Thursday evening offers a rich mix of emotional reunions, scenic escapism and sharp comedy. Lorraine Kelly finally gets her travel show as she heads to Norway, Long Lost Family delivers its trademark tear-jerking moments, and the hapless spies of Black Ops dig themselves into an even deeper hole. Plus, there’s snooker from the Masters and Rob Beckett trying not to fall off a bobsled.
Quick Picks: Tonight’s Best
- Long Lost Family – ITV1, 9pm – Emotional reunions after decades apart
- Lorraine Kelly’s Norwegian Odyssey – Channel 4, 8pm – The TV veteran fulfils a lifelong dream
- Black Ops – BBC One, 9:30pm – MI5’s worst agents go rogue
- Rob and Romesh vs Team GB – Sky Max, 9pm – Winter Olympics comedy chaos
Early Evening (7pm – 8pm)
Is EastEnders On Tonight?
Yes, EastEnders is on BBC One at 7:30pm this evening. Tonight’s episode sees the Branning family come together to remember Abi in what promises to be a poignant gathering. Expect raw emotions and difficult conversations as the clan reflects on her life and what she meant to each of them. Meanwhile, Priya attempts to provide comfort to someone close to her who’s clearly struggling, and Jack decides it’s time to apply some pressure to get results. Family dynamics are front and centre tonight, and there’s clearly tension simmering beneath the surface of these reunions.
Prime Time (8pm onwards)
The Traitors – BBC One, 8pm
The remaining contestants face an unwelcome start to their day as Claudia Winkleman puts them through their paces. The Traitors, meanwhile, are huddled together planning their next victim. The paranoia levels are reaching fever pitch at this stage of the competition, and tonight’s Round Table promises fireworks.
Ed Gamble takes over hosting duties for Uncloaked at 9pm, where the latest evictee gets to share their perspective on what went wrong. These post-match debriefs have become essential viewing for understanding just how badly some players misread the room.
Lorraine Kelly’s Norwegian Odyssey – Channel 4, 8pm
After decades of early morning television, Lorraine Kelly finally gets to front the travel programme she’s always wanted. Norway has been calling to her for years, and this three-part series represents the realisation of that long-held ambition.
What’s immediately striking is how well-suited she is to this format. Someone who spends their professional life showing genuine interest in other people’s stories transitions naturally to showing genuine interest in other countries. Kelly arrives wide-eyed and enthusiastic, captivated by stories of trolls and Viking heritage, game for climbing into ice-cold fjord water after sweating it out in a sauna.
She describes Norway as a place where “the landscape is in charge” – and it’s hard to argue when you see the towering cliffs and vast wilderness surrounding her. Whether she’s chatting to local chefs about traditional cuisine or listening to fishermen share tales of their trade, Kelly brings warmth and an earthy sense of humour that makes her an engaging companion. The Norwegian scenery provides the visual spectacle; Kelly provides the human connection.
Emmerdale – ITV1, 8pm
The fallout from Emmerdale’s harrowing modern slavery storyline continues to reverberate through the village. The show has tackled some difficult subjects over the years, but this particular narrative has plumbed genuinely disturbing depths – which is precisely what makes it effective drama.
With both Celia and Ray now out of the picture, villagers are left grappling with the uncomfortable reality that something horrific was happening right under their noses. Bear remains unaccounted for, and Paddy’s desperation to locate his father is becoming increasingly frantic. The search continues, but there’s a growing sense of dread about what might be discovered. The tragic fate of Anya looms over proceedings, and there are grim discoveries still to come.
Spain with Michael Portillo – Channel 5, 8pm
Michael Portillo’s Spanish adventures take him to Asturias, the mountainous northern region that feels worlds away from the coastal resorts most British tourists know. This is wild, rugged Spain – dramatic peaks, remote villages, and a culinary tradition centred on hearty mountain fare.
Portillo continues to demonstrate why he’s lasted so long in this format. His genuine enthusiasm for local culture and history comes across as authentic rather than performative, and his willingness to try anything makes for entertaining viewing.
Long Lost Family – ITV1, 9pm
Davina McCall and Nicky Campbell return with two searchers hoping to fill the gaps in their family histories. Both stories carry the emotional weight that’s become this programme’s hallmark.
Alan Parker, a 56-year-old with a passion for cars, has lived his whole life not knowing why his birth mother gave him up. When the team traces her, she’s understandably apprehensive – she’s spent decades worrying that her son might harbour resentment towards her. Alan is adamant he holds no grudge, he simply wants to understand what happened. His mother explains the challenges of staying connected in an era before mobile phones and social media made communication effortless. “I’ve often thought back to what I’ve missed out on over the years,” she admits, “but you’ve no idea and no way of finding out.”
