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

Published: 5 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.

Sunday 6 September 2026 is the British Open snooker final itself, live from the Centaur in Cheltenham. Unlike Saturday’s double semi-final shift, today is one occasion in two sessions: 12:30pm to 4:30pm, then the concluding evening session from 6:45pm to 10pm, with Anthony McGill and Shaun Murphy — the same pair who met in last year’s final — contesting the title. Full times are in the table below.

Channel 5 Schedule: Sunday 6 September 2026 (Full Listings)

Here is the complete Channel 5 schedule for Sunday 6 September 2026, on Freeview 5.

Overnight

Breakfast

Morning

Afternoon

Early evening

Late night

What’s on Channel 5 today — the daytime schedule

Sunday’s overnight hours on Channel 5 are factual repeats — Fare Dodgers: At War with the Law, GPs: Behind Closed Doors and The Highland Vet — before Milkshake! takes over the channel from 5:15am with its usual run of pre-school favourites.

Kids’ programming holds the morning with Milo, The Smurfs, Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom and The Patrick Star Show, broken up by short Entertainment News on 5 bulletins, before Bargain Loving Brits in the Sun, two runs of The Cruise: Fun-Loving Brits at Sea and Cruising with Susan Calman take the late-morning slots.

From 12:30pm, the schedule clears for the snooker’s afternoon session, running to 4:30pm. The Motorway Map of Britain and Stonehenge: Secrets of the New Stone hold the gap before 5 News Weekend and the concluding evening session from 6:45pm.

Channel 5 tonight — primetime and the evening schedule

Here’s the Channel 5 primetime line-up for tonight, Sunday 6 September 2026.

5 News Weekend — Channel 5, 6:40pm

A five-minute bulletin ahead of the snooker.

Live Snooker: British Open Final — Channel 5, 6:45pm

This is the concluding session of the British Open final, live from the Centaur in Cheltenham. Anthony McGill and Shaun Murphy, who met in last year’s final too, play out the best of 19 frames after already splitting an afternoon session earlier in the day. Channel 5 clears the schedule around it until 10pm.

HMP Wandsworth: Behind Closed Doors — Channel 5, 10pm

A look at conditions inside one of the more troubled wings of the prison estate, overcrowding and staff shortages included, once the final frame is done.

United 93 — Channel 5, 11:05pm

Paul Greengrass’s real-time reconstruction of the fourth hijacked flight on 11 September 2001 closes out the night.

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?

Sunday 6 September 2026 is the British Open snooker final itself, live from the Centaur in Cheltenham. The afternoon session runs 12:30pm to 4:30pm, and the concluding evening session runs 6:45pm to 10pm, with Anthony McGill facing Shaun Murphy for the title. HMP Wandsworth: Behind Closed Doors and the film United 93 close out the night. 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

Sunday’s Channel 5 is the British Open snooker final, and there’s very little else to it. Anthony McGill and Shaun Murphy play across two sessions, 12:30pm to 4:30pm and then 6:45pm to 10pm, with the title decided by the time the last frame is done. HMP Wandsworth: Behind Closed Doors and United 93 fill what’s left of the schedule once it’s over.

Watch

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