TV Guide UK Tonight: Wed 4 Nov 2026 – 90 Years of TV on BBC Four, Celebrity Race Across the World & Winter

Updated: 3 November 2026

What’s on TV tonight, Wednesday 4 November 2026: BBC Four marks 90 years since the first official British TV broadcast with Television’s Opening Night at 9pm, while BBC One has Celebrity Race Across the World at 8pm and ITV1 has Winter at 9pm. The Champions League is live on TNT Sports, with free highlights on BBC One at 10.40pm. EastEnders is on at 7.30pm.

Quick Picks: Tonight’s Best

• Television’s Opening Night BBC Four, 9pm. The anniversary pick.
• Celebrity Race Across the World BBC One, 8pm. Then MasterChef: The Professionals at 9pm.
• Winter ITV1, 9pm. Episode five, after Emmerdale and Coronation Street.
• Champions League TNT Sports, from 5.45pm.
• Murder in Belfast BBC Two, 9pm. Part two of three.

Early Evening

The Chase – ITV1, 5pm

The Chase is on ITV1 at 5pm, with Bradley Walsh doing the usual teatime duty. If you like quiz shows with a grudge, it’s still the best.

Champions League: Fenerbahce v Liverpool – TNT Sports 1, 5.45pm

Fenerbahce v Liverpool kicks off at 5.45pm on TNT Sports 1, with coverage from 5pm. It’s matchday four of the league phase. AEK Athens v Real Madrid kicks off at the same time on TNT Sports 3.

House of Games – BBC Two, 6pm

House of Games is on BBC Two at 6pm, a new episode. Maisie Adam, Ade Edmondson, Rickie Haywood-Williams and Sammi Kinghorn are the four players. Strictly: It Takes Two follows at 6.30pm.

Hollyoaks – E4, 7pm

Hollyoaks is on E4 at 7pm, a new episode. Maddox is delighted his brother’s health is improving, though not everyone in the village is pleased, Sienna catches a conversation she wasn’t meant to hear, and another resident is put on the spot. Our Hollyoaks page has the background if you’ve fallen behind.

The Future with Hannah Fry – BBC Two, 7.30pm

The Future with Hannah Fry is on BBC Two at 7.30pm, episode two of six. This week she looks at how researchers are trying to work out what animals are telling each other: talking dogs, elephant rumbles. It’s short, about 25 minutes, and the whole series is on iPlayer.

EastEnders – BBC One, 7.30pm

EastEnders is on BBC One at 7.30pm tonight. Ian’s Bonfire Night plans run into snags, and Max is left trying to cool the temperature. It’s Walford, so good luck with that.

Prime Time

Celebrity Race Across the World – BBC One, 8pm

Celebrity Race Across the World is on BBC One at 8pm, and the second leg sends the pairs across Borneo towards a big city. Sam Ryder and his mate Kaz are among them, travelling on a tight budget, and the episode is full of missed connections and wrong turns. Teams that were well apart at the start are closing up by the checkpoint, so I wouldn’t write anyone off. Also on iPlayer.

Emmerdale – ITV1, 8pm

Emmerdale tonight, what time? 8pm on ITV1. Belle is left gutted, Caleb makes a demand and Robert goes after Charity. More on the Emmerdale page.

Coronation Street – ITV1, 8.30pm

Coronation Street is on ITV1 at 8.30pm, straight after Emmerdale. Leanne confronts Brody and Idris, and Carla has sad news to share. See the Coronation Street page.

Champions League: RB Leipzig v Man City – TNT Sports 2, 8pm

RB Leipzig v Man City kicks off at 8pm on TNT Sports 2, with coverage from 7pm. On TNT Sports 1, Slavia Prague v Arsenal starts at 8pm, with coverage from 7.45pm. Dortmund v Real Betis and Porto v Napoli kick off at the same time.

Portrait Artist of the Year – Sky Arts, 8pm

Sky Arts has a new Portrait Artist of the Year at 8pm. Stephen Mangan hosts, and the sitters are Rylan Clark, the trumpeter Alison Balsom and Jamie Lloyd, who works in theatre. It’s the sort of show that’s weirdly calming.

Miss Scarlet – Drama, 8pm

Drama has a new Miss Scarlet at 8pm, “The Enchanted Mirror”. Eliza Scarlet finds herself among Victorian theatre people, with Kate Phillips in the lead. Easy, cosy viewing.

MasterChef: The Professionals – BBC One, 9pm

MasterChef: The Professionals is on BBC One at 9pm. The remaining five chefs take on a test set by Santiago Lastra, followed by a technical challenge. A familiar format, but still the one where the cooking is actually hard.

Winter – ITV1, 9pm

Winter is on ITV1 at 9pm, episode five, and the full series is on ITVX. Richard Armitage plays forensic pathologist Ethan Winter and Annabel Scholey is DI Lauren Bell. A night at the cinema is interrupted by a stabbing, and Winter has to save the victim. The set-up is a bit hard to swallow, but Armitage sells it.

