On TV tonight, the competitors are off to Quebec City in Race Across the World, companion doc Saving Our Wild Isles offers up some stark stats about the state of UK wildlife, The Mysterious Mr Lagerfeld tries to track down where the fashion magnate's money went, and German-language series Sam - A Saxon starts streaming on Disney Plus. Here's what you shouldn't miss on TV Tonight.
- Our hand-selected recommendations for what's on TV tonight include TV shows, a film, live sport and the latest trending need-to-binge-on-now box set
- Keep up to date with the latest soap spoiler storylines on TV tonight with our daily soap synopsis
- For more information about what’s on TV tonight see our TV Guide
What's on TV tonight
Our expert TV journalists have picked the best things on TV tonight...
Best TV shows on TV tonight
Race Across the World, 9 pm, BBC One
The competitors are five weeks in and the longest leg of the race so far – to Manitoulin Island in Ontario – has taken its toll. But they have to pick themselves up and plan a route to the next checkpoint, Quebec City. This time, there should be less difficulty finding transport and places to stay, as the teams will be passing through major cities such as Toronto, Ottawa and Ottawa. The downside of that is that their dwindling budgets will take a hit – and it’s the weekend of the Canadian Grand Prix, so hotel prices are astronomical. Claudia says that doing the trip with her dad Kevin has had ‘ups and downs, highs and lows’ – will a detour to see Niagara Falls set them on the right path?
★★★★ JP
Saving Our Wild Isles, BBC iPlayer
This companion documentary to Wild Isles is only available to stream (it’s in the ‘Extras’ section of the series). Made in association with the RSPB, WWF and the National Trust, it offers grim statistics on the state of our nation’s nature – a quarter of our mammals face extinction, for starters. But its aim is to share the stories of those who are making a difference, from the arable farmer in Sussex who has increased biodiversity by reducing ploughing and pesticides to the volunteers planting thousands of willows to rewild the Cairngorms. Their efforts provide inspiration for everyone to support David Attenborough’s rallying cry: ‘This starts and ends with us.’
★★★★ NT
The Mysterious Mr Lagerfeld, 9 pm, BBC Two
With his ponytail, high collars, sunglasses and slender frame dressed inevitably in black and white, flamboyant designer and one-time head of Chanel Karl Lagerfeld, aka ‘Kaiser’, certainly cut a dash in the world of fashion. But when he died in 2019, aged 85, the question everyone was asking was: who’s he left his money to? Helped by remarkable access and unusually frank interviewees, it’s the question film-maker Michael Waldman (director of eye-openers including Inside the Foreign Office and Inside Monaco: Playground of the Rich) asks, too, of Lagerfeld’s own inner circle. So who got it? The models he was close to? His rugged bodyguard? Surely not the cat
★★★★ SM
Sam - A Saxon, Disney Plus
This gripping German-language series explores the incredible true-life story of Samuel Njankouo Meffire, the first Black policeman in East Germany in the late 1980s. Malick Bauer plays Sam, and the series shows how he felt compelled to join the police force after his father’s murder. Sam rises to the top and, after the fall of the Berlin Wall, becomes a symbol of the new Germany, the face of an anti-racism campaign and a media sensation. However, Sam’s life takes a dramatic turn when he finds himself behind bars after becoming an internationally wanted criminal and Germany’s ‘public enemy number one’. Also starring Vienna Blood’s Luise von Finckh and Munich Games’ Carina Wiese.
NC
Best box set on TV tonight
The always-excellent Keri Russell stars as Kate Wyler, the newly appointed US Ambassador to the United Kingdom, who was hoping to be sent to Afghanistan rather than London. But as threats of war bubble over across the world, Kate has to make do with the UK, where she defuses international crises, forges strategic alliances, and adjusts to her new life and career.
Making everything harder is Kate’s need to balance the grandeur and majesty of working with heads of state with surviving her long-term marriage to fellow career diplomat and political star Hal Wyler (Rufus Sewell). The political thriller also stars Brits David Gyasi and Rory Kinnear, while Celia Imrie makes a guest appearance.
NC
Best film on TV tonight
Deadpool 2, 9 pm, Film4
The wisecracking anti-hero meets Russell, a gifted youngster pursued by a heavily armed cyborg from the future. With the aid of fellow mutant Domino and five less lucky teammates, they attempt to defeat the villainous Cable. Action comedy, starring Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Julian Dennison and Zazie Beetz.
Soaps
- EastEnders, 7.30 pm, BBC One
- Emmerdale, 7.30 pm, ITV1
- Coronation Street, 8 pm, ITV1
- Hollyoaks, 6.30 pm, Channel 4
- Home and Away, 6 pm, 5Star
Live Sport
- Snooker World Championship, 1 pm & 7 pm, BBC Two
- IPL 2023: Royal Challengers Bangalore v Kolkata Knight Riders, 3 pm, Sky Sports Main Event
- Premier League: Manchester City v Arsenal, 7 pm (k-o 8 pm), BT Sport 1
- EFL: Sheffield United v West Bromwich Albion, 7.30 pm (k-o 8 pm), Sky Sports Main Event
If you watch just one thing on TV tonight…
Don't miss Race Across the World on TV tonight.
Not found anything you want to watch on TV tonight? Check out our TV Guide.
Happy viewing!
