What's on TV tonight? The bank holiday weekend is done, and Tuesday 5th May 2026 has not offered much of a recuperation day. The schedule tonight is genuinely loaded: Secret Service reaches its series finale on ITV1 at 9pm, Arsenal take on Atletico Madrid in the Champions League semi-final second leg on Amazon Prime Video at 8pm, Richard Gadd brings episode 2 of Half Man to BBC One late at night, and Jamie Oliver launches a new BBQ series on Channel 4 at 8pm. That is a lot to fit around the soaps and MasterChef. Browse what's on right now for live updates, skim tonight's highlights, or head to the channels list for the full picture — including pages for BBC One, ITV1, and Channel 4. First Tuesday back after a bank holiday, and it is already asking something of you.
What's On TV Tonight: Quick Picks
- Secret Service ⭐ -- ITV1, 9pm -- SERIES FINALE Ep 5/5; Kate's Moscow operation; the traitor unmasked; two key characters' fates decided; Gemma Arterton
- Half Man ⭐ -- BBC One, 10:40pm -- Ep 2/6; Richard Gadd's drama (NOT Sally Wainwright); series' most violent episode; Niall at college; Ruben's appalling act; Ep 3 on iPlayer Friday
- Arsenal v Atletico Madrid -- Amazon Prime Video, 8pm -- Champions League semi-final second leg; 1-1 on aggregate; Arsenal at the Emirates; Prime Video subscription required
- Jamie's Ultimate BBQ -- Channel 4, 8pm -- NEW SERIES Ep 1/3; Jamie Oliver; steak three ways; woodsmoke chicken Caesar; lamb lollipops
- The Nevada Casino Heist -- BBC Two, 9:45pm -- NEW; 1980 Lake Tahoe; $3m TNT bomb; FBI vs the clock
See what's on right now for live updates.
TV Guide: Early Evening (6:30pm -- 8pm)
Great Korean Railway Journeys -- BBC Two, 6:30pm
Michael Portillo is back in South Korea for episode 2 of 5, continuing south through the country's high-speed rail network after Monday's opener at the Demilitarised Zone. The series runs weeknightly on BBC Two through Friday 8 May, one episode per evening. If you missed Monday's start at the DMZ, both episodes are on BBC iPlayer.
The Martin Lewis Money Show Live -- ITV1, 7pm (Pensions Special)
Martin Lewis and Jeanette Kwakye dedicate tonight's edition to pensions -- private pensions, state pensions, and the specific question of whether topping up National Insurance years is worth doing. Lewis at his most effective is when the subject is dense enough that most people have not looked properly at it. State pension planning is exactly that. On ITV1 from approximately 7pm, available on ITVX.
UK Crime Files: The Cliff Top Killer -- True Crime Channel, from 7pm
The True Crime Channel's nightly UK Crime Files block starts from 7pm. Tonight's featured case: a coastal killer whose decades-old murders were eventually solved through modern forensic breakthroughs. The True Crime Channel is available free on Freeview, Sky, Virgin Media, and Freesat.
EastEnders -- BBC One, 7:30pm
Nicola has something to come clean about to George, and the framing suggests it is not a minor thing. Ian, recently humiliated by Oscar, makes a decision that is described as "rash" — which in Walford means it will almost certainly have consequences. Linda makes a choice on behalf of her family. A purposeful Tuesday episode that feels like it is setting something up. On BBC One at 7:30pm, available on BBC iPlayer.
TV Tonight: Prime Time (8pm onwards)
Interior Design Masters with Alan Carr -- BBC One, 8pm
Episode 3 of the current series, and the one that changes the format: the designers are paired up for the first time and sent to transform four very different spaces at The Passage, a Westminster charity supporting people experiencing homelessness. The venue shifts the temperature considerably. Designing beach huts or hotel rooms is one thing; designing spaces that will be used by people who have been sleeping rough is something else, and the episode earns the difference.
Sophie Robinson joins as guest judge, bringing a maximalist sensibility that tends to put her in productive disagreement with Michelle Ogundehin's stricter eye. Dara O Briain visits as patron of The Passage -- Alan Carr was reportedly hoping for Prince William, which gives you some sense of how these things go. The pairs format also introduces a new competitive pressure: if your pair underperforms, you both go home. Two designers are eliminated tonight. On BBC One at 8pm, available on BBC iPlayer.
