Wondering what's on TV tonight? Tuesday 21st April is one of those evenings where nearly every major channel has pulled its socks up, which makes the tv guide fun to read and the remote control an absolute nightmare. MasterChef starts its post-Torode-and-Wallace era on BBC One, three different series wrap up their runs, and two brand new shows launch. Browse the full tv listings below, see what's on right now for live updates, skim the tonight highlights, or head to the channels list for the full picture — including dedicated pages for BBC One and Channel 5. The Freeview TV guide is loaded tonight.
What's On TV Tonight: Quick Picks
- MasterChef ⭐ – BBC One, 9pm – NEW ERA; Anna Haugh and Grace Dent replace Torode/Wallace after 21 years; first heat, six cooks, four aprons; a proper TV moment
- Interior Design Masters with Alan Carr – BBC One, 8pm – NEW SERIES; ten designers, Dorset beach huts, judges Ogundehin and Jonathan Adler
- Better Date Than Never – BBC Three, 9pm – NEW SERIES double bill; neurodiverse dating show; inspired by Love on the Spectrum; Olivia's first date
- Suez: 24 Hours That Broke the British Empire – Channel 4, 9pm – CONCLUSION; the secret stitch-up between Britain, France, and Israel; Eisenhower's fury
- Brighton v Chelsea – Sky Sports, 8pm – Premier League at the Amex Stadium; kick-off 8pm
See what's on right now for live updates.
TV Guide: Early Evening (7pm – 8pm)
EastEnders – BBC One, 7:30pm
Ravi is trying to keep things together on the family front, which in EastEnders terms means something is about to go wrong. Mark helps Lauren with an unresolved bit of business, and Elaine and Ian head off to a gala. Those two at a formal event rarely ends calmly. Standard Tuesday Walford. On iPlayer if you miss it.
Springtime on the Farm – Channel 5, 7pm
The ninth series begins and Helen Skelton is already up to her elbows delivering one of the 500 lambs born this spring at Cannon Hall Farm, North Yorkshire. She's named him Bob. Jules Hudson and JB Gill are on hand too, and there's a trip out to Jimmy Doherty's Suffolk wildlife park later in the run. The Nicholson brothers' farm does what it always does: quietly watchable, occasionally chaotic, good spring telly.
Snooker World Championship Day 4 – BBC Four, 7pm
The Crucible rolls on. BBC Four has evening coverage from 7pm to 10pm, and TNT Sports 1 and 3 are carrying Judd Trump vs Gary Wilson from 6:30pm. Day 4 of 17 is still early-rounds territory, but the Crucible always throws up one scrappy frame or a Trump 147 attempt that makes it worth dipping in.
TV Tonight: Prime Time (8pm onwards)
Interior Design Masters with Alan Carr – BBC One, 8pm
The new series opens with ten novice designers handed a row of identical beach huts on the Dorset coast and told to do something interesting with them. Same square footage, same blank canvas, ten very different imaginations. One goes full animal print. Another is all upcycled papier-mâché and cockle shells. A third goes in hard on MDF and paint, for reasons best known to the designer.
Alan Carr is more engaged than you'd expect from a light-entertainment host parachuted into a design show. He actually looks at the work, flits between contestants, cracks jokes that don't undermine the judging. Michelle Ogundehin is the serious design eye in the room, and Jonathan Adler brings the New York interiors perspective. The three of them go on to flag up three of tonight's designers for a "could do better" session on Ogundehin's sofa — which feels a bit like being sent to the headmaster. Enjoyable opener.
Race Across the World – BBC One, 8pm
Series 6, episode 3. The teams are pushing through Asia, with Halfeti in Turkey as the next checkpoint. No phones. No flights. Fixed budget. The format's still the best thing about it: no gimmicky tasks, no eliminations until the end of each leg, just people hauling themselves between two pins on a map via bus, boat, or the kindness of a passing driver. If you haven't joined yet, start from episode 1 on iPlayer — you lose too much by picking it up halfway.
