Friday 29 May 2026 is a good night to be choosy. This guide pulls the best-known free-to-air channels into one place so you can see what is live now, what follows at the top of the hour and where the evening could lead. If you like a dependable mid-week drama, there are options with clear stakes and clean storylines; if you want something lighter, the quiz and magazine shows bring an easy rhythm you can dip in and out of. Film fans get at least one mainstream pick after nine, while factual strands cover everything from behind-the-scenes work to the sort of real-life puzzles that make for satisfying background viewing while you cook or unwind.

Below you will find each channel laid out with start and end times, kept current through the day. Tap a channel to jump straight to its live page when you are ready. We have also added short, spoiler-free notes for the prime-time slots between 21:00 and 23:00 to help steer the decision if you are watching together. Nothing hard-sell—just a sense of pace and mood so you can match the programme to the evening you want. Scroll, choose, and settle in.

Tonight’s highlights (21:00–23:00)

  • BBC One — 21:00 — Have I Got News for You: On BBC One at 21:00, Have I Got News for You provides an easy mid-week watch with clear stakes and a steady pace—ideal if you want something you can join without back-story and keep on through the evening.
  • ITV 1 — 21:00 — Olly Murs: Steps into the Unknown for Soccer Aid: On ITV 1 at 21:00, Olly Murs: Steps into the Unknown for Soccer Aid provides an easy mid-week watch with clear stakes and a steady pace—ideal if you want something you can join without back-story and keep on through the evening.
  • BBC Two — 21:00 — Hidden Treasures of the National Trust: On BBC Two at 21:00, Hidden Treasures of the National Trust provides an easy mid-week watch with clear stakes and a steady pace—ideal if you want something you can join without back-story and keep on through the evening.
  • CHANNEL 4 — 21:00 — Gogglebox: On CHANNEL 4 at 21:00, Gogglebox provides an easy mid-week watch with clear stakes and a steady pace—ideal if you want something you can join without back-story and keep on through the evening.
  • CHANNEL 5 — 21:00 — Ben Fogle's Lost Worlds: On CHANNEL 5 at 21:00, Ben Fogle's Lost Worlds provides an easy mid-week watch with clear stakes and a steady pace—ideal if you want something you can join without back-story and keep on through the evening.
  • ITV 3 — 21:00 — Doc Martin: On ITV 3 at 21:00, Doc Martin provides an easy mid-week watch with clear stakes and a steady pace—ideal if you want something you can join without back-story and keep on through the evening.
  • E4 — 21:00 — Celebs Go Dating: On E4 at 21:00, Celebs Go Dating provides an easy mid-week watch with clear stakes and a steady pace—ideal if you want something you can join without back-story and keep on through the evening.
  • ITV 2 — 21:05 — Love, Simon (2018): On ITV 2 at 21:05, Love, Simon (2018) provides an easy mid-week watch with clear stakes and a steady pace—ideal if you want something you can join without back-story and keep on through the evening.

Today’s Channels

— BBC One TV Guide

Watch BBC One Live

TimeProgramme
– Weather for the Week Ahead
– BBC News
– BBC News
– Breakfast
– Morning Live
– Rip Off Britain
– Homes Under the Hammer
– Bargain Hunt
– BBC News at One; Weather
– BBC London News; Weather
– BBC News at One; Weather
– Under the Vines
– Under the Vines
– Escape to the Country
– Celebrity Bridge of Lies
– Pointless
– BBC News at Six; Weather
– BBC London News; Weather
– The One Show
– The Marvellous Miniature Workshop
– MasterChef
– Have I Got News for You
– Mrs Brown's Boys
– BBC News at Ten
– BBC London News; Weather
– St Denis Medical
– St Denis Medical
– Smoggie Queens
– Smoggie Queens
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— ITV 1 TV Guide

Watch ITV 1 Live

TimeProgramme
– Soccer Aid: More Than Just a Game
– Soccer Aid: More Than Just a Game
– The Assembly
– Unwind with ITV
– For the Love of Dogs with Alison Hammond
– Good Morning Britain
– Lorraine
– This Morning
– Loose Women
– ITV Lunchtime News; Weather
– ITV News London; Weather
– Dickinson's Real Deal
– Lingo
– ITV London Weather
– Tipping Point
– The Chase
– ITV News London; Weather
– ITV Evening News; Weather
– Bradley & Barney Walsh: Breaking Dad
– Emmerdale
– Coronation Street
– Olly Murs: Steps into the Unknown for Soccer Aid
– ITV News at Ten; Weather
– ITV News London; Weather
– The 1% Club
– When English Football Ruled Europe
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— BBC Two TV Guide