Jamie's Ultimate BBQ -- Channel 4, 8pm (NEW SERIES)
Three episodes, focused and practical, and timed with genuine precision: the bank holiday weekend that just passed is when most of the country either assembled a new barbecue with no instructions, burned something expensive, or both. Jamie Oliver's new series arrives exactly at the moment when everyone is looking for what they did wrong.
Episode 1 covers sirloin steak in three different preparations, whole fish on the grill, Italian-inspired lamb chop lollipops, and a chicken Caesar salad built around charred vegetables and a woodsmoke technique that is apparently the favourite dish of Jamie's 15-year-old son Buddy. Practical tips throughout. Three episodes means no padding -- the series gets to the point quickly and stays there. On Channel 4 at 8pm, available on Channel 4 streaming.
Reuben Owen: Life in the Dales -- Channel 5, 8pm
Series 3, episode 2. Reuben Owen and Jess continue the Yorkshire Dales life, with Sonny and Capper recruited to help erect a sheep pen and siblings Miles and Sidney attempting the "blue seal" standard of sheep shearing -- three sheep clipped in half an hour. Ralf Little narrates. Clive's approaching 70th birthday is the series' running thread. On Channel 5 at 8pm, available on My5.
Arsenal v Atletico Madrid -- Amazon Prime Video, 8pm ⭐
The tie is level. Arsenal drew 1-1 at the Metropolitano in Madrid on 29 April, with Viktor Gyokeres and Julian Alvarez both on target, and a late Arsenal penalty was overturned in that first leg. Tonight it comes to the Emirates: Arsenal 90 minutes from a Champions League final for the first time in over two decades.
This is not on free-to-air television. Amazon Prime Video UK has the exclusive live rights to the second leg, which means you need a Prime subscription to watch it happen. That is worth flagging clearly. The other semi-final -- PSG against Bayern Munich, after a nine-goal first leg that ended 5-4 to PSG -- goes tomorrow night on TNT Sports. Tonight belongs to Arsenal and Atletico. Kick-off 8pm.
Emmerdale -- ITV1, 8pm
The Tuesday episode of Emmerdale runs for 30 minutes in the current format and moves the village's ongoing stories forward. On ITV1 at 8pm, available on ITVX.
Coronation Street -- ITV1, 8:30pm
The murder investigation that has been building across the past week now has forensic weight. DC Kit Green arrives at Number 8 to tell David and Shona Platt that the blood at the scene belongs to more than one person -- which deepens rather than resolves things. David then has to confess to Shona about Jodie, who had been messaging him while impersonating Shona and eventually lured him into bed. The investigation continues to tighten, and the Platts are now very much inside it. On ITV1 at 8:30pm, available on ITVX.
MasterChef -- BBC One, 9pm
Heat 4, and six new amateur cooks arrive in the kitchen with their signature dishes. The cultural breadth of this group is notable -- Polish, Mexican, and Brazilian backgrounds all represented in tonight's heat. The dishes that have been flagged include an egg yolk and ricotta raviolo (a technically precise pasta dish that is also a choice under competition conditions), Kerala chicken, and a preserved lemon and hibiscus soup that sounds either extraordinary or extremely risky, possibly both. Former MasterChef champions will be assessing two-course meals. The Heat 4 quarter-final follows on Thursday. On BBC One at 9pm, available on BBC iPlayer.
Secret Service ⭐ -- ITV1, 9pm (SERIES FINALE)
When the series began, Kate uncovered a Russian spy operating inside the UK government. What followed was a plot that moved through Geneva, Malta, and now Moscow -- and tonight it ends.
Episode 5 of 5 is the one the series has been building toward: Kate runs Cyclops, an operation inside Moscow itself, in an attempt to trap the mole from within. Two key characters do not survive. The traitor's identity is revealed in a way that is being described as emotionally resonant rather than simply surprising -- espionage drama fans may have got there ahead of Kate, but how it plays out matters more than whether you saw it coming. The series closes on a deliberately ambiguous note about what Russian influence in British politics has ultimately achieved.
