Channel 5 TV Guide: Listings, Schedule & What’s On Channel 5 Tonight

Published: 31 August 2026

Channel 5 is the UK’s third commercial terrestrial broadcaster, free to air and funded by advertising, and it streams live and on demand through My5. Below: tonight’s full schedule, the shows the channel is built on, its channel numbers on every platform, and how to watch online.

Tonight, Tuesday 1 September, Channel 5 keeps its live snooker to the afternoon rather than the evening. The Snooker British Open’s second-round session runs from 12:30pm to 5:30pm, and the live evening session moves over to 5Action from 6:45pm. Channel 5’s own evening leads with highlights of the Vuelta a España at 7pm, then a genuine series two opener for the thriller The Game at 9pm. Full times are in the table below.

Channel 5 Schedule: Tuesday 1 September 2026 (Full Listings)

Here is the complete Channel 5 schedule for Tuesday 1 September 2026, on Freeview 5.

Overnight

Morning

Afternoon

Early evening

Primetime

Late night

What’s on Channel 5 today — the daytime schedule

Tuesday’s daytime on Channel 5 opens overnight with Amazing Railway Adventures with Nick Knowles at 3:20am and Yorkshire with Jane McDonald at 4:15am, before Milkshake! takes over the channel from 5:15am and holds it into mid-morning.

Entertainment News on 5 has a short bulletin at 9:10am ahead of Jeremy Vine, which runs for two hours and fifteen minutes from 9:15am. Storm & Alexis takes 11:30am.

From 12:30pm, the schedule clears for live sport: the Snooker British Open‘s second-round afternoon session runs through to 5:30pm, when 5 News with Dan Walker hands the evening back to the regular schedule.

Channel 5 tonight — primetime and the evening schedule

Here’s the Channel 5 primetime line-up for tonight, Tuesday 1 September 2026.

Car Pound Cops — Channel 5, 6:25pm

Repossession agents reclaim vehicles from owners who have stopped paying. Series 1, episode 10.

Cycling: Vuelta a España 2026 — Channel 5, 7pm

Rebecca Charlton presents highlights of stage 10, a hilly 184.7km run from Alcaraz to Elche de la Sierra as the peloton returns from its rest day. This is a highlights package, not live coverage — the live evening session is on 5Action instead.

Motorway Cops: Catching Britain’s Speeders — Channel 5, 8pm

A mid-series outing, series 10 episode 6, following officers pulling over the network’s worst offenders.

The Game — Channel 5, 9pm

A genuine second series opens for Jason Watkins and Robson Green’s thriller. Huw is holed up in a remote coastal house; Patrick, tracking him from inside prison, is closing in. Episode two follows tomorrow night, which is as good a confirmation as any that this really is a new run rather than a repeat.

9/11: The Unseen Footage — Channel 5, 10pm

Previously unseen Reuters material and eyewitness accounts, broadcast ten days ahead of the anniversary. Channel 4 covers the same subject in the same hour tonight with a different film, 9/11: 102 Minutes That Changed America — two channels, two documentaries, one date.

The Day Diana Died — Channel 5, 11:30pm

Closes out the evening at 11:30pm.

Popular shows on Channel 5

Drama

The Fortune is the channel’s newest drama, a four-part psychological thriller with Eleanor Tomlinson. The Madame Blanc Mysteries is the long-runner to track if cosy crime is more your thing: Sally Lindsay plays an antiques dealer turned amateur sleuth, with the whole thing set in the south of France.

Factual and documentary

The Yorkshire Vet has run for well over fifteen series since 2015. It follows the team at Skeldale Veterinary Centre in Thirsk, and Peter Wright has been the anchor throughout, though by now the supporting cast of vets is familiar enough that it watches more like an ensemble drama than a documentary.

Police Interceptors has aired without a break since 2008, riding along with specialist road traffic units, cameras in the cars and helicopters overhead. Motorway Cops and the other road-policing titles follow the same format.

The countryside strand is the channel’s calling card. Reuben Owen: Life in the Dales and A Yorkshire Farm rotate through the schedule across the year rather than every night, so which one is on depends on the week. Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly with Graeme Hall rounds out the animal side.