Murder in Belfast: Sisters Seeking Justice – BBC Two, 9pm

Murder in Belfast: Sisters Seeking Justice is on BBC Two at 9pm, part two of three. The IRA claims to know who killed Robert McCartney, and the White House gets involved. Hard going, as it should be.

Television’s Opening Night: How the Box Was Born – BBC Four, 9pm ⭐

Television’s Opening Night: How the Box Was Born is on BBC Four at 9pm, and if you only watch one TV show tonight, make it this one. On 2 November 1936 the first official British TV broadcast went out from Alexandra Palace, and BBC Four’s evening of archive programmes is built around the 90th anniversary. What Are UFOs? fills 8pm, then comes a 2016 documentary in which Dallas Campbell, Danielle George and Hugh Hunt restage the first broadcast, because no recording of it survives.

I like that BBC Four is doing this from its own archive instead of pretending it has a big budget. It’s on iPlayer too. It leads into The Fools on the Hill at 10.30pm, a drama about the same period, and the night runs on past 1am, when Leslie Mitchell, the BBC’s first television announcer, looks back at his place in broadcasting history.

The Traitors Ireland – BBC Three, 9pm

BBC Three has The Traitors Ireland at 9pm, episode three of twelve, with episode four following at 9.55pm. Slane Castle is reeling from another murder and a hard mission. Siobhán McSweeney hosts.

Surgeons: A Matter of Life or Death – Channel 5, 9pm

Surgeons: A Matter of Life or Death returns to Channel 5 at 9pm for a fourth series, running 90 minutes. Emma, 20, is having facial surgery, and as always the stories are tough going. It’s on 5 streaming too.

War for the Planet of the Apes – Film4, 9pm

Film4 has War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) at 9pm, the third in the modern trilogy, with Andy Serkis as Caesar. It’s long, at nearly three hours with the break, and rather bleak. Heath Ledger’s A Knight’s Tale (2001) is on earlier, at 6.25pm. For more films, see films on TV this week.

Late Night

Gogglebox – E4, 10pm

Gogglebox is on E4 at 10pm tonight, not Channel 4, and runs for just over an hour. The Gogglebox page has more. Channel 4 has Grand Designs at 9pm, with Kevin McCloud returning to a 1960s bungalow on the Wirral, then First Dates at 10pm.

Ellie & Natasia – BBC Two, 10pm

Ellie & Natasia ends its run on BBC Two at 10pm, with the third and final episode of the sketch series. It’s also on iPlayer. Newsnight follows at 10.30pm.

The Fools on the Hill – BBC Four, 10.30pm

The Fools on the Hill is on BBC Four at 10.30pm, a dramatisation of 1936 and the build-up to high-definition television, written by Jack Rosenthal. Television Comes to London, a short 1936 film, follows at 11.45pm.

Champions League Highlights – BBC One, 10.40pm

BBC One has free highlights of matchday four of the Champions League at 10.40pm, running until midnight. Wales shows it later, at 11.10pm, and Northern Ireland at 11.40pm. It’s the way to see tonight’s goals if you don’t have TNT Sports.

Elsewhere in the Freeview TV guide tonight, ITV2 has Big Brother at 9pm, ITV3 has Midsomer Murders at 8pm, ITV4 has Sharpe at 7.20pm, Dave has QI XL at 9pm, Sky One has the last episode of Rob and Romesh vs Bowling at 9pm, U&Alibi has Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators at 8pm, More4 has Our Tiny Islands at 9pm, 5USA has NCIS from 6pm, Yesterday has Guy Martin: Proper Jobs at 9pm and Legend has Heist at 9pm.

Sport: Champions League on TV tonight

The Champions League games are covered above. In the Championship, Bristol City v Wolves kicks off at 8pm on Sky Sports Main Event, and football on TV today lists the rest.

ITV4 has Gallagher PREM Unleashed at 6.50pm (more in rugby on TV) and English Football League highlights at 11.45pm. Tennis fans get the ATP Paris Masters live from 10am on Sky Sports Tennis. Everything else is in sport on TV today.

What’s On Streaming

BBC iPlayer: Celebrity Race Across the World, MasterChef: The Professionals, The Future with Hannah Fry, Television’s Opening Night, Ellie & Natasia, The Traitors Ireland.

ITVX: Winter (full series), Emmerdale, Coronation Street.

5: Surgeons: A Matter of Life or Death.

Now: Rob and Romesh vs Bowling (last in the series), from Sky One.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is EastEnders on tonight (Wednesday 4 November 2026)?

Yes. EastEnders is on BBC One at 7.30pm tonight (Wednesday 4 November) and runs for half an hour. Ian’s plans for Bonfire Night run into trouble, and Max tries to calm things down.

What time is Television’s Opening Night on tonight?

Television’s Opening Night: How the Box Was Born is on BBC Four at 9pm tonight (Wednesday 4 November) and runs for an hour and a half. It’s on iPlayer too, and The Fools on the Hill follows at 10.30pm.

What’s the best thing to watch on TV tonight (Wednesday 4 November 2026)?

