Full Drama listings for Wednesday 28 October 2026, with times in London local time.

Drama waits until eight, then hands over to New Tricks

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

Drama spends the first part of Wednesday evening on a sitcom, and the night only becomes a drama night at 8pm. The one to wait for is New Tricks at 10pm, which gets the longest slot of the evening at 80 minutes and the best position, after the rivals have started to wind down.

Before that, Last Of The Summer Wine runs three times in a row, at 6pm, 6.40pm and 7.20pm. It is a comfortable block, but it is a block: the series has 295 episodes to its name across 31 series, and the channel clearly sees no reason to ration them. Two stars for the 7.20 slot, which has to compete with EastEnders on BBC One.

Miss Scarlet arrives at 8pm, a period crime series that began life on Alibi and has run to 36 episodes over six series. It is the lightest of the three dramas and sits well as an hour that asks little. Three stars. It is up against Celebrity Race Across the World on BBC One, so those who want something that doesn’t need following will find it here.

At 9pm Father Brown takes over. The same series is also on at 4.20pm, which tells you how much of this channel’s week is built from a handful of reliable titles. With 110 episodes across 11 series, it is the sort of programme that rewards a second viewing as much as a first. Its 9pm rival is Who Do You Think You Are? on BBC One, which is the harder sell if you care about your Wednesday being a drama one. Three stars.

Then New Tricks. It began on BBC One and has 107 episodes across 12 series, and the channel has made it a daily fixture. At 10pm it has the field largely to itself, since BBC News at Ten and the late schedule elsewhere are not obvious substitutes. It is a police procedural, 80 minutes long, with a cast that includes Dennis Waterman, Denis Lawson and Nicholas Lyndhurst. This is the evening’s pick, at four stars: the right length for a late slot and the one programme here that suits the hour.


Also on TV tonight at 9pm

  • BBC One: Who Do You Think You Are?
  • BBC Two: Spotlight
  • ITV1: Carabao Cup: Liverpool v Chelsea (from 7.30pm)
  • Channel 4: Grand Designs
  • Channel 5: Cause of Death
  • BBC Four: The Planets
  • ITV2: Big Brother
  • ITV3: Midsomer Murders (from 8pm)
  • ITV4: Sharpe (from 7.20pm)
  • E4: Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares USA

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


Frequently asked questions

What’s on Drama tonight?

On Wednesday 28 October 2026, Drama shows Last Of The Summer Wine at 7.20pm, Miss Scarlet at 8pm, Father Brown at 9pm and New Tricks at 10pm.

Is there a film on Drama tonight?

No. Drama has no films in its evening schedule on Wednesday 28 October 2026.

What’s on Drama late tonight?

After 11pm, Drama has Shakespeare And Hathaway – Private Investigators at 11.20pm.

What time does Drama’s evening start?

The evening schedule starts with Last Of The Summer Wine at 6pm.