Daytime favourites

Milkshake! has held its spot every morning for over twenty years, surviving more than one change of ownership in the process. Jeremy Vine inherited the mid-morning slot from The Wright Stuff and has not let go of it since.

How to watch Channel 5

Channel numbers

My5 — watch online for free

Channel 5 streams live and on demand through My5 at channel5.com and the My5 app, which runs on smart TVs, phones, tablets and the usual streaming boxes. There’s no subscription, though you’ll see adverts. A free account unlocks catch-up, where most shows stay up for 30 days and a few longer as boxsets. My5 also carries the wider Paramount stable, so Comedy Central, MTV, BET and CBS titles sit alongside the Channel 5 stream.

The Channel 5 family of channels

Four sister channels run alongside the main service, all free to air on Freeview and carried on Sky and Virgin:

5Star is the entertainment sibling, heavy on reality and acquired US shows. Freeview 32, Sky 128.

5USA runs American drama, crime and procedurals. Freeview 21, Sky 141.

5Action is the home for films, action drama and motorsport. Freeview 33, Sky 150.

5Select is the odd one out, a grab-bag of factual, documentary and lifestyle that doesn’t fit the main channel’s primetime. Freeview 50, Sky 153.

All four live inside My5 too, so streamers get the whole family in one place.

Frequently asked questions

What channel number is Channel 5 on Freeview?

Channel 5 is on channel 5 on Freeview. If you have a Freeview HD receiver or an HD-capable television with a built-in Freeview HD tuner, Channel 5 HD is on channel 105. Both carry the same national broadcast.

What channel is Channel 5 on Sky?

Channel 5 is on channel 105 on Sky, which applies to Sky Q, Sky Stream and Sky Glass. As of March 2026, the SD version of Channel 5 on satellite has been removed. Channel 105 is the only place to find it on Sky, and it broadcasts in HD.

What channel is Channel 5 on Virgin Media?

Channel 5 is on channel 105 on Virgin Media. It is included as standard on all Virgin TV packages and carries advertising.

What channel is Channel 5 on Freesat?

Channel 5 is on channel 105 on Freesat. The SD version was removed in March 2026, so the channel is HD-only on satellite.

What kind of shows is Channel 5 known for?

Channel 5’s schedule is built on British factual and countryside television: The Yorkshire Vet and its Dales farming series, true-crime documentaries and daytime entertainment such as Jeremy Vine. Alongside that sits a growing slate of original British drama, and every morning opens with children’s programming under the Milkshake! banner.

What’s on Channel 5 tonight?

Tuesday 1 September 2026 keeps its live snooker in the daytime rather than the evening. The Snooker British Open’s second-round session runs from 12:30pm to 5:30pm, and the live evening session moves to 5Action from 6:45pm. Channel 5’s own evening opens with highlights of stage 10 of the Vuelta a España at 7pm, Motorway Cops: Catching Britain’s Speeders at 8pm, then a genuine series two opener for The Game at 9pm. 9/11: The Unseen Footage follows at 10pm and The Day Diana Died closes the night at 11:30pm. Full times are in the schedule table above.

Can I watch Channel 5 online for free?

Yes. Channel 5 streams live and free on My5 at channel5.com and via the My5 app. No subscription is needed, though the service carries advertising. A free account registration is required for catch-up and on-demand content.

Is Channel 5 free?

Yes. Channel 5 is a free-to-air commercial broadcaster. There is no subscription or pay-TV requirement to watch it on Freeview, Freesat, Sky or Virgin Media, and My5 online is also free. The channel is funded by advertising.

Verdict

Channel 5’s Tuesday keeps its live sport where it belongs, in the afternoon, rather than letting it swallow the evening. The Snooker British Open’s second-round session is done by 5:30pm, and it’s 5Action, not Channel 5, that carries the live evening session afterwards. That frees the evening for a real premiere: The Game returns for a second series with Jason Watkins and Robson Green, backed by an hour of Vuelta a España highlights and a mid-series Motorway Cops. 9/11: The Unseen Footage and The Day Diana Died take the night into its later, heavier hours.

Watch

Related: What’s On TV Tonight | Channel 5 Schedule | My5 Streaming Guide | Films on TV This Week