Gemma Arterton has been the steady centre of a show adapted from Tom Bradby's novel, and the finale gives her the space the series needed to pay off. The full series -- all five episodes -- is on ITVX if you are coming to it late. Tom Bradby wrote two sequel novels (Double Agent and Triple Cross), which suggests a potential series 2 exists if ITV wants one. On ITV1 at 9pm, spoiler-free from here.
Virgin Island -- Channel 4, 9pm
Series 2 of Channel 4's Mediterranean intimacy retreat series reaches the nudity phase of the course. Adult content. On Channel 4 at 9pm, available on Channel 4 streaming.
Number One Fan -- Channel 5, 9pm
Episode 2 of 4. Sally Lindsay's Donna is becoming harder to read, and Jill Halfpenny's Lucy is starting to feel the discomfort behind the gratitude. The stripped daily structure (Monday through Thursday) means the series cannot afford to stall -- episode 2 is where the thriller has to move. On Channel 5 at 9pm, available on My5. Episode 3 tomorrow.
Bear Grylls Is Running Wild -- Sky One, 9pm
Matthew McConaughey joins Bear Grylls in the glacial alpine wilderness of Norway. What follows involves ice water, reindeer, and McConaughey saying things about nature that are approximately what you would expect McConaughey to say about nature. The show understands its format: two men, a wild landscape, one of them considerably more prepared than the other. On Sky One at 9pm, also available on Disney+ UK.
TV Guide UK: Late Night
Berlusconi: Condemned to Win -- BBC Four, 10pm (NEW SERIES)
Episode 1 of 3, and a strong late-night offering from BBC Four. This is the ESPN Films 30 for 30 three-part documentary directed by Sam Blair, which premiered in the US in September 2025 and gets its UK broadcast premiere tonight. Episode 1 covers Silvio Berlusconi's journey from Milan property developer to television mogul to AC Milan's owner from 1986 onwards -- a period when he transformed both the club and the idea of what a football club could be as a cultural and commercial entity.
Ruud Gullit features in the opening episode, which frames Berlusconi's Milan project through the phrase his associates used for him: "the great entrepreneur of emotion." The documentary is interested in how the same qualities that made him extraordinary at football became the architecture of political power. Two further episodes follow. Available on BBC iPlayer.
Half Man ⭐ -- BBC One, 10:40pm (11:10pm Northern Ireland)
Episode 2 of 6, and the series' most violent episode to date.
Richard Gadd's follow-up to Baby Reindeer takes Niall (Gadd) to Glasgow for his first year at college: isolated, adrift, trying to find his footing. He leans on Ruben (Jamie Bell) to help him fit in. Ruben obliges, and by the episode's end has committed what the series describes as his most appalling violent act yet -- an act with consequences that run through the rest of the six episodes.
The violence here is handled with the same unflinching attention Gadd brought to the psychological violence in Baby Reindeer. It is not gratuitous in the sense of being purposeless, but it is genuinely disturbing, and viewers who found the first episode intense should know that episode 2 pushes further. The show is set across decades, with younger versions of Niall and Ruben (Mitchell Robertson and Stuart Campbell) threading through the adult storyline, and the Glasgow setting gives the whole thing a specific physical weight.
Episode 2 has been on BBC iPlayer since Friday 1 May if you are watching ahead of the broadcast. Episode 3 drops on iPlayer this Friday, 8 May. On BBC One tonight at approximately 10:40pm. Not for the faint-hearted. Essential for anyone who cared about Baby Reindeer.
This Is a Bomb: The Nevada Casino Heist -- BBC Two, 9:45pm (NEW SERIES)
Episode 1 of 3, and one of the strangest true-crime premises BBC Two has aired in some time.
August 1980, Lake Tahoe, Nevada. Two men wheel a heavy metal box into Harvey's Resort Hotel and Casino. They tell staff it is a computer. It is not a computer. Inside the box is approximately 1,000 pounds of TNT, wired with multiple booby traps designed to prevent any attempt at defusing it. Attached is a three-page extortion letter demanding $3m in cash, delivered by helicopter, within 24 hours.
What follows involves the FBI, a device so sophisticated that the bomb squad concluded it could not be safely defused, and an outcome that managed to be simultaneously catastrophic and, somehow, a story without victims. Three episodes. Directed by Amy Bandlien Storkel. On BBC Two at 9:45pm, available on BBC iPlayer.
