BBC Alba TV Guide: Listings, Schedule & What’s On BBC Alba Tonight

BBC Alba is the Gaelic-language channel, on Freeview 7 in Scotland and Freesat 109 across the UK. It comes on air in the afternoon at weekends, so tonight, Saturday 24 October 2026, the first programme is at 4pm. Children’s shows fill the afternoon, An Là, the news, is at 5:45pm, and the evening moves through foraging, music and wildlife before a Skerryvore concert at 9pm and a documentary on the footballer Julie Fleeting at 10pm.

BBC Alba Schedule: Saturday 24 October 2026 (Full Listings)

Here is the complete BBC Alba schedule for Saturday 24 October 2026, on Freeview 7.

Overnight

Breakfast

Afternoon

Early evening

Primetime

Late night

Also on TV tonight at 9pm

• BBC One: Wisdom of the Crowd (from 8.35pm)
• ITV1: The Voice UK (from 8.35pm)
• BBC Two: Amy Winehouse at the BBC (from 8.35pm)
• Channel 4: The Equalizer 2
• Channel 5: Alan Carr: My Best Bits & More (from 8.35pm)
• Film4: Shaun of the Dead
• E4: Celebrity Gogglebox
• ITV2: FYI Daily
• ITV3: Midsomer Murders (from 8pm)
• ITV4: Darts: European Championship (from 6pm)

Every channel tonight, side by side · Films on TV tonight · Tomorrow’s TV

What’s on BBC Alba today

The channel is not on air all day. The listings show an entry called Alba Today at midnight and again at 6am, which looks like a placeholder rather than a programme. Real programming begins at 4pm on a Saturday.

The first two hours are children’s shows, short Gaelic-language series of ten to fifteen minutes each, among them Abadas, Peicein, Sionnach agus Maigheach and a Gaelic-dubbed SpongeBob at 5pm. Calum: Cogadh nan Comhlan and A’ Chùil lead into An Là, the news, at 5:45pm.

From 6pm it turns into an adult channel. Foraging, archive film, sailing and music run in quarter-hour and half-hour blocks until the wildlife series Dàna at 7:30pm. There is no live football tonight. Skerryvore are at 9pm, Julie Fleeting is at 10pm, and the night ends with a short cooking slot and Na Worlds 2025.

BBC Alba tonight — primetime and the evening schedule

Here’s the BBC Alba primetime line-up for tonight, Saturday 24 October 2026.

Rurachd (Foraging) — BBC Alba, 6pm

Mary Ann Kennedy goes foraging with Lucy Cooke, this time in Shropshire, where Cooke grew up (series 2, episode 3).

Faodail: Found — BBC Alba, 6:15pm

A quarter-hour of short films shot in the Outer Hebrides between the 1930s and 1980s, taken from an archive (series 1, episode 1).

Samhradh air Sàl — BBC Alba, 6:30pm

Angus Mackay and his daughter Ruth go sailing on a summer day, and dolphins join them (series 1, episode 5).

Seirm | Celtic Connections — BBC Alba, 6:45pm

Short live sets from the Glasgow festival, including one from Mairi MacMillan.

Fonn mo Bheatha – Jenna Cumming — BBC Alba, 7pm

Cathy Ann MacPhee talks to the musician Jenna Cumming about her career. A half-hour of chat with a few tunes.

Dàna | Scotland’s Wild Side — BBC Alba, 7:30pm

Coinneach Rankin tackles the Old Man of Stoer, the sea stack in Sutherland, for the wildlife and adventure series (series 3, episode 1).

Cù Leis Thu? | A Puppy for Padruig — BBC Alba, 8pm

Peter MacQueen meets rescue dogs while he decides which puppy to take home (series 1, episode 6). The title puns on cù, the Gaelic word for dog.

Mas Fhior — BBC Alba, 8:30pm

A Mòd special. Two pairs of Gaelic-language personalities compete for charity: Mairi MacInnes and John Joe MacNeil against Joy Dunlop and Arthur Cormack (series 2, episode 1).

Skerryvore Aig Caisteal Floors — BBC Alba, 9pm

The main event for music fans: a concert at Floors Castle in Kelso to mark 20 years of Skerryvore, a full hour.

Julie Fleeting — BBC Alba, 10pm

A documentary on the Scotland striker, the country’s all-time top scorer in the women’s game. At an hour and a quarter, it is the longest programme of the night and the one to pick if you only watch one.

Aig an Taigh le Abigail — BBC Alba, 11:15pm

Abigail MacIver bakes tahini sesame cookies in a ten-minute cooking slot, in Gaelic (series 1, episode 5).

Na Worlds 2025 — BBC Alba, 11:25pm

Grade One pipe bands from the 2025 World Pipe Band Championships, nearly an hour and a half of them (series 2025, episode 2).

