5 Action

Daytime schedule

5 Action's day begins with an hour of Teleshopping from 06:00 before Cruise TV with LoveitBookit takes over from 07:00 to 09:00, including a new episode in the 08:00 slot. From 09:00 the channel shifts into its familiar rescue-and-pursuit territory, starting with a shorter 35-minute Winter Road Rescue at 09:00, followed by Police Interceptors at 09:35.

Mid-morning brings a change of pace with a run of westerns: Gunsmoke occupies the 10:35 to 11:40 slot, before Man with the Gun begins at 11:40 and continues in two parts either side of a brief Entertainment News on 5 update at 12:40. The afternoon is dominated by Rio Lobo, which airs in two chunks - a shorter 60-minute segment from 13:25 and then an extended 90-minute stretch from 14:30, again split by an Entertainment News on 5 bulletin at 14:25.

Late afternoon returns to the channel's core output, with Highway Thru Hell running from 16:00 to 17:00 and Motorway Cops: Catching Britain's Speeders closing out the pre-evening schedule from 17:00 to 18:00. Across the day, the pattern is clear: 5 Action mixes vehicle-recovery and law-enforcement reality strands with classic western films, using brief Entertainment News on 5 updates to break up the longer film blocks rather than running a conventional news schedule.

Evening and primetime

The evening opens with back-to-back editions of Police Interceptors, running from 18:00 to 19:00 and again from 19:00 to 20:00, setting a familiar tone before primetime proper begins.

At 20:00, Motorway Cops: Catching Britain's Speeders takes the hour through to 21:00, followed immediately by another edition of Police Interceptors from 21:00 to 22:00. This pairing forms the heart of the evening's viewing, with the channel leaning heavily on its road-and-pursuit strands through the key 20:00 to 22:00 slot.

At 22:00, a new episode of Timber Titans airs, offering a change of subject matter for the hour running to 23:00. The schedule then moves into archive territory with The X-Files from 23:00 to 00:00, marking the handover from primetime into late-night programming.

Once into the small hours, the channel settles into a run of reality strands: Behind Bars: World's Toughest Prisons from 00:00 to 01:00, followed by Outback Truckers at 01:00. Trucking Hell then takes over for a double dose, running from 02:00 to 03:00 and continuing in a 55-minute instalment from 03:00 to 03:55, before a brief Entertainment News on 5 update at 03:55 closes out the overnight schedule.

The night ends much as the morning began, with Teleshopping returning at 04:00 for a two-hour stretch through to 06:00, completing the 24-hour cycle. Overall, the evening keeps a tight, repetitive structure - two runs of Police Interceptors bookending Motorway Cops, a single new title in Timber Titans, and a steady descent into long-running factual strands overnight.

Daytime schedule

5 Action opens with an hour of Teleshopping before Cruise TV with LoveitBookit takes over from 07:00 to 09:00, including a new edition at 08:00 for anyone planning a getaway. From 09:00 the channel settles into its familiar rhythm of factual and drama repeats. Winter Road Rescue runs a short 35 minutes before Police Interceptors takes the 09:35 slot, followed by a lengthy 65-minute outing for the western Gunsmoke at 10:35.

Lunchtime brings The Last Hunt across two hour-long instalments either side of a brief Entertainment News on 5 update at 12:40, keeping viewers up to date in just five minutes before returning to the drama at 12:45. The afternoon belongs to Beyond the Law, which airs from 13:45 to 14:45 and then again in an extended 70-minute edition from 14:50 to 16:00, once more broken up by a five-minute Entertainment News on 5 bulletin at 14:45.

Late afternoon shifts gears into vehicle-based programming, with Highway Thru Hell running from 16:00 to 17:00 and Motorway Cops: Catching Britain's Speeders closing out the pre-evening slot from 17:00 to 18:00. Across the day, 5 Action sticks to its identity as a channel built around law enforcement, roadside recovery and trucking strands, punctuated by short, sharp news updates rather than full bulletins, keeping the daytime schedule moving briskly from one hour-long block to the next.

Evening and primetime

The evening continues in much the same vein as the day, with back-to-back editions of Police Interceptors from 18:00 and 19:00 easing viewers into primetime. At 20:00, Motorway Cops: Catching Britain's Speeders takes the key slot for an hour, before Police Interceptors returns at 21:00 to round off the 20:00-22:00 primetime hours with more roadside pursuits.

From 22:00, the tone shifts slightly with a double bill of Cops, each running a tighter 30 minutes, taking the schedule through to 23:00. That hands over to The X-Files at 23:00, offering a change of pace for an hour before the schedule moves into its late-night factual run.

