BBC One | Sort Your Life Out with Stacey Solomon (Ep 2/6 -- Almarie) |
| 8:00pm | BBC Two | Digging for Britain (Ep 5/6) |
| 8:00pm | ITV1 | Emmerdale (Paddy sentenced; Dylan's involvement revealed) |
| 8:00pm | Channel 4 | The Dog House (new S9 Ep 1 -- Woodgreen, Cambridgeshire) |
| 8:00pm | Channel 5 | The Yorkshire Vet (S22 Ep 4 -- Fenella the tiger cub) |
| 8:30pm | ITV1 | Coronation Street (Sam, Kit, Todd, Leanne) |
| 9:00pm | BBC One | MasterChef: The Professionals (Ep 17/21 semi-final -- John Chantarasak) |
| 9:00pm | BBC Two | Europe on the Edge with Katya Adler (Ep 3/3 FINAL -- Spain and France) |
| 9:00pm | BBC Three | RuPaul's Drag Race UK vs the World (Ep 8/8 GRAND FINAL) |
| 9:00pm | ITV1 | The Summit (SERIES FINALE Ep 8 -- Ben Shephard) |
| 9:00pm | Channel 4 | Handcuffed: Last Pair Standing (SERIES FINALE Ep 6 -- Jonathan Ross) |
| 9:00pm | Channel 5 | Ellis (S2 Ep 3 -- Mark Addy; murder at building site) |
| 9:00pm | More4 | Saving Country Houses with Penelope Keith (S1 Ep 10 -- last in series) |
| 9:00pm | Sky Atlantic | I Hate Suzie (S1 Ep 5 and Ep 6 double bill -- Billie Piper) |
| 9:05pm | E4 | Made in Chelsea (S31 Ep 2) |
| 10:00pm | BBC Two | QI (Sandi Toksvig with Tom Allen, Melanie Bracewell, Desiree Burch) |
| 10:00pm | BBC Four | Portrait of a Confused Father: Storyville |
| 10:00pm | Channel 4 | Gogglebox (S25) |
| 10:40pm | BBC One | Boarders (Ep 1 and 2 -- repeat from BBC Three) |
Freeview TV Guide: What's On Streaming
Can't watch live? This Freeview TV guide covers streaming options too. Use our now and next guide to see what's on right now, or browse the full channels list for every available station.
BBC iPlayer: MasterChef: The Professionals, EastEnders, Sort Your Life Out with Stacey Solomon, Great British Menu, Digging for Britain, Europe on the Edge with Katya Adler, QI, RuPaul's Drag Race UK vs the World, Portrait of a Confused Father: Storyville, Boarders, The One Show
ITVX: The Summit (series finale), Emmerdale, Coronation Street, The Martin Lewis Money Show Live
Channel 4 streaming: The Dog House (new series), Handcuffed: Last Pair Standing (series finale), Gogglebox, Made in Chelsea
My5: The Yorkshire Vet, Ellis
Sky Go / NOW: I Hate Suzie (Sky Atlantic)
Frequently Asked Questions
Is EastEnders on TV tonight, Tuesday 17th March 2026?
Yes, EastEnders is on BBC One tonight at 7:30pm. Lauren gets her stride back and Suki receives a shock. The episode is available on BBC iPlayer after broadcast.
What time is The Summit finale on ITV1 tonight?
The Summit series finale -- episode 8 -- is on ITV1 at 9:00pm, hosted by Ben Shephard. With 48 hours left to reach the summit, one person makes what the Radio Times describes as an extraordinary, heart-rending sacrifice that bonds the final three. Available on ITVX.
What time is RuPaul's Drag Race UK vs the World grand final on BBC Three?
The grand final of RuPaul's Drag Race UK vs the World airs on BBC Three at 9:00pm tonight -- episode 8 of 8. The winner of the international crossover series is crowned. Available on BBC iPlayer.
What time is Handcuffed: Last Pair Standing finale on Channel 4?
The series finale of Handcuffed: Last Pair Standing -- episode 6 -- is on Channel 4 at 9:00pm. Jonathan Ross hosts the final race across Britain, with £100,000 on the line. Available on Channel 4 streaming.
What time is MasterChef: The Professionals on tonight?
MasterChef: The Professionals is on BBC One at 9:00pm (episode 17/21, semi-final), running until approximately 10:40pm. Michelin-starred chef John Chantarasak gives a masterclass combining his Thai and British roots; the remaining chefs must create a dish from a Thai-inspired larder he has selected. He also appears in Great British Menu on BBC Two at 7:00pm. Available on BBC iPlayer.
What's the best thing to watch on TV tonight?
Portrait of a Confused Father: Storyville on BBC Four at 10:00pm is the standout -- a Norwegian documentary filmed over 20 years about a father-son relationship that slowly breaks apart. David Butcher's Radio Times review calls it "a riveting watch and a deep, sad film about fatherhood, restlessness and failure." At 9:00pm, the triple-finale clash is the event of the evening: The Summit on ITV1 for the biggest emotional moment, Handcuffed on Channel 4 for the £100,000 finish line, or RuPaul's Drag Race UK vs the World on BBC Three for the crown.
TV Guide UK: Final Verdict
Tuesday 17th March 2026 is, by any reasonable measure, an excellent night of television. The 9:00pm hour contains four series finales across four channels -- The Summit, Handcuffed, RuPaul's Drag Race UK vs the World and Europe on the Edge with Katya Adler -- plus MasterChef: The Professionals semi-final and I Hate Suzie double bill on Sky Atlantic. Prioritise based on what you've been following: if you've watched The Summit across eight episodes, the finale is the obligation. If you've been with Katya Adler across three nights, BBC Two at 9:00pm is where to be.
The thing that will last longest in the memory tonight, though, is not any of the finales. It's Portrait of a Confused Father: Storyville on BBC Four at 10:00pm -- a Norwegian documentary that accumulates emotional weight so quietly that you don't notice how much of it there is until the film is already over. Set a reminder, stay up for it, or find it on BBC iPlayer tomorrow. It is worth the effort.
Browse the full channels list or check what's on now to follow the evening as it unfolds.