Katherine Fletcher was seven when she learned she’d been adopted, and the news left her feeling confused and ashamed. Now 61, she knows her birth parents were young students in 1964, but little else. Like Alan, she bears no ill will – she just wants answers about where she came from.
These reunions never fail to move, even after years of similar stories. There’s something universal about the desire to know our origins, and Long Lost Family treats each journey with the sensitivity it deserves.
Patience – Channel 4, 9pm
The Channel 4 crime drama continues with a case that hits close to home for its lead character. When an engineer at a York train museum is killed, Patience (Ella Maisy Purvis) finds herself drawn to the dead man’s daughter – a young woman who, like Patience herself, is autistic.
The girl was present at the museum when her father was murdered, making her a potential witness. But she’s non-verbal, and when stressed, she soothes herself by reciting train departure times from memory. Patience understands this behaviour instinctively in a way her neurotypical colleagues can’t.
If you watched the French original, Astrid and Raphaelle, you’ll enjoy spotting the differences between the two versions. The plotlines don’t appear in the same order, and the details have been subtly tweaked, making it something of a spot-the-difference puzzle with added homicide. One consistent element: the relationship between Patience and the prickly DI Monroe (Jessica Hynes) remains fascinatingly fractious.
Ben Fogle: New Lives in the Wild – Channel 5, 9pm
Ben Fogle steps off a weathered wooden boat onto Bulago, a tiny island in Uganda’s Lake Victoria, to meet one of his most remarkable subjects yet.
Alison is a British woman now in her sixties who first came to Uganda as a photographer documenting the civil war in the 1980s. She returned in the 1990s with her two children and initially lived in a tent on this remote island. Over three decades, she’s constructed an extraordinary off-grid home, making bricks from termite mounds, generating electricity from solar panels, and drawing water from a well.
The result is considerably more comfortable than it sounds, and therein lies the appeal of Fogle’s programme. It allows us to fantasise about escaping modern life’s pressures without confronting the genuine hardship such escapes usually entail. Alison has built something remarkable, and her story is one of resilience, resourcefulness and perhaps a touch of necessary madness.
Britain’s Favourite Railway Stations with Si King – More4, 9pm
Si King continues his solo journey through Britain’s most characterful stations, and tonight’s selection showcases just how varied our railway heritage can be.
The former Hairy Biker braves the elements on Yr Wyddfa – Snowdon to the rest of us – visiting the station perched improbably on the mountain’s summit. It’s a remarkable piece of engineering in a spectacular setting. Siddy Holloway explores Haworth in West Yorkshire, where the literary connections to the Brontë sisters add romance to the Victorian charm. And Damien Blower investigates Wemyss Bay in Scotland, an Edwardian architectural marvel that proves even a ferry terminal can be a thing of beauty.
There’s also a segment on Heighington, which holds the distinction of being the first railway station in Britain. For anyone who finds trains soothing – and judging by viewing figures, that’s quite a lot of us – this is gentle, informative comfort viewing.
Rob and Romesh vs Team GB Winter Special – Sky Max, 9pm
The comedic duo who’ve made careers out of being hopeless at things try their hands at winter sports ahead of the next Winter Olympics. Part one of two sees Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan attempting to find their ideal event, with guidance from British winter sports royalty Eddie the Eagle and curling champion Eve Muirhead.
On paper, this sounds like disposable entertainment – two funny men making fools of themselves for our amusement. But Beckett and Ranganathan are genuinely witty, and their friendship comes across as authentic rather than manufactured. Whether they’re careening down a bobsled track or flailing at a biathlon target, there’s real entertainment value in watching them fail spectacularly while cracking jokes.
Black Ops – BBC One, 9:30pm
The spy comedy returns with its hapless heroes in deeper trouble than ever. Dom and Kay, having managed to pass classified MI5 documents to a mysterious adversary, are now desperately trying to locate him before their superiors discover the security breach.
Things are complicated further by the reappearance of an old enemy seeking revenge, while Kay is starting to question whether espionage is really her calling. In the world of Slow Horses, these two would have been banished to Slough House within days of joining the service. Here, they’re somehow still employed – though for how long remains uncertain.
The second series feels more assured than the first, as if the show has found its rhythm. The pace is quick, the stakes feel genuine despite the comedy, and there’s a maturity to the storytelling that wasn’t quite present initially.