From 00:00, Behind Bars: World's Toughest Prisons airs for an hour, followed by Outback Truckers at 01:00 and then Trucking Hell across two instalments from 02:00 to 03:55, the second running a slightly shorter 55 minutes. A brief five-minute Entertainment News on 5 update at 03:55 closes out the overnight programming before Teleshopping returns at 04:00 for a two-hour stretch through to 06:00.

Overall, the evening on 5 Action sticks closely to its core strengths: police and motorway-based programming dominates the primetime hours, with the 20:00-22:00 slot given over entirely to Motorway Cops and Police Interceptors. The later hours offer a bit more variety, with The X-Files providing the one clear departure from the factual and reality fare that otherwise fills the schedule from teatime right through to the small hours.

Daytime schedule

The channel kicks off the day with two hours of shopping, starting with Teleshopping at 06:00, followed by Cruise TV with LoveitBookit at 07:00 and a new episode of the same programme at 08:00. That brings the retail pitch to a close at 09:00, when the action shifts firmly into gear.

From 09:00 through to 14:00, 5 Action serves up a five-hour run of Police Interceptors, with consecutive hourly episodes filling the entire mid-morning and lunchtime slot. This is the backbone of the daytime schedule – a long, unbroken stretch of pursuit-and-arrest programming that keeps the tone consistent through the middle of the day.

At 14:00, attention turns to Highway Thru Hell, which occupies the afternoon with three back-to-back episodes. The first runs a standard hour from 14:00, followed by a slightly longer 65-minute instalment at 15:00, and then another hour from 16:05. That brings the trucking-and-mountain-pass strand to an end just after 17:00.

The late-afternoon slot at 17:05 introduces Robber's Roost, a 60-minute episode that runs until 18:05, when the first of several short Entertainment News on 5 bulletins airs at 18:05. This five-minute update acts as a bridge between the daytime run and the evening’s western-themed double bill, which begins immediately after at 18:10 with the second half of Robber's Roost.

So, in summary: a morning of shopping, a long lunchtime and early-afternoon block of Police Interceptors, an afternoon of Highway Thru Hell, and a late-afternoon shift into westerns. The news bulletins are brief and neatly placed at the junctions between programmes, keeping the schedule flowing without interruption.

Evening and primetime

The evening gets underway at 18:10 with the conclusion of Robber's Roost, which picks up from the 17:05 start and runs for 45 minutes. That brings the western theme to a natural hand-off at 18:55, when The Scalphunters begins. This 60-minute feature runs until 19:55, at which point a five-minute Entertainment News on 5 bulletin at 19:55 provides a quick break before the main event.

At 20:00, The Scalphunters continues for a second hour, taking the total runtime to two hours and filling the key 20:00-21:00 slot. This is the heart of the evening – a sustained western double bill that keeps the channel’s genre focus front and centre through the first part of primetime.

At 21:00, the schedule shifts up a gear with The Rock, a 60-minute instalment that runs until 22:00. This is followed by a five-minute Entertainment News on 5 bulletin at 22:00, then the programme resumes at 22:05 for a further 100 minutes, running through to 23:45. That gives The Rock a total of 160 minutes across the evening, making it the longest single title of the night.

After 23:45, the tone changes again with The X-Files, which takes over for the late-night hours. Four consecutive episodes run from 23:45 through to 03:35: the first is 55 minutes, followed by three hour-long instalments, and then a final 55-minute episode. That’s a solid late-night stack of the series, filling the post-primetime slot until the early hours.

At 03:35, there’s a brief 15-minute Trucking Hell interlude, followed by a 10-minute Entertainment News on 5 bulletin at 03:50. Then, at 04:00, Teleshopping takes over for the final two hours until 06:00, closing the broadcast day in much the same way it began. The evening is a clear progression: westerns in the early evening, a long action stretch from 21:00, and sci-fi drama through the night.

Daytime schedule

The day on 5 Action opens in the small hours with two hours of Teleshopping, running from 04:00 until 06:00, and that commercial mode continues into the early morning. From 06:00 to 07:00 there is another hour of Teleshopping, followed immediately by Cruise TV with LoveitBookit, which occupies the 07:00 to 08:00 slot. A second, new episode of Cruise TV with LoveitBookit follows from 08:00 to 09:00, marking the first clearly flagged new content of the day.

The mid-morning brings a shift towards factual adventure strands. Winter Road Rescue runs for a compact 35 minutes from 09:00, leading into Outback Truckers at 09:35, which fills the next 55 minutes until 10:30. From there, the schedule settles into a long, uninterrupted run of classic western drama. Gunsmoke dominates the middle of the day with five consecutive episodes: the first starts at 10:30 and runs 65 minutes, followed by a 60-minute instalment at 11:35, then three further 65-minute episodes at 12:35, 13:40 and 14:45. That stack keeps the channel in the Old West until 15:50.