MasterChef ⭐ – BBC One, 9pm
Twenty-one years. Let that sink in. Torode and Wallace were so welded to the MasterChef furniture that a version without them sounded absurd right up until the last minute. And yet here we are. Anna Haugh, chef and restaurateur, and Grace Dent, a restaurant critic who has spent years writing about exactly this kind of food, are running the kitchen now. On the evidence of episode one, they're a strong pairing.
Six home cooks, four aprons. The format is the same — audition, pressure test, the slow narrowing towards a final — but the room feels different. Less theatre. More actual conversation about what's on the plate. Haugh and Dent look properly interested in what people are cooking and why, which sounds obvious but hasn't always been the mood in this kitchen. Whether you're nostalgic for the old double-act or relieved it's gone, tonight's worth putting on.
Suez: 24 Hours That Broke the British Empire – Channel 4, 9pm
The conclusion. Monday's opener set out how Eden, France, and Israel secretly stitched together a pretext for attacking Egypt. Tonight's episode charts how fast it all fell apart: operation underway, Eisenhower incandescent (there's a profanity-laced rant on the phone that's apparently a matter of historical record), the United States refusing to prop up a collapsing pound, and Eden's government driven into a humiliating retreat inside a week.
It frames 1956 as the moment Britain stopped being a superpower and started pretending it was still one, and makes a decent case that the pretending has never really stopped. Sharp, grown-up documentary. Catch part one on Channel 4 streaming first if you missed it.
Better Date Than Never – BBC Three, 9pm and 9:30pm
New series, double bill. Warmer and funnier than the setup sounds on paper. Olivia is 22, an accomplished swimmer, poet and dancer, has Down's syndrome and has never been on a date. Nirvali is 20, socially anxious, and finds leaving the house hard. Charles is just hoping to meet someone who gets him. The show sits with them through the nerves and the small wins of a first date without slipping into inspiration porn or mining awkward moments for cheap laughs.
It's from the Australian team behind Love on the Spectrum, and you can feel the DNA: real people, no editorial eye-rolling, the camera staying put when most shows would cut away. One participant describes their perfect date as "a couple of awkward interactions and then after that we go home", which is frankly relatable. Catching both halves back-to-back is the right way to watch.
Britain's Murder Map with Vicky McClure and Jonny Owen – Sky History, 9pm
Episode 3 digs into Bible John — three women killed after nights at the Barrowland Ballroom in Glasgow between 1968 and 1969, the suspect never identified. McClure knows her way around crime drama and handles the material with the right seriousness. Owen keeps it on the facts rather than lurid speculation. Not an easy watch, but a grim Scottish cold case handled with some care.
TV Guide UK: Late Night
To Think Like a Killer – BBC Two, 9:45pm and 11pm
BBC Two runs episode 2 at 9:45pm, then breaks for Newsnight at 10:30, then closes out with the final episode at 11pm. The series follows Dr Ann Burgess, whose research in the early 1980s reshaped how law enforcement reads — and catches — violent offenders. Tonight's first half takes us back to Louisiana in 1981 and the Ski Mask Rapist case (Jon Barry Simonis, eventually sentenced to 21 life terms). The concluding hour pulls her landmark study together and looks at how her methods filtered into serial crime investigation. Worth staying up for if true crime is your lane — but heads up: there's sexual violence content in the first half.
The Assembly – ITV1, 10:05pm
Anna Maxwell Martin faces a panel of autistic, neurodivergent and learning-disabled interviewers who — unlike every promo-circuit interviewer in history — are not there to flatter. The show has previously produced some of the most revealing celebrity chat of the last few years, for the obvious reason that nobody on the panel is angling for a follow-up booking. Maxwell Martin has said she was nervous going in ("No one wants to come across as a w****r", apparently), which is the right instinct. The point of The Assembly is the discomfort.