Sport
Arsenal v Atletico Madrid -- Amazon Prime Video, 8pm
Full detail in the prime time section above. Arsenal host at the Emirates with the aggregate at 1-1. Kick-off 8pm. Live and exclusive on Amazon Prime Video UK -- a subscription is required to watch. This is the biggest club football match on British television tonight and one of the biggest of the entire season.
For context on the other side of the bracket: PSG host Bayern Munich tomorrow night on TNT Sports 1, after PSG won the first leg 5-4 in Paris. The Champions League final is scheduled for Saturday 30 May 2026.
Tonight's TV Listings: Full Schedule
Here are the full tv listings for Tuesday 5th May 2026 across major Freeview, Sky, and streaming channels.
| Time | Channel | Programme |
|---|---|---|
| 6:30pm | BBC Two | Great Korean Railway Journeys (S1 Ep 2/5 -- Michael Portillo, South Korea) |
| 7pm | ITV1 | The Martin Lewis Money Show Live (Pensions Special -- Lewis + Kwakye) |
| 7pm | True Crime Channel | UK Crime Files: The Cliff Top Killer (block from 7pm) |
| 7:30pm | BBC One | EastEnders (Nicola + George; Ian + Oscar; Linda's decision) |
| 8pm | BBC One | Interior Design Masters with Alan Carr (S7 Ep 3 -- The Passage charity; pairs; Sophie Robinson; Dara O Briain; double elim) |
| 8pm | Channel 4 | Jamie's Ultimate BBQ (NEW SERIES Ep 1/3 -- Jamie Oliver; steak three ways; lamb lollipops; whole fish) |
| 8pm | Channel 5 | Reuben Owen: Life in the Dales (S3 Ep 2 -- sheep pen; Miles + Sidney shearing; Clive's 70th) |
| 8pm | ITV1 | Emmerdale (30 mins) |
| 8pm | Amazon Prime Video | Arsenal v Atletico Madrid (UCL semi-final 2nd leg -- k/o 8pm; 1-1 agg; LIVE EXCLUSIVE) |
| 8:30pm | ITV1 | Coronation Street (DC Kit Green forensics; David + Shona Platt; blood at scene) |
| 9pm | BBC One | MasterChef (Heat 4 -- six new cooks; Polish/Mexican/Brazilian; egg yolk raviolo; Kerala chicken) |
| 9pm | ITV1 | Secret Service (SERIES FINALE Ep 5/5 -- Moscow; traitor unmasked; Gemma Arterton) ⭐ |
| 9pm | Channel 4 | Virgin Island (S2 Ep 4 -- nudity phase; adult content) |
| 9pm | Channel 5 | Number One Fan (Ep 2/4 -- Sally Lindsay; Jill Halfpenny) |
| 9pm | Sky One | Bear Grylls Is Running Wild (Matthew McConaughey; Norway; glacial wilderness) |
| 10pm | BBC Four | Berlusconi: Condemned to Win (NEW S1 Ep 1/3 -- AC Milan 1986; Ruud Gullit; ESPN 30 for 30) |
| 9:45pm | BBC Two | This Is a Bomb: The Nevada Casino Heist (NEW S1 Ep 1/3 -- Lake Tahoe 1980; $3m TNT bomb; FBI) |
| 10:40pm | BBC One | Half Man (Ep 2/6 -- Richard Gadd + Jamie Bell; Glasgow; most violent ep; already on iPlayer) ⭐ |
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: Interior Design Masters with Alan Carr, MasterChef, EastEnders, Half Man Ep 2 (already available), Great Korean Railway Journeys, This Is a Bomb: The Nevada Casino Heist, Berlusconi: Condemned to Win
ITVX: Secret Service (full 5-episode series already available), The Martin Lewis Money Show Live, Emmerdale, Coronation Street
Channel 4 streaming: Jamie's Ultimate BBQ Ep 1, Virgin Island
My5: Reuben Owen: Life in the Dales, Number One Fan Ep 2
Amazon Prime Video: Arsenal v Atletico Madrid (live 8pm; on demand after; subscription required)
NOW TV / Sky / Disney+: Bear Grylls Is Running Wild (Sky One live; also on Disney+ UK)
Frequently Asked Questions
What time is Secret Service on ITV1 tonight, Tuesday 5th May 2026?
