Everything worth watching on Thursday 29 October 2026, across 30 channels.

Thursday’s best hour is eight o’clock, and BBC One has the lot

See also: Friday's TV guide

Thursday 29 October is a night of three series returns and one big reality-show episode, all stacked into the same hour. Eight o’clock is where the evening is decided, and The Celebrity Traitors on BBC One is the one to protect. Episode 9 of the series runs 65 minutes from 8pm, and BBC One then keeps hold of the audience with The Celebrity Traitors: Uncloaked at 9.05 and Not Going Out at 9.30. Few channels can plan a night around a single programme as cleanly as that.

The price of choosing it is real. ITV3 starts the new series of Vera at 8pm, Series 12 episode 1, and it has a full two hours. Vera is the sharper choice for anyone who would rather have a slow-burn drama than a parlour game, and it is the programme to record if the Traitors wins the live slot. Channel 5 opens Series 24 of The Yorkshire Vet in the same minute, a gentler option that sits well beside The Madame Blanc Mysteries, which begins its fifth series at 9.05. ITV1 meanwhile runs Emmerdale at 8, Coronation Street at 8.30 and Long Lost Family at 9, a solid block for anyone who wants one channel and no decisions.

Nine o’clock is the film hour

The evening’s real second contest is at 9pm, and it belongs to the films. Film4 shows The Contractor (2022), with Chris Pine, Ben Foster, Gillian Jacobs and Eddie Marsan, and Legend counters with Safe House (2012), led by Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds, with Vera Farmiga and Brendan Gleeson in support. Both are competent thrillers rather than events. If the choice is only between the two, Safe House has the stronger cast list, but neither should pull anyone away from the Traitors.

Sky Arts has the odd one out: Strange Journey: The Rocky Horror Picture Show, a 2025 film with Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, Richard O’Brien and Jack Black. It suits a Halloween-week mood better than most of what is on, and it will be missed by almost everybody. Talking Pictures TV is the other place to look, with Modesty Blaise (1966) at 9.20, starring Monica Vitti, Terence Stamp and Dirk Bogarde.

Back on the main channels, Channel 4 puts Taskmaster at 9.05, the best alternative for someone who has already seen the Traitors or finds it too tense. E4 has Gogglebox at 9 and again at 10, which is two hours of the same programme in one night.

The quiet corners worth a look

BBC Four’s 8pm choice is The Guns of Navarone, a 150-minute film that is easily the best use of that channel’s evening, followed by Halloween at 10.30 for a double bill with a sense of occasion. BBC Two is committed to Live: UEFA Women’s Champions League Football from 7.30, Manchester City v Paris Saint-Germain, and then Live at the Apollo at 10.

Late on, ITV1 hands its schedule to Godzilla vs Kong at 10.45. That is a long way down the list: it starts after ITV News at Ten and London news, and it runs 110 minutes, so anyone who stays up for it is committing to a past-midnight finish. A late film is a hard sell on a school-week night.

If you read nothing else

Watch The Celebrity Traitors on BBC One at 8pm, and record Vera on ITV3 for tomorrow.