Spymasters: The Great Spy Writers – Sky Arts, 9pm (FINAL EPISODE)
The fourth and final episode covers the ground between Len Deighton and Mick Herron. Deighton died last month at 97, which gives this closing hour a weight the producers probably didn't plan for. Expect Harry Palmer, The Ipcress File and Slow Horses on the fiction side, plus the real-life 1985 defection of Oleg Gordievsky and the intelligence trail that led to bin Laden's compound on the other. A satisfying way for the series to sign off.
Four Weddings and a Funeral – BBC One, 10:40pm
If it's been a while, the 1994 Richard Curtis film is on late tonight. Hugh Grant doing his prime-era charming-idiot routine, Andie MacDowell as the reason, Kristin Scott Thomas quietly stealing every scene she's in, Simon Callow and John Hannah delivering the gut-punch funeral sequence. Thirty-two years on, the script still snaps. Late-night comfort watching.
Sport
Brighton v Chelsea – Sky Sports Main Event/PL, 8pm
Brighton host Chelsea at the Amex. Kick-off 8pm on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League, with pre-match build-up from 7:30pm. Title implications for Chelsea, European places in play for Brighton. Must-watch football.
World Snooker Championship Day 4 – BBC Four, 7pm–10pm
Day 4 at the Crucible. BBC Four has the evening session live. TNT Sports 1 and 3 carry daytime and additional coverage including Judd Trump vs Gary Wilson from 6:30pm. The tournament continues through to the final on 5 May.
Madrid Open Tennis – Sky Sports Tennis, from 10am
The Madrid Open continues on clay. Sky Sports Tennis has live coverage from 10am -- note that Sky Sports Main Event has the Brighton v Chelsea football tonight, so the tennis is on the dedicated channel.
Tonight's TV Listings: Full Schedule
Here are the full tv listings for Tuesday 21st April 2026 across all major Freeview, Sky, and streaming channels.
| Time | Channel | Programme |
|---|---|---|
| 10am | Sky Sports Tennis | Madrid Open Tennis (LIVE) |
| 6:30pm | TNT Sports 1 | World Snooker Championship (LIVE, Judd Trump v Gary Wilson) |
| 7pm | BBC Four | World Snooker Championship Day 4 (LIVE) |
| 7pm | Channel 5 | Springtime on the Farm (NEW SERIES, S9 Ep 1) |
| 7:30pm | BBC One | EastEnders |
| 8pm | BBC One | Interior Design Masters with Alan Carr (NEW SERIES, Ep 1) |
| 8pm | BBC Two | Britain's Biggest Warship Goes to Sea (FINAL, Ep 3) |
| 8pm | BBC One | Race Across the World (S6 Ep 3) |
| 8pm | ITV1 | Emmerdale |
| 8pm | Channel 4 | Our Welsh Chapel Dream (S3 Ep 3) |
| 8pm | Channel 5 | Sam and Ade Go Birding (S1 Ep 2) |
| 8pm | Sky Sports Main Event/PL | Brighton v Chelsea (k/o 8pm) |
| 8:30pm | ITV1 | Coronation Street |
| 9pm | BBC One | MasterChef (NEW ERA, Ep 1/21) |
| 9pm | BBC Three | Better Date Than Never (NEW SERIES, Ep 1) |
| 9pm | ITV1 | I'm a Celebrity South Africa |
| 9pm | Channel 4 | Suez: 24 Hours That Broke the British Empire (CONCLUSION, Ep 2) |
| 9pm | Channel 5 | Egypt with Dan Snow (Ep 2) |
| 9pm | E4 | Gogglebox |
| 9pm | Film4 | Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014) |
| 9pm | Sky Arts | Spymasters: The Great Spy Writers (FINAL, Ep 4) |
| 9pm | Sky History | Britain's Murder Map with Vicky McClure and Jonny Owen (Ep 3) |
| 9:15pm | Sky Atlantic | Ligas (S1 Ep 5) |
| 9:30pm | BBC Three | Better Date Than Never (Ep 2) |
| 9:45pm | BBC Two | QI XL (S22 Ep 10, "Vulgar") |
| 10pm | BBC Four | Speechless Storyville (FINAL, Ep 2) |
| 10pm | Channel 4 | Gordon Ramsay's Secret Service |
| 10:05pm | ITV1 | The Assembly |
| 10:40pm | BBC One | Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994 film) |
| 9:45pm | BBC Two | To Think Like a Killer (Ep 2) |