Secret Service is on ITV1 at 9pm tonight -- the series finale, episode 5 of 5. Kate runs Cyclops, an operation inside Moscow, to expose the conspiracy from within. The traitor is unmasked, and two key characters' fates are resolved. Gemma Arterton stars. The full series is available on ITVX.
Where can I watch Arsenal v Atletico Madrid tonight?
Arsenal v Atletico Madrid is live and exclusive on Amazon Prime Video UK tonight, kick-off 8pm. The tie is level at 1-1 from the first leg in Madrid on 29 April. The match is at the Emirates Stadium. A Prime Video subscription is required to watch live. It is not on free-to-air television.
What time is Half Man on BBC One tonight?
Half Man episode 2 is on BBC One tonight at approximately 10:40pm (11:10pm in Northern Ireland). Created and written by Richard Gadd, it stars Gadd alongside Jamie Bell. Episode 2 is already available on BBC iPlayer (it dropped on Friday 1 May). The broadcast runs until approximately 11:25pm. Episode 3 drops on iPlayer Friday 8 May.
What time is Jamie's Ultimate BBQ on Channel 4?
Jamie's Ultimate BBQ launches on Channel 4 tonight at 8pm -- episode 1 of a new 3-part series. Jamie Oliver covers grilling techniques for steak, chicken, lamb, and fish. Available on Channel 4 streaming after broadcast.
Is EastEnders on TV tonight, Tuesday 5th May 2026?
Yes, EastEnders is on BBC One tonight at 7:30pm. Nicola is forced to come clean to George. Ian makes a rash decision after a run-in with Oscar. Linda makes a choice for her family. All episodes available on BBC iPlayer.
What time is MasterChef on BBC One tonight?
MasterChef is on BBC One at 9pm tonight. This is Heat 4 of the current series, with six new amateur cooks. Signature dishes draw on Polish, Mexican, and Brazilian culinary traditions. Judges are Anna Haugh and Grace Dent, with former MasterChef champions assessing two-course meals. The Heat 4 quarter-final is on Thursday. Available on BBC iPlayer.
What time is Coronation Street on tonight?
Coronation Street is on ITV1 at 8:30pm tonight. DC Kit Green delivers forensic results to David and Shona Platt -- blood at the scene belongs to more than one person -- as the murder investigation moves into its next phase. David must also confess to Shona about Jodie. Available on ITVX.
What's the best thing to watch on TV tonight?
The two main events are Secret Service (ITV1, 9pm) and Arsenal v Atletico Madrid (Amazon Prime Video, 8pm). If you have been following the spy thriller, the finale is the appointment. If football comes first, the Champions League semi-final second leg at the Emirates is the biggest club match of the British season. For late-night television, Half Man episode 2 on BBC One at 10:40pm is essential if you cared about Baby Reindeer -- Richard Gadd's follow-up is already attracting serious attention and episode 2 is the series at full intensity.
TV Guide UK: Final Verdict
The first Tuesday back after a bank holiday usually offers the schedule version of a light stretch: soaps, a quiz, something gentle. This one has not done that. Secret Service ending at 9pm on ITV1 -- the espionage drama that has run five nights over two weeks, through Malta, Geneva, and now Moscow -- is a genuine event finale. Arsenal's Champions League semi-final on Amazon Prime Video is the biggest club football night of the British season. And Richard Gadd's Half Man, already being discussed as a potential successor to Baby Reindeer's cultural impact, brings its most intense episode yet to late-night BBC One.
The rest of the schedule is not coasting either. Interior Design Masters gains emotional weight from The Passage venue. Jamie Oliver's BBQ series arrives at exactly the right moment in the calendar. MasterChef opens a new heat with a culturally varied group of cooks. The Nevada Casino Heist on BBC Two has one of the genuinely stranger premises in recent true-crime television.
Browse the full channels list, check what's on right now, or see tonight's highlights for a live view. The bank holiday is over. Tuesday 5 May has picked up the pace rather than eased it. Tomorrow brings the PSG vs Bayern second leg on TNT Sports, Citadel Season 2 on Prime Video, and Number One Fan episode 3 on Channel 5. The week is moving fast.