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

Gunpowder is the short course between two long ones

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

Drama’s Saturday primetime is built from two marathon slots with one tight, serious hour and a bit in the middle. That middle is Gunpowder at 9pm, and it is the reason to tune in. It is a three-episode BBC One miniseries with Kit Harington, Peter Mullan, Mark Gatiss, Liv Tyler and Tom Cullen in the cast, directed by J Blakeson, and it runs 80 minutes here. Historical drama on a channel better known for gentle detectives is a change of register, and a welcome one.

The competition at nine is mostly noise. Celebrity Gogglebox on E4 and a pair of films on 5action and 5star are the nearest rivals, none of them in the same lane. If you want something with weight on Freeview tonight, this is it.

The detective bookends

The Brokenwood Mysteries opens the evening at 7pm and takes two full hours. It is a New Zealand series that has run to ten series and 48 episodes, so a long slot is a sensible way to use it: you get a proper sitting rather than a single hour. The channel has aired it on four days in the current window, which tells you Drama treats it as a staple. Reliable, comfortable, and at two hours a decent way to start a Saturday night in.

Inspector Alleyn Mysteries closes things at 10.20pm for 125 minutes. That is a heavy commitment for the end of the night, and it sits against Match of the Day on BBC One and Would I Lie To You? on Dave, both of which will pull away anyone with a lighter evening in mind. The programme airs on two days in the window, so it is not a one-off. I would treat it as a late-night option for the committed rather than a reason to stay up.

The rest of the day

Daytime is wall-to-wall comfort. Birds of a Feather runs twice, Pie in the Sky fills three straight hours from 2pm, and You’re Killing Me takes both early evening slots. Call the Midwife has the 12.40 spot to itself at 80 minutes. None of that needs a write-up, just a note that this is a channel that fills the day with series it can run back to back.

Stay for Gunpowder. Dip into the detectives either side if you fancy them.


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
  • Channel 5: Britain’s Killer Hurricane of 1990 (from 7.45pm)
  • 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

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


Frequently asked questions

What’s on Drama tonight?

On Saturday 31 October 2026, Drama shows The Brokenwood Mysteries at 7pm, Gunpowder at 9pm and Inspector Alleyn Mysteries at 10.20pm.

Is there a film on Drama tonight?

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

What time does Drama’s evening start?

The evening schedule starts with You’re Killing Me at 6pm.