BBC Two (BBC 2) TV Guide: Listings, Schedule & What’s On BBC Two Tonight

BBC Two launched in 1964 as the BBC’s second network, and it still takes the programmes that were never built to chase ratings: quizzes that genuinely test you, documentaries assembled out of the archive. Tonight, Wednesday 12 August, the channel picks up the men’s decathlon from the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham at 7pm, before The Repair Shop, a true-crime two-parter and Inside No. 9 fill out primetime ahead of Newsnight.

BBC Two Schedule: Wednesday 12 August 2026 (Full Listings)

Here is the complete BBC Two schedule for Wednesday 12 August 2026, on Freeview 2.

What’s on BBC Two today — the daytime schedule

Wednesday’s weekday run starts with Homes Under the Hammer at 6:15am, where developers in Eye and near Sunderland rework two-bedroom layouts to squeeze in an extra room, then Money for Nothing at 7:15am. Michael Portillo’s rail double bill covers Hokkaido at 8am and the crossing from Sardinia into Corsica at 8:30am, ahead of BBC News at 9am. The late-morning slate is the usual antiques and property run: Antiques Road Trip at 10:30am, with Margie Cooper and Tim Medhurst touring Wales in an electric green fire engine, a second Homes Under the Hammer at 11:15am and Bargain Hunt at 12:15pm from Leominster with Eric Knowles presenting. Afternoon quizzes follow with Richard Osman’s House of Games at 1pm and Roman Kemp’s The Finish Line at 1:30pm, before Vernon Kay tests his guests on Falkirk in Do You Know Your Place? at 2:15pm and two goat-farming couples compete in The Farmers’ Country Showdown at 2:45pm. Spy in the Ocean airs at 3:30pm, then Michael Aspel’s Vintage Antiques Roadshow visits Sherborne at 4:30pm and Paul Martin presents Flog It! from the RAF Museum at Hendon at 5:15pm, carrying the schedule into the early evening.

BBC Two tonight — primetime and the evening schedule

Here’s the BBC Two primetime line-up for tonight, Wednesday 12 August 2026.

Richard Osman’s House of Games — BBC Two, 6pm

Richard Osman’s House of Games takes the 6pm slot (series 8, episode 88). Robert Webb, Katharine Merry, Danielle Harold and Chris Bisson make up this edition’s panel.

Bear Grylls – Wild Reckoning — BBC Two, 6:30pm

At 6:30pm, it’s Bear Grylls – Wild Reckoning (series 1, episode 3). A brother and sister who haven’t spoken in almost five years are put through two days in the wilderness together, with Grylls betting that shared discomfort does more for a family rift than conversation ever could.

European Athletics Championships: Birmingham 2026 — BBC Two, 7pm

BBC Two picks up the European Athletics Championships from Birmingham at 7pm, with the men’s decathlon running through the hour. Live sport can overrun, so treat the following primetime start times as approximate.

The Repair Shop — BBC Two, 8pm

The Repair Shop takes the 8pm slot (series 14, episode 24). Among tonight’s jobs: a photograph of President Kennedy’s children with their nanny, a miniature drum-kit clock, a melted wax figure and a Venezuelan stringed instrument.

Murder Trial: Death of a Dog Walker — BBC Two, 9pm

At 9pm, it’s Murder Trial: Death of a Dog Walker (series 6, episode 1), the first of two parts. Former gamekeeper David Campbell stands accused of shooting Brian Low dead. The programme carries a warning for strong language and upsetting scenes.

Inside No. 9 — BBC Two, 10pm

The 10pm hour belongs to Inside No. 9 (series 7, episode 4). Shane and Clifford reckon they’ve got a foolproof scheme to kidnap a hedge fund manager’s wife; this being Inside No. 9, foolproof rarely lasts long.

Newsnight, followed by Weather — BBC Two, 10:30pm

Newsnight takes its usual 10:30pm slot, with Katie Razzall presenting tonight’s analysis of the day’s stories, followed by the weather.

Evolution — BBC Two, 11:05pm

At 11:05pm, it’s Evolution (series 1, episode 5), the final episode of the run. Chris Packham asks how the horse ended up as one of the animal kingdom’s fastest movers.

Popular shows on BBC Two

Quizzes

This is where BBC Two is hard to beat. University Challenge, Mastermind and Only Connect are properly difficult and never talk down to the viewer. QI is the odd one out: the points barely matter, it’s there for Sandi Toksvig and a panel digging up obscure facts.

