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

Sky Arts saves its two hours for the end of the night

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

Sky Arts spends most of Wednesday on half-hour fixtures, then gives the evening to a single long documentary: Katharine Hepburn: Call Me Kate, at 9pm, runs two hours. That is the programme to plan around, and the only one on the channel tonight with room to build anything.

It is also the quieter choice against the terrestrials. Who Do You Think You Are? is on BBC One at the same hour and Spotlight is on BBC Two, so a film-history documentary is a sensible alternative for anyone who wants an evening with a subject rather than a slot.

Before it, Portrait Artist of the Year fills 8pm. The show is on its thirteenth series, with 41 episodes to date, which makes it one of the more settled formats on the channel. Tonight’s instalment, with Danny Beard, Yalda Hakim and Arti Shah, also goes out at 2am, so the 8pm showing is the sociable one.

The 7pm slot goes to The Handel Scandal: The Making Of The Messiah, a 2026 documentary of an hour. It faces Blue Peter and The One Show, which is not much of a fight.

Late on, Classic Movies: The Story Of closes the night at 11pm with the Bill and Ted episode. A light end to a night that otherwise takes its subjects seriously.


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 Sky Arts tonight?

On Wednesday 28 October 2026, Sky Arts shows The Handel Scandal: The Making Of The Messiah at 7pm, Portrait Artist of the Year at 8pm and Katharine Hepburn: Call Me Kate at 9pm.

Is there a film on Sky Arts tonight?

Yes: The Handel Scandal: The Making Of The Messiah (2026) at 7pm.

What’s on Sky Arts late tonight?

After 11pm, Sky Arts has Classic Movies: The Story Of at 11pm.

What time does Sky Arts’s evening start?

The evening schedule starts with Tales of the Unexpected at 6pm.