Watch BBC Two Live

TimeProgramme
– MasterChef
– Interior Design Masters with Alan Carr
– Peelers: The PSNI for Real
– Two Weeks in August
– This Is BBC Two
– Homes Under the Hammer
– Great Continental Railway Journeys
– Hidden Treasures of the National Trust
– BBC News
– Political Thinking with Nick Robinson
– Lifeline
– Impossible
– Mastermind
– Lightning
– Glorious Gardens from Above
– The Secret Life of Elephants
– Antiques Roadshow
– Flog It!
– Richard Osman's House of Games
– Great Continental Railway Journeys
– Greatest Gardens with Diarmuid Gavin and Carol Klein
– Beechgrove Garden
– Gardeners' World
– Hidden Treasures of the National Trust
– Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing
– Newsnight
– Weather
– Love & Mercy (2014)
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— CHANNEL 4 TV Guide

Watch CHANNEL 4 Live

TimeProgramme
– Love Cheats
– Second Act (2018)
– Couples Come Dine with Me
– Sarah Beeny's New Country Lives
– Sunday Brunch
– Countdown
– Cheers
– Cheers
– Cheers
– Everybody Loves Raymond
– Everybody Loves Raymond
– Everybody Loves Raymond
– Frasier
– Frasier
– Frasier
– Frasier
– Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares USA
– Channel 4 News Summary
– Find It, Fix It, Flog It
– Help! We Bought a Village
– Countdown
– A Place in the Sun
– Escape to Florida
– Chateau DIY
– Sun, Sea and Selling Houses
– Channel 4 News
– Dispatches
– Gogglebox
– First Dates
– Dante's Peak (1997)
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— CHANNEL 5 TV Guide

Watch CHANNEL 5 Live

TimeProgramme
– Britain's Best Service Station
– Cruise TV with LoveitBookit
– Building the Impossible
– Building the Impossible
– Friends
– Friends
– Amazing Railway Adventures with Nick Knowles
– Entertainment News on 5
– Paw Patrol
– Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom
– Peppa Pig
– Peppa Pig
– Tweedy & Fluff
– Treehouse
– Thomas & Friends
– Fireman Sam
– Peppa Pig
– Pip and Posy
– Paw Patrol
– Move It Milkshakers!
– Rubble & Crew
– Peppa Pig
– Peppa Pig
– Tim Rex in Space
– Stan & Gran
– Paw Patrol
– The Adventures of Paddington
– Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom
– Peppa Pig
– Odo
– Tim Rex in Space: Into the Dinoverse!
– Milkshake! Story Den
– Jeremy Vine
– Storm & Alexis
– 5 News at Lunchtime
– Matt Allwright
– Vanessa
– Castle
– Castle
– Love Nature
– 5 News at 5
– Susan Calman's Great British Cities
– 5 News Update
– Police Interceptors
– 5 News Update
– Traffic Cops
– Ben Fogle's Lost Worlds
– Piers Morgan: Uncensored
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— ITV 3 TV Guide

Watch ITV 3 Live

TimeProgramme
– Scott & Bailey
– On the Buses
– Unwind with ITV
– Teleshopping
– On the Buses
– On the Buses
– Classic Emmerdale
– Classic Coronation Street
– Classic Coronation Street
– Inspector Morse
– Heartbeat
– Heartbeat
– Midsomer Murders
– Classic Emmerdale
– Classic Emmerdale
– Classic Coronation Street
– Classic Coronation Street
– Heartbeat
– Heartbeat
– Doc Martin
– Doc Martin
– Lewis
– Scott & Bailey
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— E4 TV Guide

Watch E4 Live

TimeProgramme
– Celebs Go Dating
– Married at First Sight USA
– Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares USA
– The Goldbergs
– The Goldbergs
– Don't Tell the Bride: Revisited
– Modern Family
– Modern Family
– Rude(ish) Tube
– Couples Come Dine with Me
– Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares USA
– Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares USA
– Married at First Sight USA
– Modern Family
– Modern Family
– The Simpsons
– The Simpsons
– The Simpsons
– The Simpsons
– Brooklyn Nine-Nine
– Brooklyn Nine-Nine
– Modern Family
– Modern Family
– Modern Family
– Modern Family
– The Simpsons
– The Simpsons
– The Simpsons
– The Simpsons
– The Simpsons
– The Simpsons
– Married at First Sight USA
– Celebs Go Dating
– Bad Teacher (2011)
– Friends with Benefits (2011)
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— ITV 2 TV Guide

Watch ITV 2 Live

TimeProgramme
– American Dad!
– American Dad!
– Bob's Burgers
– Deal or No Deal
– Unwind with ITV
– Teleshopping
– Patti Stanger: The Matchmaker
– Backyard Builds
– Dress to Impress
– Billie and Greg: The Family Diaries
– The Only Way Is Essex
– The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City
– The Real Housewives of Orange County
– Wheel of Fortune
– Celebrity Catchphrase
– The Floor
– The Only Way Is Essex
– The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City
– The Real Housewives of Orange County
– Celebrity Catchphrase
– The Floor
– The 1% Club
– Love, Simon (2018)
– FYI Daily
– Love, Simon (2018)
– Family Guy
– Family Guy
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