What We Do in the Shadows – BBC Two, 10pm (11pm in Wales)
Matt Berry’s magnificent vampire Laszlo Cravensworth has always carried himself with the air of a Victorian gentleman adventurer, so his latest project feels entirely in character. He’s decided to collect body parts in pursuit of creating a reanimated creature – a Frankenstein-style endeavour that seems destined to go badly wrong.
Meanwhile, Guillermo has abandoned the vampire household for the corporate world, landing a job at a private equity firm. But escape proves impossible – the documentary crew follows him to his new workplace, and his former masters Nandor and Nadja infiltrate the office to help him climb the corporate ladder. Their understanding of modern business practices is approximately what you’d expect from beings who were last employed in the sixteenth century.
The cast clearly relishes every ridiculous scenario the writers construct, and that infectious enjoyment translates to the audience. These immortal idiots could be dropped into any setting and generate laughs.
Piglets – ITV2, 10:05pm
The police academy comedy that generated more headlines for its title than its content returns for a second series. Proceedings open with a tense rooftop confrontation before flashing back three weeks to explain how everyone got there.
Bob (Mark Heap) and Julie (Sarah Parish) are locked in competition to attend a conference in the Bahamas, because apparently even fictional police officers dream of legitimate reasons to visit the Caribbean. Two new trainees arrive: Danni, who never stops talking, and Connor, who barely says anything at all.
The recruits receive instruction on handling “mispers” – missing persons – prompting Julie to defend the abbreviation with impeccable logic: “Two syllables in the police force can mean the difference between life and being done before Greggs closes.”
Sport
Snooker: The Masters quarter-finals continue from Alexandra Palace, with coverage on BBC Two from 1pm and 7pm, plus TNT Sports for additional sessions. Football: Serie A action as Como host AC Milan at 7:45pm on TNT Sports 3. Golf: The Dubai International Championship begins, with coverage from 7:30am on Sky Sports.
The Viewing Schedule
| Time | Channel | Programme |
|---|---|---|
| 7:30pm | BBC One | EastEnders |
| 8:00pm | BBC One | The Traitors |
| 8:00pm | Channel 4 | Lorraine Kelly’s Norwegian Odyssey |
| 8:00pm | ITV1 | Emmerdale |
| 8:00pm | Channel 5 | Spain with Michael Portillo |
| 9:00pm | ITV1 | Long Lost Family |
| 9:00pm | Channel 4 | Patience |
| 9:00pm | Channel 5 | Ben Fogle: New Lives in the Wild |
| 9:00pm | More4 | Britain’s Favourite Railway Stations |
| 9:00pm | Sky Max | Rob and Romesh vs Team GB |
| 9:30pm | BBC One | Black Ops |
| 10:00pm | BBC Two | What We Do in the Shadows |
| 10:00pm | Channel 5 | How I Murdered Mum and Dad |
| 10:05pm | ITV2 | Piglets |
What’s On Streaming
BBC iPlayer: The Traitors (full series), Black Ops (full series), What We Do in the Shadows (full series)
ITVX: Long Lost Family (full series), Emmerdale (full series)
Channel 4 streaming: Lorraine Kelly’s Norwegian Odyssey, Patience (full series)
Channel 5 streaming: Ben Fogle: New Lives in the Wild, Spain with Michael Portillo
Frequently Asked Questions
Is EastEnders on TV tonight?
Yes! EastEnders is on BBC One at 7:30pm tonight (Thursday 15th January 2026). The Branning family gather to remember Abi in what promises to be an emotional episode, while Priya offers support and Jack applies pressure.
What time is Long Lost Family on TV tonight?
Long Lost Family is on ITV1 at 9pm tonight (Thursday 15th January 2026). Davina McCall and Nicky Campbell help Alan and Katherine trace their birth families.
What’s the best thing to watch on TV tonight?
Our top pick is Long Lost Family on ITV1 at 9pm – always emotionally powerful viewing that handles delicate reunions with sensitivity and care.
What time is Lorraine Kelly’s Norwegian Odyssey on?
Lorraine Kelly’s Norwegian Odyssey is on Channel 4 at 8pm tonight. This is the first episode of her three-part Norwegian adventure.
What time is Black Ops on tonight?
Black Ops is on BBC One at 9:30pm tonight. The spy comedy continues with Dom and Kay going rogue to track down a mysterious figure.
Final Verdict
Long Lost Family is tonight’s emotional heavyweight – if you want television that reminds you of the importance of connection and belonging, this is your pick. For escapism of a different kind, Lorraine Kelly’s Norwegian Odyssey offers stunning scenery and warm companionship. Comedy fans should stick with Black Ops at 9:30pm, which has grown into something genuinely sharp. And if you fancy watching famous people fail at winter sports, Rob and Romesh won’t disappoint.