The late afternoon pivots to action cinema. Bite the Bullet begins at 15:50 with a 60-minute slot, but is interrupted at 16:50 by a five-minute Entertainment News on 5 bulletin. The film then resumes at 16:55 for a further 90 minutes, running through to 18:25. That split scheduling is a notable feature of the afternoon, with the news break landing neatly between the two parts.

Evening and primetime

The evening opens with the tail end of Bite the Bullet, which finishes at 18:25. A second Entertainment News on 5 bulletin airs at 19:25, lasting just five minutes, and it bookends the start of the first major primetime feature. Mackenna's Gold begins at 18:25 and runs for a full 60 minutes before that news break, then resumes at 19:30 for a further 90 minutes, concluding at 21:00. That gives the western nearly two and a half hours of screen time across the early evening, with the news neatly splitting the two halves.

The 21:00 to 22:00 hour is the heart of the evening, and it belongs to Red Dawn. The film starts at 21:00 and runs for 60 minutes before another Entertainment News on 5 bulletin at 22:00, which lasts five minutes. Red Dawn then returns at 22:05 for a final 75-minute stretch, wrapping up at 23:20. The pattern of splitting features around short news updates continues throughout the night, a consistent structural feature of this schedule.

After the films, the channel moves into factual territory. World's Deadliest Weather: Caught on Camera occupies three consecutive episodes from 23:20, running 65 minutes, then 60 minutes, then 60 minutes, taking the schedule through to 02:25. Behind Bars: World's Toughest Prisons follows at 02:25 for 65 minutes, leading into a single 25-minute episode of Highway Patrol at 03:30. A final Entertainment News on 5 bulletin airs at 03:55, and the night closes with two hours of Teleshopping from 04:00 to 06:00, bringing the broadcast day full circle.

Daytime schedule

5 Action opens the day in retail mode, with Teleshopping occupying 06:00-07:00 before Cruise TV with LoveitBookit takes over for a two-hour stretch; the second hour is marked as a new episode. A brief Entertainment News on 5 bulletin at 09:00 gives way to the first of several factual strands, as Trucking Hell runs for an hour from 09:05, followed by Police Interceptors at 10:05.

The mid-morning shift then turns decisively to classic westerns. Gunsmoke fills 65 minutes from 11:00, and The Scalphunters gets a full hour from 12:05, broken only by a five-minute Entertainment News on 5 at 13:05. The Scalphunters returns for a second hour at 13:10, then Robber's Roost starts at 14:10. Another Entertainment News on 5 bulletin at 15:10 splits that western, with the final 45 minutes of Robber's Roost airing from 15:15.

The late afternoon brings a change of gear back to factual action. Highway Thru Hell runs from 16:00, followed by a compact 20-minute slice of Trucking Hell at 17:00, then Motorway Cops: Catching Britain's Speeders at 17:20. Police Interceptors returns at 18:20 for a 55-minute outing, and Cops rounds out the daytime run from 19:15. A final Entertainment News on 5 at 19:45 sets up the evening schedule. The shape of the day is clear: retail and news bulletins bookend long, stacked runs of westerns and emergency-services programming.

Evening and primetime

The evening's centrepiece arrives at 20:00, when 5 Action carries live coverage of the Snooker British Open. This is an unusually long three-hour block, running through to 23:00, and it dominates the primetime hours entirely. Before that, the schedule winds down from the daytime pattern with a 15-minute Entertainment News on 5 at 19:45, following the 30-minute Cops at 19:15 and the earlier Police Interceptors at 18:20.

Once the snooker concludes at 23:00, the channel shifts to a mix of drama and factual strands. The X-Files occupies the hour from 23:00, followed by Behind Bars: World's Toughest Prisons at 00:00. Outback Truckers takes the 01:00 slot, and then Trucking Hell appears twice in succession: a full hour from 02:00 and a 55-minute run from 03:00. A five-minute Entertainment News on 5 at 03:55 provides a brief punctuation mark before Teleshopping closes the night from 04:00 through to 06:00.

The evening is thus a tale of two halves: a long, uninterrupted live sporting event in the heart of primetime, then a late-night sequence of drama and factual repeats (though their first-run status is not confirmed) that runs past midnight. The 20:00 start for the snooker leaves a relatively short lead-in from the news bulletin, and the 23:00 handoff is clean, with no overlap between the live coverage and the subsequent programming. The late hours are dominated by back-to-back Trucking Hell episodes, giving the channel a consistent identity well into the small hours.

Daytime schedule

5 Action opens its broadcast day with back-to-back shopping strands, as Teleshopping runs from 06:00 to 07:00, followed immediately by Cruise TV with LoveitBookit at 07:00. That programme returns at 08:00, marked as a new episode, before the first news bulletin of the day lands at 09:00 with a quarter-hour Entertainment News on 5.