What’s on tonight — Thursday 29 October 2026

Time Channel Programme
19:00 4seven Location, Location, Location: Episode 6
19:00 5Action Police Interceptors: Deadly Pursuits
19:00 5Star GPs: Behind Closed Doors: Episode 21
19:00 5USA NCIS: Safe Harbor
19:00 BBC One The One Show
19:00 BBC Two Breast Cancer Scandal: Exposing the Harm
19:00 Blaze Dickinson’s Real Deal: Huddersfield 2
19:00 Channel 5 Tales From the Riverbank: Dart
19:00 E4 The Simpsons: The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show
19:00 GREAT! Action Burn Notice: The Hunter
19:00 GREAT! Movies Castle: Last Action Hero
19:00 GREAT! Romance Good News from GREAT!
19:00 GREAT! TV MAS*H: Bananas, Crackers and Nuts (After Me, the Deluge)
19:00 ITV2 Deal or No Deal: Banker’s Best Battles: Mark and Chisara
19:00 Legend Babylon 5: Darkness Ascending
19:00 Really The Yorkshire Auction House: Cashing in on Cutlery
19:00 Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year: Danny Beard, Yalda Hakim, Arti Shah
19:00 BBC Four Battlefield Britain
19:00 Channel 4 Channel 4 News
19:00 Dave Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing
19:00 Quest Antiques Road Trip
19:00 Yesterday The Tropic of Capricorn with Simon Reeve
19:05 GREAT! Romance Christmas Getaway: Episode 2
19:15 ITV1 New: The Martin Lewis Money Show…
19:20 Drama Last Of The Summer Wine
19:20 That’s TV Likely Lads: Whatever Happened?
19:25 ITV2 Deal or No Deal: Banker’s Best Battles: Georgia and Matt
19:30 BBC One EastEnders: Episode 173
19:30 BBC Two Live: UEFA Women’s Champions League Football: Manchester City v Paris Saint-Germain
19:30 E4 Brooklyn Nine-Nine: The Chopper
19:30 GREAT! TV MAS*H: Cowboy
19:40 Dave Would I Lie To You?
19:55 More4 The Dog House: Episode 4
19:55 That’s TV Minder
20:00 4seven George Clarke’s Building Home: Dunoon
20:00 5Action Motorway Cops: Catching Britain’s Speeders: Episode 4
20:00 5Star Casualty 24/7: Every Second Counts: Episode 3
20:00 5USA NCIS: Thirst
20:00 BBC One The Celebrity Traitors: Episode 9
20:00 Blaze Dickinson’s Real Deal: Huddersfield 3
20:00 Channel 5 The Yorkshire Vet: Episode 1
20:00 E4 First Dates: Episode 4
20:00 GREAT! Action Burn Notice: Shot in the Dark
20:00 GREAT! Movies Unforgettable: Dollars and Scents
20:00 GREAT! Romance The Christmas Contest: Episode 1
20:00 GREAT! TV MAS*H: Henry, Please Come Home
20:00 ITV2 The 1% Club: Episode 15
20:00 ITV3 Vera: Against the Tide
20:00 Legend Walker, Texas Ranger: Last Hope
20:00 Really Antiques Road Trip: Natasha Raskin Sharp and Raj Bisram, Day 4
20:00 Sky Arts Classic Movies: The Story Of: Classic Movies: Dead Of Night
20:00 Talking Pictures TV Saber of London: Hidden Money
20:00 BBC Four The Guns of Navarone
20:00 Channel 4 Titanic: Building the World’s…
20:00 Drama Miss Scarlet
20:00 ITV1 Emmerdale
20:00 Quest Shed And Buried
20:00 Yesterday Bangers & Cash: Restoring Classics
20:20 Dave Would I Lie To You?
20:30 GREAT! TV MAS*H: I Hate a Mystery
20:30 Talking Pictures TV The Wheeltappers and Shunters Social Club: Episode 22
20:30 ITV1 Coronation Street
20:30 Quest Shed And Buried
20:55 GREAT! Romance Good News from GREAT!
21:00 4seven Grand Designs: Bedfordshire 2025
21:00 5Action Police Interceptors: Episode 3
21:00 5Star A&E After Dark: Episode 6
21:00 5USA Blue Bloods: Old Friends
21:00 Blaze Ancient Aliens: Secrets of Japan
21:00 E4 Gogglebox: Episode 6
21:00 Film4 The Contractor
21:00 GREAT! Action Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk: Episode 1
21:00 GREAT! Movies In Plain Sight: I’m a Liver Not a Fighter
21:00 GREAT! Romance The Christmas Contest: Episode 2
21:00 GREAT! TV Carry on Sergeant: Episode 1
21:00 ITV2 Big Brother: Episode 41
21:00 ITV4 Benidorm: Episode 6
21:00 Legend Safe House
21:00 More4 Our Yorkshire Pub Rescue with Jon Richardson: Episode 3
21:00 Really The 6000 Lb Diaries With Dr. Now: Trista
21:00 Sky Arts Strange Journey: The Rocky Horror Picture Show
21:00 Dave QI XL
21:00 Drama A Remarkable Place to Die
21:00 ITV1 Long Lost Family
21:00 Quest New: Aussie Gold Hunters
21:00 That’s TV Benidorm
21:00 Yesterday Dream Car Fixers
21:05 BBC One The Celebrity Traitors: Uncloaked: Episode 9
21:05 Channel 5 The Madame Blanc Mysteries: Fountain
21:05 Channel 4 Taskmaster
21:20 Talking Pictures TV Modesty Blaise
21:30 BBC One Not Going Out: Banksy
21:50 GREAT! Romance Christmas à La Carte: Episode 1
21:52 GREAT! TV Good News from GREAT!
21:55 That’s TV Shameless
21:56 GREAT! Action This Week Back Then
21:57 GREAT! TV Carry on Sergeant: Episode 2
22:00 4seven Grand Designs: South East London
22:00 5Action Timber Titans: Did That Get Your Heart Pumping?
22:00 5Star Ambulance: Code Red: Episode 10
22:00 5USA Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Uncivilised
22:00 BBC One BBC News at Ten
22:00 BBC Two Live at the Apollo: Episode 2
22:00 Blaze UFO Chronicles: The Coyame Incident
22:00 E4 Gogglebox: Episode 7
22:00 GREAT! Movies Nikki & Nora: Sister Sleuths: Episode 1
22:00 ITV2 Big Brother: The Group Chat: Episode 34
22:00 ITV3 Downton Abbey: Episode 5
22:00 ITV4 Benidorm: Episode 7
22:00 More4 24 Hours in A&E: Episode 4
22:00 Really The Face Doctors: I Miss My Old Face
22:00 Dave Have I Got A Bit More News For You?
22:00 Drama New Tricks
22:00 ITV1 ITV News at Ten
22:00 Quest The Repair Shop
22:00 Yesterday Bangers & Cash
22:01 GREAT! Action Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk: Episode 2
22:05 Channel 5 A Night in with Sally Lindsay: Suranne Jones
22:05 Channel 4 New: It Gets Worse
22:30 BBC One BBC London
22:30 BBC Two Newsnight
22:30 Blaze UFO Chronicles: Peni Military Base Incident
22:30 BBC Four Halloween
22:30 ITV1 ITV News London
22:35 Channel 4 New: It Gets Worse
22:40 BBC One Question Time
22:45 GREAT! Romance Good News from GREAT!
22:45 ITV1 Godzilla vs Kong
22:50 GREAT! Romance Christmas à La Carte: Episode 2
22:55 GREAT! TV Robin’s Nest: England Expects
22:55 That’s TV Man About The House
22:56 GREAT! Movies Good News from GREAT!
22:58 BBC Two BBC Weather