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

Published: 1 September 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, Wednesday 2 September, Channel 5 keeps its live snooker to the afternoon rather than the evening. The Snooker British Open’s day three session from Cheltenham 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 stage 11 highlights of the Vuelta a España at 7pm, then the thriller The Game at 9pm, back for its second episode of series two. Full times are in the table below.

Channel 5 Schedule: Wednesday 2 September 2026 (Full Listings)

Here is the complete Channel 5 schedule for Wednesday 2 September 2026, on Freeview 5.

Overnight

Morning

Afternoon

Early evening

Primetime

Late night

What’s on Channel 5 today — the daytime schedule

Wednesday’s daytime on Channel 5 opens overnight with The Highland Vet 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 9:05am 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 day three afternoon session from Cheltenham runs through to 5:30pm, with Shaun Murphy defending his title against a field that includes Judd Trump and Zhao Xintong, before 5 News with Dan Walker hands the evening back to the regular schedule. The evening session of the same tournament moves to 5Action, not Channel 5, from 6:45pm.

Channel 5 tonight — primetime and the evening schedule

Here’s the Channel 5 primetime line-up for tonight, Wednesday 2 September 2026.

Car Pound Cops — Channel 5, 6:25pm

Surrey Police officers Sean Begley and John Bryan open the 6:25pm slot (series 1, episode 13), running number plates through ANPR on patrol and pulling over a driver whose vehicle registration doesn’t add up.

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

At 7pm, it’s highlights of stage 11 of the Vuelta a España, a flat transition stage from Cartagena to Lorca. This is a highlights package, not live coverage — the live racing on Channel 5 finished with the snooker at 5:30pm.

Call the Bailiffs: Time to Pay Up! — Channel 5, 8pm

The 8pm hour belongs to Call the Bailiffs: Time to Pay Up! (series 4, episode 2), following enforcement agents chasing down a firm that a court says must hand back pay it wrongly withheld from someone it used to employ.

The Game — Channel 5, 9pm

The Game leads the evening at 9pm with series two, episode two. Robson Green’s Patrick keeps up his psychological campaign against Jason Watkins’ Huw, and Huw finally decides enough is enough. Series two started last night, so this is the second instalment, not the launch.

A&E: Crash Scene Emergency — Channel 5, 10pm

At 10pm, it’s A&E: Crash Scene Emergency, following medics as they fight to save a driver at risk of losing her hand after a serious road crash.

Ambulance: Code Red — Channel 5, 11:05pm

The 11:05pm hour belongs to Ambulance: Code Red (series 3, episode 11).

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?

Wednesday 2 September 2026 keeps its live snooker in the daytime rather than the evening. The Snooker British Open’s day three session from Cheltenham 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 11 of the Vuelta a España at 7pm, Call the Bailiffs: Time to Pay Up! at 8pm, then The Game at 9pm, back for the second episode of its second series. A&E: Crash Scene Emergency follows at 10pm and Ambulance: Code Red closes the night at 11:05pm. 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 Wednesday keeps its live sport where it belongs, in the afternoon, rather than letting it swallow the evening. The Snooker British Open’s day three session from Cheltenham is done by 5:30pm, and it’s 5Action, not Channel 5, that carries the live evening session afterwards. That frees the evening for The Game, back with Jason Watkins and Robson Green for the second episode of its second series, backed by an hour of Vuelta a España highlights and a solid true-crime run behind it. A&E: Crash Scene Emergency and Ambulance: Code Red 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