Full Channel 5 listings for Saturday 31 October 2026, with times in London local time.

Channel 5 does Halloween with documentaries, and Ghostwatch is the one to stay up for

See also: What's on tonight across all channels | Wednesday's TV guide

On the night when every other channel is throwing a horror film at the schedule, Channel 5 has gone for factual programming from teatime onwards. The best of it is Ghostwatch: The Night That Terrified Britain at 9.15pm, an 85-minute documentary that is the obvious choice for 31 October. It goes up against Marble Hall Murders on BBC One and Fanny and Alexander on BBC Four, neither of which is anything like it, so this is one of the few slots tonight where Channel 5 isn’t competing for the same viewer.

Four documentaries in a row

The evening is a block of non-fiction that starts at 6.20pm with Kate: A Life in 10 Dresses, 85 minutes long, and carries straight on into Britain’s Killer Hurricane of 1990 at 7.45pm. The hurricane programme is the weaker pairing with Ghostwatch, since it has nothing to do with Halloween, and it meets a crowded 7.45pm, with Serie A on BBC Two, I, Robot on Film4 and Ghosts on Dave all starting around the same minute. It’s a fair watch for anyone who wants to be in for the rest of the evening without committing to a film.

TVs 30 Most Controversial Moments closes the night at 10.40pm and runs 110 minutes, the longest programme of the evening. It’s a long sit that late, and it has more competition than its place in the schedule suggests: Oasis: Live at the City of Manchester Stadium on BBC Two, and Romesh Ranganathan’s Parents’ Evening on ITV1. If you’re still up, those two are the harder sell to beat. I’d give it three stars and no more.

Daytime: a Halloween film and then Christmas

The film slots are where the channel changes its mind about the date. Death Becomes Her, the 1992 Robert Zemeckis comedy with Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn, runs at 12.45pm and again at 1.50pm as one film cut into two parts around a news bulletin. It’s the best film on the channel today and sits comfortably in the Halloween mood.

After that it gives up on October. Jingle Bell Run, a 2024 film with Ashley Williams and Andrew W. Walker, takes the 2.50pm and 3.50pm slots, and The Royal Christmas Mix-up, from 2026 and starring Jessica Ambuehl and John Capocci, follows at 4.35pm for 100 minutes. Christmas films on 31 October is early even by the standards of afternoon television, and I wouldn’t plan a Saturday around either.

Before nine

The morning is a children’s block, and Peppa Pig and Fireman Sam both have Halloween-themed episodes in it. It’s an easy start for a house with small children and it finishes at 8.50am with SpongeBob SquarePants. Secrets of the Royal Traditions then takes over from 9.40am for two hours, with the Weddings and Heirs episodes back to back.


Also on TV tonight at 9pm

  • BBC One: Wisdom of the Crowd (from 8.30pm)
  • BBC Two: Live: Serie A Football (from 7.40pm)
  • ITV1: The Voice UK (from 8.30pm)
  • Channel 4: New: The F Ward
  • BBC Four: Miss Marple (from 8.30pm)
  • ITV2: Suicide Squad
  • ITV3: Midsomer Murders (from 8pm)
  • ITV4: Live: ITV Racing Live (from 8pm)
  • E4: Celebrity Gogglebox
  • More4: 24 Hours in A&E

Every channel tonight, side by side · Films on TV tonight · Tomorrow’s TV


Frequently asked questions

What’s on Channel 5 tonight?

On Saturday 31 October 2026, Channel 5 shows Britain’s Killer Hurricane of 1990 at 7.45pm, Ghostwatch: The Night That Terrified Britain at 9.15pm and TVs 30 Most Controversial Moments at 10.40pm.

Is there a film on Channel 5 tonight?

No. Channel 5 has no films in its evening schedule on Saturday 31 October 2026.

What time does Channel 5’s evening start?

The evening schedule starts with 5 News Weekend at 6.15pm.