Everything worth watching on Wednesday 28 October 2026, across 30 channels.

Wednesday is decided at eight o’clock, and BBC One has the best of it

See also: Thursday's TV guide

The night turns on 8pm, when BBC One starts a new series of Celebrity Race Across the World and the rest of the dial has little that can match it. Everything before that is a football match on one side and a pile of familiar comfort viewing on the other. Everything after it is a smaller fight, with a good film and a family-history hour to split the audience.

The pick, and what it costs you

Celebrity Race Across the World (BBC One, 8pm) is the first episode of series four, and that matters: openers are where a series asks for your loyalty, and this one arrives with nothing serious against it. The Repair Shop is on BBC Two at the same time, now at episode 25 of its fourteenth series, and it is dependable rather than urgent. Midsomer Murders opens series 11 on ITV3 with a two-hour slot, which will suit anyone who wants to settle in for the evening. Celebrity Race still wins the hour, because it is the only thing in it that begins something.

What you give up is mostly habit. If you stay on BBC One, EastEnders at 7.30 leads in and Who Do You Think You Are? follows at 9pm with Ruth Jones. That is a tidy three-hour run without touching the remote, and the news at ten waits at the end of it.

The football, and the other 9pm choice

ITV1 has given its whole evening to Carabao Cup: Liverpool v Chelsea. It kicks off at 7.30 and the slot runs 175 minutes, so the programme does not hand back until ITV News at Ten at 22:25. Liverpool against Chelsea is a proper fixture for a midweek cup night, and for anyone following it the rest of the schedule barely matters. Everyone else should know that ITV1 is, for practical purposes, closed to non-football viewers until well past ten.

The 9pm hour is where the better argument sits. Film4 shows All of Us Strangers (2023), with Andrew Scott, Paul Mescal, Carter John Grout and Jamie Bell, and it is preceded at 20:50 by an interview special that makes a sensible warm-up. It is the best film on tonight by some distance. Against it, the choices are Who Do You Think You Are? on BBC One, Grand Designs on Channel 4, and Long Lost Family on Really. Driven (2001) on Legend, with Sylvester Stallone, is the easy-going alternative, and The Boston Strangler (1968) on Talking Pictures TV, with Tony Curtis and Henry Fonda, is the one for people who like their cinema old. If you only have room for one film, make it All of Us Strangers.

Earlier, and later

BBC Two quietly stacks its early evening: Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing returns at 7pm with series nine, The Future with Hannah Fry starts a second series at 7.30, and The Secret Genius of Modern Life begins at 7.55. Three openers in under an hour is rare, and it makes BBC Two the better place to be before eight than BBC One’s regular soap run. At 10.40pm BBC One closes with The Monkey (2025), starring Theo James and Tatiana Maslany. It is a late film on a weeknight, and it will find its audience among those who stayed for the news.

If you read nothing else

Watch Celebrity Race Across the World on BBC One at 8pm, then All of Us Strangers on Film4 at 9pm if you have the appetite for a film. If football is the reason you are in, ITV1 has you covered until 22:25.