What is BBC Alba?

BBC Alba is the Gaelic-language television channel, a partnership between MG Alba and the BBC that has run since 2008. Alba is the Gaelic word for Scotland, and viewers often look for the channel simply as Alba TV.

Most adult programmes have English subtitles burned into the picture. They cannot be switched off, which makes the channel easy to follow without any Gaelic. Live programmes, including the news, and children’s shows are the exceptions and carry no subtitles.

When is BBC Alba on air?

The channel starts at about 5pm on weekdays, with a children’s block running from 5pm to 7pm. At weekends it comes on at about 4pm. It closes around midnight or 1am. Between those hours the listings show an entry called Alba Today, which appears to be a placeholder.

What kind of shows are on BBC Alba

News and current affairs

An Là is the channel’s evening news, and Eòrpa is its current affairs programme. Live programmes, news included, carry no subtitles.

Children’s programmes

The early evening belongs to children, with short Gaelic-language shows and the CBeebies Alba and CBBC Alba strands. Most of tonight’s are five to twenty minutes long.

Documentaries and music

Trusadh is the documentary strand, and live music is a staple, from festival sets to Transatlantic Sessions.

Sport

Live football is the headline. The channel shows Scottish Women’s Premier League matches, at least 26 a season, under a deal extended to the end of 2027/28. It also carries part of the shared 2026/27 Serie A package, with commentary in Gaelic and English, and shinty, including the Camanachd Cup. For wider coverage, see our guides to Scotland football on TV and women’s football on TV.

How to watch BBC Alba live and on iPlayer

Channel numbers

Here is where to find BBC Alba across the main UK television platforms:

There is no BBC Alba +1. If you are outside Scotland, Freeview will not have it, so Freesat, Sky, Virgin Media or iPlayer are the routes. For the full Freeview line-up see the Freeview channel guide, and for Freesat numbers the Freesat TV guide.

Streaming on BBC iPlayer

BBC Alba streams live and on demand on BBC iPlayer, free with a TV licence. It works wherever you are in the UK.

Other Scottish and Welsh channels

If Gaelic is new to you, STV carries the main Scottish news and ITV network shows, and S4C is the Welsh-language equivalent. The UK-wide BBC channels are on the BBC One TV guide, the BBC Two TV guide and the BBC Four TV guide.

Frequently asked questions

What channel is BBC Alba on Freeview?

BBC Alba is on Freeview channel 7, and only in Scotland. Viewers elsewhere in the UK need Freesat, Sky, Virgin Media or BBC iPlayer.

What channel is BBC Alba on Sky, Virgin Media and Freesat?

On Sky it is channel 117 in Scotland and 169 in the rest of the UK. On Virgin Media it is 120 in Scotland and 161 elsewhere. On Freesat it is channel 109 across the UK.

What time does BBC Alba start?

From about 5pm on weekdays, when a children’s block runs until 7pm, and from about 4pm at weekends. The channel closes around midnight or 1am.

What’s on BBC Alba tonight?

Tonight, Saturday 24 October 2026, the channel is on air from 4pm with children’s programmes. An Là, the news, is at 5:45pm, then Rurachd, a foraging series, at 6pm. Fonn mo Bheatha, a music and chat show with Jenna Cumming, is at 7pm, and Skerryvore mark 20 years of the band with a concert from Floors Castle at 9pm. The documentary Julie Fleeting is at 10pm and the pipe band programme Na Worlds 2025 closes the night at 11:25pm.

Can I watch BBC Alba outside Scotland?

Yes. It is on Freesat 109, Sky 169 and Virgin Media 161 across the rest of the UK, and it streams on BBC iPlayer, which is free with a TV licence. Freeview carries it in Scotland only.

Does BBC Alba have English subtitles?

Most adult programmes carry English subtitles burned into the picture, so they cannot be switched off. Live programmes, including the news, and children’s programmes are not subtitled.

Does BBC Alba show football?

Yes. It broadcasts live Scottish Women’s Premier League matches, at least 26 a season, under a deal that runs to the end of 2027/28. It also has a share of the 2026/27 Serie A package, with commentary in Gaelic and English.

Who runs BBC Alba?

BBC Alba is a partnership between MG Alba and the BBC, which has run since 2008.

Is there a BBC Alba +1 channel?

No. BBC Alba has no +1 service.

Verdict

Tonight is built around music and people’s stories. After the children’s block and the news, the evening moves through foraging, archive film, sailing and a Mòd special, with a Skerryvore concert at 9pm.

If you are only watching one thing tonight, make it Julie Fleeting at 10pm. There is no live sport, but most adult programmes have English subtitles burned in, so you can follow along without Gaelic.

Related: What’s On TV Tonight | STV TV Guide | S4C TV Guide | Freeview Channel Guide | Freesat TV Guide