Wildlife and nature

Springwatch, Autumnwatch and Winterwatch run across the year, all live and all from the BBC Natural History Unit. Springwatch (late May to June) and Autumnwatch (October) are the bigger series; Winterwatch is the shorter companion piece.

Gardening and lifestyle

Gardeners’ World is a Friday evening fixture from early spring to late autumn, based at Monty Don’s Longmeadow garden but ranging across guest gardens around the country.

Comedy

Live at the Apollo, QI and Inside No. 9 are the standouts. Inside No. 9 has the cult following: a self-contained anthology where each episode can be comedy, horror or thriller, written by and starring Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith.

Current affairs

Newsnight and the daytime Politics Live carry BBC Two’s political output. Newsnight was cut back and reformatted in 2024, losing its films and most of its reporting staff, and it still holds the weeknight slot.

How to watch BBC Two

Channel numbers

Here’s where to find BBC Two depending on your platform:

No subscription is needed on any of these. The regional version you get (England/Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland) is determined by your postcode. On HD-capable platforms, 102 is the HD feed and the one most viewers default to.

BBC iPlayer

BBC Two streams live and free on BBC iPlayer at bbc.co.uk/iplayer, and via the iPlayer app on smart TVs, iOS, Android, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, and most streaming sticks. You need a free BBC account to watch. Most programmes stay up for 30 days after transmission, though live sport and some other content have shorter windows.

Freely

On the Freely platform, the joint free streaming service from the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 for broadband-connected TVs, BBC Two is on channel 2. Local opt-out versions are available in Wales and Northern Ireland.

Do you need a TV licence?

Yes. Watching BBC Two live, or watching iPlayer content on the day of broadcast, requires a valid TV Licence. As of April 2026, a colour licence costs £180 per year. That fee is the BBC’s funding, which is why none of its channels carry adverts.

BBC Two HD and the nations

BBC Two is not a single uniform national channel. Like BBC One, it has opt-out services in the devolved nations:

• BBC Two Scotland carries Scottish news and regional programming alongside the main network schedule.
• BBC Two Wales (also referred to as BBC Wales) has its own news output and opt-out slots with Welsh-focused content.
• BBC Two Northern Ireland airs regional news and programming alongside the network schedule, and is one of two BBC Two variants available on Freely.

All regional and national variants are accessible via BBC iPlayer. If you’re watching on satellite or cable, the version you receive is tied to your registered postcode. There is no BBC Two +1 channel on any platform.

Frequently asked questions

What time is Springwatch on BBC Two?

Springwatch airs at 8pm, Monday to Thursday, in late May and June. The 2026 series ran from 25 May to 11 June with the live hub at National Trust Crom in Fermanagh. All episodes are on BBC iPlayer.

What time is Newsnight on BBC Two?

Newsnight starts at 10:30pm on weeknights and runs around 30 minutes, though the finish varies with the running order. It’s on iPlayer shortly after broadcast.

What’s on BBC Two tonight?

It’s Wednesday 12 August 2026. Live coverage of the European Athletics Championships: Birmingham 2026 takes the 7pm hour, as the men’s decathlon continues. Start times after this are approximate, since live sport can overrun. The Repair Shop follows at 8pm, then Murder Trial: Death of a Dog Walker at 9pm, Inside No. 9 at 10pm, Newsnight at 10:30pm and Evolution at 11:05pm.

Can I watch BBC Two online for free?

Yes, on BBC iPlayer, with a free BBC account. A TV Licence is still required to watch live or to stream on the day of broadcast.

Do I need a TV Licence to watch BBC Two?

Yes, for live viewing on any platform and for iPlayer on the day of broadcast. As of April 2026, a colour licence is £180 per year.

Is BBC Two worth your Wednesday evening?

Wednesday’s case rests on the 7pm hour first. The European Athletics Championships coverage from Birmingham carries the men’s decathlon into primetime, and it sits alongside BBC One’s own 8pm coverage of Matt Hudson-Smith’s event, so treat everything after 7pm as running to an approximate clock rather than a fixed one.

After that it’s The Repair Shop at 8pm, working through a Kennedy-era family photo and a handful of other keepsakes, followed by the opening part of Murder Trial: Death of a Dog Walker at 9pm. Inside No. 9 takes its usual 10pm slot with a kidnap plot that’s unlikely to go to plan, Newsnight holds 10:30pm, and Evolution closes its run at 11:05pm with Chris Packham on the horse’s turn of speed.

Related: What’s On TV Tonight | BBC One TV Guide | Films on TV This Week