What’s on tonight — Wednesday 28 October 2026

Time Channel Programme
19:00 4seven Kevin McCloud’s Listed Britain: Episode 2
19:00 5Action Police Interceptors: Episode 5
19:00 5Star GPs: Behind Closed Doors: Episode 20
19:00 5USA NCIS: Restless
19:00 BBC One The One Show
19:00 BBC Two Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing: River Ribble, Lancashire – Barbel
19:00 Blaze Dickinson’s Real Deal: Ilkeston 4
19:00 Channel 5 Fare Dodgers: At War With The Law: Episode 2
19:00 E4 Hollyoaks: Episode 129
19:00 GREAT! Action Burn Notice: Fearless Leader
19:00 GREAT! Movies Castle: Kill Switch
19:00 GREAT! Romance Good News from GREAT!
19:00 GREAT! TV MAS*H: Requiem for a Lightweight
19:00 ITV2 Deal or No Deal: Banker’s Best Battles: Brian and Kelly
19:00 Legend Babylon 5: Meditations on the Abyss
19:00 Really The Yorkshire Auction House: X Marks the Spot
19:00 Sky Arts The Handel Scandal: The Making Of The Messiah
19:00 Talking Pictures TV Out of Town: Bee Skeps; Flooded River Fishing
19:00 BBC Four Secrets of Skin
19:00 Channel 4 Budget Special: C4 News
19:00 Dave Would I Lie To You?
19:00 Quest Antiques Road Trip
19:00 Yesterday The Tropic of Capricorn with Simon Reeve
19:05 GREAT! Romance Christmas at the Plaza: Episode 2
19:20 ITV4 Sharpe: Sharpe’s Mission
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: Ronnie and Sami
19:30 BBC One EastEnders: Episode 172
19:30 BBC Two The Future with Hannah Fry: Super Intelligence
19:30 E4 Brooklyn Nine-Nine: Det. Dave Majors
19:30 GREAT! TV MAS*H: Chief Surgeon Who?
19:30 Talking Pictures TV Dick Turpin: The Impostor
19:30 BBC Four Gareth Edwards’s Great Welsh Adventure
19:30 ITV1 Carabao Cup: Liverpool v Chelsea
19:40 Dave Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing
19:55 BBC Two The Secret Genius of Modern Life: Bank Card
19:55 More4 The Dog House: Episode 3
19:55 That’s TV Minder
20:00 4seven Kevin McCloud’s Classic Car Road Trips: Maserati 3500GT: Emilia-Romagna
20:00 5Action Motorway Cops: Catching Britain’s Speeders: Episode 3
20:00 5Star Casualty 24/7: Every Second Counts: Episode 2
20:00 5USA NCIS: The Penelope Papers
20:00 BBC One Celebrity Race Across the World: Episode 1
20:00 BBC Two The Repair Shop: Episode 25
20:00 Blaze Dickinson’s Real Deal: Huddersfield 1
20:00 Channel 5 Murder Scene: The Incident Room: Honour Killing
20:00 E4 First Dates: Episode 2
20:00 GREAT! Action Burn Notice: Signals and Codes
20:00 GREAT! Movies Unforgettable: Behind the Beat
20:00 GREAT! Romance Christmas in Vienna: Episode 1
20:00 GREAT! TV MAS*H: The Moose
20:00 ITV2 The 1% Club: Episode 14
20:00 ITV3 Midsomer Murders: Shot at Dawn
20:00 Legend Walker, Texas Ranger: Mayday
20:00 Really Antiques Road Trip: Natasha Raskin Sharp and Raj Bisram, Day 3
20:00 Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year: Danny Beard, Yalda Hakim, Arti Shah
20:00 BBC Four How the Romans Conquered the Alps
20:00 Channel 4 New: Location, Location, Location
20:00 Drama Miss Scarlet
20:00 Quest The Yorkshire Auction House
20:00 Yesterday This World: The Coffee Trail…
20:05 Talking Pictures TV Van der Valk: A Dangerous Point of View
20:20 Dave Would I Lie To You?
20:30 GREAT! TV MAS*H: Yankee Doodle Doctor
20:50 Film4 All of Us Strangers Interview Special
20:50 BBC Four Building Sights
20:55 GREAT! Romance Good News from GREAT!
21:00 4seven 24 Hours in A&E: Episode 1
21:00 5Action Police Interceptors: Episode 18
21:00 5Star Max Payne: Episode 1
21:00 5USA Law & Order: Organized Crime: The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of
21:00 BBC One Who Do You Think You Are?: Ruth Jones
21:00 BBC Two Spotlight: Murder in Belfast – Sisters Seeking Justice: Part 1
21:00 Blaze What on Earth?: Riddle in the Ruins
21:00 Channel 5 Cause of Death: Episode 5
21:00 E4 Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares USA: Golden Girls
21:00 Film4 All of Us Strangers
21:00 GREAT! Action Pistol Whipped: Episode 1
21:00 GREAT! Movies In Plain Sight: Something A-mish
21:00 GREAT! Romance Christmas in Vienna: Episode 2
21:00 GREAT! TV One Fine Day: Episode 1
21:00 ITV2 Big Brother: Episode 40
21:00 Legend Driven
21:00 More4 Our Tiny Islands: Episode 1
21:00 Really Long Lost Family: Episode 3
21:00 Sky Arts Katharine Hepburn: Call Me Kate
21:00 BBC Four The Planets
21:00 Channel 4 Grand Designs
21:00 Dave QI XL
21:00 Drama Father Brown
21:00 Quest New: The Derbyshire Auction House
21:00 That’s TV Benidorm
21:00 Yesterday Guy Martin: Proper Jobs
21:05 Talking Pictures TV The Boston Strangler
21:30 ITV4 Universal Soldier: Episode 1
21:52 GREAT! TV Good News from GREAT!
21:55 GREAT! Romance Looks Like Christmas: Episode 1
21:55 That’s TV Shameless
21:56 GREAT! Action This Week Back Then
21:57 GREAT! TV One Fine Day: Episode 2
22:00 4seven Social Media Monsters: The Murder Of Joe Dix
22:00 5Action Police: Night Shift 999: Episode 10
22:00 5Star Entertainment News On 5: Episode 218
22:00 5USA Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Wanderlust
22:00 BBC One BBC News at Ten
22:00 BBC Two Ellie & Natasia: Episode 2
22:00 Blaze What on Earth?: Stonehenge of the Holy Land
22:00 Channel 5 A&E After Dark: Episode 1
22:00 E4 Gogglebox: Episode 5
22:00 GREAT! Movies Darrow & Darrow: Body of Evidence: Episode 1
22:00 ITV2 Big Brother: The Group Chat: Episode 33
22:00 ITV3 Downton Abbey: Episode 4
22:00 More4 24 Hours in A&E: Episode 1
22:00 Really Who Do You Think You Are?: Reggie Yates
22:00 BBC Four The Singing Detective
22:00 Channel 4 New: First Dates
22:00 Dave Have I Got A Bit More News For You?
22:00 Drama New Tricks
22:00 Quest The Repair Shop
22:00 Yesterday Bangers & Cash
22:01 GREAT! Action Pistol Whipped: Episode 2
22:05 5Star Max Payne: Episode 2
22:25 ITV1 ITV News at Ten
22:30 BBC One BBC London
22:30 BBC Two Newsnight
22:30 ITV4 FYI Daily
22:35 ITV4 Universal Soldier: Episode 2
22:40 BBC One The Monkey
22:50 GREAT! Romance Good News from GREAT!
22:55 GREAT! Romance Looks Like Christmas: Episode 2
22:55 That’s TV Man About The House
22:56 GREAT! Movies Good News from GREAT!
22:58 BBC Two BBC Weather