From there, the channel shifts into factual and action-led fare. Trucking Hell occupies the hour from 09:15, handing over to Police Interceptors at 10:15. The mid-morning then takes a decidedly different turn with a run of classic westerns. Gunsmoke starts at 11:15 and runs for 65 minutes, leading into The Big Trees at 12:20. That film is interrupted at 13:20 by a five-minute Entertainment News on 5 bulletin, then resumes at 13:25 for a further 50 minutes. The Lawless Breed follows at 14:15, again pausing for a five-minute news update at 15:15 before concluding at 16:00.

The afternoon picks up the pace with Highway Thru Hell at 16:00, then a short 20-minute slice of Trucking Hell at 17:00. Motorway Cops: Catching Britain's Speeders takes the late-afternoon slot from 17:20, running 65 minutes to 18:25. A brief interlude of The Best of World's Strongest Man at 18:25 rounds out the daytime stretch, setting up the evening’s main event. The overall shape of the day is one of contrasts: shopping and news bulletins bookend a middle section split between gritty factual series and vintage western cinema.

Evening and primetime

The evening proper begins at 18:45 with a substantial block of live sport. Live: Snooker British Open occupies the schedule from 18:45 all the way to 23:00, a marathon run of 255 minutes that dominates the entire primetime window. This is the clear centrepiece of the night, with no other programming breaking up the coverage until the snooker concludes.

At 23:00, the channel switches tone completely with The X-Files, which runs for an hour. That is followed at 00:00 by Behind Bars: World's Toughest Prisons, another hour-long offering. Outback Truckers takes the 01:00 slot, and then the early hours see a run of back-to-back episodes of Trucking Hell, with consecutive hours at 02:00 and 03:00. The broadcast day winds down with Teleshopping from 04:00 through to 06:00.

The schedule hands off sharply from the long snooker transmission to late-night drama and documentary-style factual programming, before settling into the shopping loop that closes the night. The snooker’s extended length means the primetime hours are entirely given over to that single broadcast, with no news bulletins or interstitial content breaking the flow. Viewers looking for variety will find it only after 23:00, when the channel moves through a compact sequence of hour-long programmes before the overnight teleshopping begins.

Daytime schedule

The day opens with a long stretch of shopping, as Teleshopping runs from 06:00 to 07:00, followed by Cruise TV with LoveitBookit at 07:00, with a new episode at 08:00. That takes the morning up to 09:00, when the schedule shifts into action and adventure.

At 09:00, Winter Road Rescue kicks off a run of factual entertainment, with Police Interceptors following at 09:35 for an hour. From 10:35, the tone changes dramatically as the channel moves into classic western and film territory. Gunsmoke occupies a 70-minute slot until 11:45, when Little Big Man starts. That film runs for an hour before a brief break for Entertainment News on 5 at 12:45, then resumes at 12:50 and continues until 14:25. Another western, Fort Utah, begins at 14:25, pauses for Entertainment News on 5 at 15:25, and concludes at 16:05.

The late afternoon returns to roadside and emergency programming. Highway Thru Hell runs from 16:05 to 17:05, followed by a short 15-minute outing for Trucking Hell at 17:05. Motorway Cops: Catching Britain's Speeders takes over at 17:20 for 65 minutes, leading into The Best of World's Strongest Man at 18:25, a 20-minute slot that bridges the daytime and evening schedules. The daytime run is a mix of shopping, westerns, films and traffic-themed factual shows, with the two Entertainment News on 5 bulletins providing brief interruptions to the film screenings.

Evening and primetime

The evening is dominated by a single, lengthy live broadcast. Live: Snooker British Open starts at 18:45 and runs all the way through to 23:00, a substantial 255-minute block that takes up the entire heart of the evening. This leaves no room for any other primetime programming until the snooker concludes.

The Best of World's Strongest Man at 18:25 acts as a short lead-in to the snooker, wrapping up just before the live coverage begins. From 18:45, the schedule is entirely given over to the snooker, with no news bulletins or interruptions until it ends at 23:00. That means the 20:00 to 22:00 window is entirely within the snooker broadcast, offering viewers a solid stretch of live sporting action.

After the snooker finishes at 23:00, the channel switches to The X-Files, which runs for an hour until midnight. That brings the broadcast day to a close. The evening is therefore a simple, focused affair: a short strongman highlights programme, a long live snooker session, and a single drama episode to round things off. The lack of any other programming between 18:45 and 23:00 means the snooker is the clear centrepiece, with the late-night X-Files slot providing a stark contrast in tone after the sporting action ends.