Our pick is Television’s Opening Night on BBC Four at 9pm, the centrepiece of an evening of archive programmes marking 90 years since the first official British TV broadcast. Celebrity Race Across the World at 8pm on BBC One and Winter at 9pm on ITV1 are the best of the rest.

What live sport is on TV tonight (Wednesday 4 November 2026)?

TNT Sports has the Champions League, with Fenerbahce v Liverpool kicking off at 5.45pm and RB Leipzig v Man City and Slavia Prague v Arsenal both at 8pm. Bristol City v Wolves in the Championship kicks off at 8pm on Sky Sports Main Event, and the ATP Paris Masters is on Sky Sports Tennis all day.

What’s on BBC One tonight?

BBC One has EastEnders at 7.30pm, Celebrity Race Across the World at 8pm, MasterChef: The Professionals at 9pm and the news at 10pm. Free Champions League highlights follow at 10.40pm.

What’s on ITV tonight?

ITV1 has Emmerdale at 8pm, Coronation Street at 8.30pm and the crime drama Winter at 9pm. Peston is on at 10.45pm. ITV2 has Big Brother at 9pm, and ITV3 has Midsomer Murders at 8pm.

What time is Emmerdale and Coronation Street on tonight?

Emmerdale is on ITV1 at 8pm tonight (Wednesday 4 November) and Coronation Street follows at 8.30pm. Winter takes the 9pm slot.

Is the Champions League on free TV tonight?

Not live. The matches are on TNT Sports, but BBC One shows free highlights of matchday four at 10.40pm, which may start later in some regions. BBC Radio 5 Live has commentary from 7.55pm.

What time is Celebrity Race Across the World on?

Celebrity Race Across the World is on BBC One at 8pm tonight (Wednesday 4 November) and on iPlayer as well. It’s the second of six episodes.

What films are on TV tonight?

Film4 has A Knight’s Tale (2001) at 6.25pm and War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) at 9pm. BBC Three shows The Hunger Games at 10.45pm, ITV4 has The Grey at 9.30pm and 5Star has Split at 9pm.

What’s on Freeview tonight?

The big Freeview picks are Celebrity Race Across the World on BBC One at 8pm, Winter on ITV1 at 9pm and Television’s Opening Night on BBC Four at 9pm. Emmerdale and Coronation Street are on ITV1 from 8pm, and Channel 4 has Grand Designs at 9pm.

What is on TV at 9pm tonight?

At 9pm BBC One has MasterChef: The Professionals, ITV1 has Winter, Channel 4 has Grand Designs and Channel 5 has Surgeons: A Matter of Life or Death. BBC Two has Murder in Belfast, and BBC Four has Television’s Opening Night.

What’s on Channel 4 and Channel 5 tonight?

Channel 4 has Location, Location, Location at 8pm, Grand Designs at 9pm and First Dates at 10pm. Channel 5 has Surgeons: A Matter of Life or Death at 9pm, running for 90 minutes.

Which Champions League matches are on TV tonight, and what time do they kick off?

Fenerbahce v Liverpool and AEK Athens v Real Madrid kick off at 5.45pm on TNT Sports 1 and 3. At 8pm it’s RB Leipzig v Man City on TNT Sports 2 and Slavia Prague v Arsenal on TNT Sports 1, with Dortmund v Real Betis and Porto v Napoli at the same time. BBC One has free highlights at 10.40pm.

What happens in Emmerdale and Coronation Street tonight?

In Emmerdale at 8pm, Belle is left gutted, Caleb makes a demand and Robert goes after Charity. In Coronation Street at 8.30pm, Leanne confronts Brody and Idris, and Carla has sad news to share.

Tonight by Channel

A channel-by-channel breakdown of Wednesday 4 November 2026, so you can jump straight to the one you actually watch.

BBC One

• 7.30pm — EastEnders
• 8pm — Celebrity Race Across the World
• 9pm — MasterChef: The Professionals
• 10.40pm — Champions League Highlights

BBC Two

• 6pm — House of Games
• 7.30pm — The Future with Hannah Fry
• 9pm — Murder in Belfast: Sisters Seeking Justice
• 10pm — Ellie & Natasia

ITV1

• 5pm — The Chase
• 8pm — Emmerdale
• 8.30pm — Coronation Street
• 9pm — Winter

Channel 5

• 9pm — Surgeons: A Matter of Life or Death

BBC Four

• 9pm — Television’s Opening Night: How the Box Was Born
• 10.30pm — The Fools on the Hill

E4

• 7pm — Hollyoaks
• 10pm — Gogglebox

The Viewing Schedule

Tonight’s television listings for the main channels, in time order. For the full BBC TV guide today, slot by slot, use the BBC One and BBC Two channel pages linked above.

Final Verdict

Start the night with the Champions League if you have TNT Sports, or with EastEnders if you haven’t. Then it’s a straight choice at 9pm. Television’s Opening Night is the one I’d pick for the anniversary, and Winter and MasterChef: The Professionals are decent alternatives.

If you only want the football, BBC One has it at 10.40pm. If you want to stay up with the television history, BBC Four keeps going past midnight.

Related: What’s On TV Tonight | Films on TV Tonight | Freeview Channel Guide