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

Published: 3 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, Friday 4 September, the Snooker British Open reaches the quarter-finals, live from The Centaur in Cheltenham, and both sessions stay on Channel 5 rather than splitting with 5Action as they did earlier in the week. The evening session runs live from 6:30pm to 10pm, following an afternoon session from 12:45pm — three and a half hours of primetime on its own. Police: Night Shift 999 and Piers Morgan: Uncensored fill out the rest of the night. Full times are in the table below.

Channel 5 Schedule: Friday 4 September 2026 (Full Listings)

Here is the complete Channel 5 schedule for Friday 4 September 2026, on Freeview 5.

Overnight

Morning

Afternoon

Early evening

Late night

What’s on Channel 5 today — the daytime schedule

Friday’s daytime on Channel 5 opens overnight with Build Your Dream Home in the Country 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 12:45pm, the schedule clears for the Snooker British Open‘s quarter-finals, live from The Centaur in Cheltenham. The afternoon session runs to 4pm, and — unlike the earlier rounds this week, which split across Channel 5 and 5Action — the concluding session stays here too. Car Pound Cops takes 4pm and Wetherspoons vs Toby Carvery: Which Is Better? fills 4:30pm to 5:30pm, comparing the two chains over breakfast, lunch, dinner and drinks, before 5 News with Dan Walker hands over to the evening. Tomorrow’s listing is already billed as the semi-finals, so today settles the last four.

Channel 5 tonight — primetime and the evening schedule

Here’s the Channel 5 primetime line-up for tonight, Friday 4 September 2026.

Live: Snooker British Open — Channel 5, 6:30pm

The whole evening belongs to the Snooker British Open quarter-finals, live from The Centaur in Cheltenham. This concluding session runs 6:30pm to 10pm, following the afternoon session from 12:45pm — three and a half hours of primetime on the same sport. Tomorrow’s listing is already billed as the semi-finals. Love Nature takes a brief five minutes ahead of it at 6:25pm (series 1, episode 24).

Police: Night Shift 999 — Channel 5, 10pm

Police: Night Shift 999 follows the snooker at 10pm (series 2, episode 3).

Piers Morgan: Uncensored — Channel 5, 11:05pm

Piers Morgan: Uncensored closes the night at 11:05pm (a new episode, series 2, episode 31).

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?

Friday 4 September 2026 gives the whole evening to live sport. The Snooker British Open reaches the quarter-finals, live from The Centaur in Cheltenham, and for once both sessions stay on Channel 5 rather than splitting with 5Action: the afternoon runs 12:45pm to 4pm and the concluding evening session 6:30pm to 10pm, three and a half hours of primetime on its own. Police: Night Shift 999 follows at 10pm and Piers Morgan: Uncensored 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

Friday’s Channel 5 is the Snooker British Open, and this time it doesn’t share the sport with 5Action. The quarter-finals run live from The Centaur in Cheltenham across two sessions, 12:45pm to 4pm and then 6:30pm to 10pm — three and a half hours of primetime on the same event, with tomorrow’s semi-finals already billed. Police: Night Shift 999 and Piers Morgan: Uncensored take what’s left of the night once the final frame is played.

Watch

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