Frequently asked questions

What’s the best thing to watch on TV tonight?

Our pick is Celebrity Race Across the World on BBC One at 8pm. Also worth watching: All of Us Strangers on Film4 at 9pm and The Future with Hannah Fry on BBC Two at 7.30pm.

What film is on TV tonight?

18 films start after 6pm on Wednesday 28 October 2026, including Christmas at the Plaza (2019) on GREAT! Romance at 6.05pm, Legends of the Fall (1994) on Film4 at 6.15pm, The Handel Scandal: The Making Of The Messiah (2026) on Sky Arts at 7pm, Christmas in Vienna (2020) on GREAT! Romance at 8pm and Max Payne (2008) on 5Star at 9pm.

What’s on TV at 9pm tonight?

At 9pm on Wednesday 28 October 2026: 24 Hours in A&E (4seven), Police Interceptors (5Action), Max Payne (5Star), Law & Order: Organized Crime (5USA), Who Do You Think You Are? (BBC One), Spotlight (BBC Two), What on Earth? (Blaze) and Cause of Death (Channel 5).

What sport is on TV tonight?

PREM Rugby Unleashed on ITV4 at 6.50pm.

Is EastEnders on tonight?

Yes: EastEnders is on BBC One at 7.30pm.

Is Hollyoaks on tonight?

Yes: Hollyoaks is on E4 at 7pm.