| 11pm | BBC Two | To Think Like a Killer (FINAL, Ep 3) |
| 11:15pm | ITV1 | The Murder Line "Bones" |
Freeview TV Guide: What's On Streaming
Can't watch live tonight? Here's where to find everything on catch-up and streaming:
BBC iPlayer: MasterChef, Interior Design Masters with Alan Carr, EastEnders, Race Across the World, Better Date Than Never (both episodes), Britain's Biggest Warship Goes to Sea, QI XL, To Think Like a Killer (both episodes), Speechless Storyville, Four Weddings and a Funeral, World Snooker Championship
ITVX: I'm a Celebrity South Africa, Emmerdale, Coronation Street, The Assembly, The Murder Line
Channel 4 streaming: Suez: 24 Hours That Broke the British Empire (both parts), Our Welsh Chapel Dream, Gordon Ramsay's Secret Service
My5: Springtime on the Farm, Sam and Ade Go Birding, Egypt with Dan Snow
NOW TV / Sky: Brighton v Chelsea, Spymasters, Britain's Murder Map, Ligas (Sky or NOW subscription required)
Frequently Asked Questions
Is EastEnders on TV tonight, Tuesday 21st April 2026?
Yes. EastEnders is on BBC One tonight at 7:30pm. Ravi tries to hold his family together, Mark helps Lauren, and Elaine and Ian head out to a gala. Available to catch up on BBC iPlayer.
What time is MasterChef on BBC One tonight?
MasterChef is on BBC One tonight at 9pm. This is episode 1 of the new series and the first episode with new judges Anna Haugh and Grace Dent, following the departure of John Torode and Gregg Wallace after 21 years. Six home cooks compete in the opening heat with four aprons up for grabs. Available on BBC iPlayer.
What time is Interior Design Masters on tonight?
Interior Design Masters with Alan Carr is on BBC One at 8pm tonight -- the first episode of a new series. Ten designers transform Dorset beach huts, judged by Michelle Ogundehin, Alan Carr, and Jonathan Adler. On BBC iPlayer afterwards.
What time is Better Date Than Never on BBC Three tonight?
Better Date Than Never launches on BBC Three with a double bill -- episode 1 at 9pm and episode 2 at 9:30pm. It's a new series following neurodiverse young people on their first dates, from the same production team behind the Australian series Love on the Spectrum. Both episodes on BBC iPlayer.
What time is Brighton v Chelsea on tonight?
Brighton v Chelsea kicks off at 8pm at the Amex Stadium tonight, live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League. The Madrid Open tennis is also live on Sky Sports Tennis from 10am if you're after a full day of sport.
What's the best thing to watch on TV tonight?
MasterChef on BBC One at 9pm is the obvious standout -- the new judge era with Anna Haugh and Grace Dent replacing Torode and Wallace is genuinely worth seeing from the beginning. If you want something earlier, Interior Design Masters launches at 8pm on BBC One, and Race Across the World on BBC One at 8pm is reliably good. For documentary viewing, the Suez conclusion on Channel 4 at 9pm is as strong as part one.
TV Guide UK: Final Verdict
Three finales in one night — To Think Like a Killer, Spymasters, Speechless — is a lot. What's starting tonight carries more weight though. The MasterChef reset is one of those shows you either watch from episode one or spend a fortnight catching up on awkwardly. BBC One has sequenced the evening neatly: Interior Design Masters at 8pm to warm up, MasterChef at 9pm for the main event, and Four Weddings at 10:40pm if you need something familiar to drift off to.
Check what's on right now for live updates, browse the full channels list, or see the tonight highlights. This tv guide for Tuesday 21st April holds up from 7pm right through to midnight. The Freeview TV guide earns its keep.