E4 TV Guide: Listings, Schedule & What’s On E4 Tonight

E4 is Channel 4’s entertainment sister channel, built around US sitcom reruns, reality strands and the first-look slot for Hollyoaks. It broadcasts free-to-air on Freeview channel 13 and Sky channel 135, and streams live alongside the rest of the Channel 4 portfolio on the Channel 4 streaming service. This guide covers tonight’s line-up and the full daytime schedule, plus where to find the channel across every platform.

Wednesday 19 August 2026: Hollyoaks’ new first-look episode airs at 7pm, straight after a 6:30pm repeat of the previous instalment. The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up to Cancer revisits a 2024 tent visit from Danny Dyer, Rhod Gilbert, Leigh Francis and Yinka Bokinni at 8pm, then Gogglebox settles in for a two-hour run from 9pm before First Dates closes the night at 11:05pm.

E4 Schedule: Wednesday 19 August 2026 (Full Listings)

Here is the complete E4 schedule for Wednesday 19 August 2026, on Freeview 13.

Overnight

Early hours

Breakfast

Morning

Afternoon

Early evening

Primetime

Late night

What’s on E4 today: the daytime schedule

Hollyoaks opens the broadcast day at 6am with back-to-back episodes (series 2026, episodes 97 and 98), before a short run of Rude(ish) Tube Shorts leads into Couples Come Dine with Me at 7am. Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares USA fills the two hours either side of 8am and 9am with different episodes from its fourth series, then America’s Funniest Home Videos takes 10am and Below Deck Mediterranean the 11am slot.

The Simpsons runs four episodes back to back from midday, drawn from its fifteenth series, before Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s seventh series takes the 2pm and 2:30pm slots. Modern Family then holds the mid-afternoon with four episodes from series six, running through to 4:30pm.

The Simpsons returns for the early evening with three further episodes from 5pm, this time from series 21, before Hollyoaks repeats its 6:30pm episode ahead of the new first-look instalment at 7pm.

E4 tonight — primetime and the evening schedule

Here’s the E4 primetime line-up for tonight, Wednesday 19 August 2026.

Hollyoaks — E4, 6:30pm

A repeat of the previous episode airs first, giving anyone who missed yesterday’s first-look a chance to catch up before tonight’s new instalment.

Hollyoaks — E4, 7pm

The new episode airs a full day ahead of its Channel 4 broadcast, as it does every Monday to Wednesday in the first-look slot.

The Simpsons — E4, 7:30pm

A sixth-series episode bridges the gap between Hollyoaks and the evening’s bigger entertainment shows.

The Great Celebrity Bake Off — E4, 8pm

This Stand Up to Cancer edition returns to a 2024 tent visit, with Danny Dyer, Rhod Gilbert, Leigh Francis and Yinka Bokinni taking on the technical and showstopper challenges under the usual mix of gentle mockery and genuine baking panic.

Gogglebox — E4, 9pm

The families and famous faces on the sofas open the first hour of tonight’s double bill, giving their unfiltered running commentary on the week’s television.

Gogglebox — E4, 10pm

The second hour continues straight on from the first, working through the rest of the sofas’ reactions to the week just gone.

First Dates — E4, 11:05pm

The Paternoster Chophouse hosts another round of first meetings, with maître d’ Fred Sirieix keeping a watchful eye over the dining room as the night’s dates play out.

Popular shows on E4

Reality and dating

Gogglebox is E4’s flagship reality format, built on the simple trick of filming people watching television and letting their reactions carry the show. Married at First Sight Australia has become genuine appointment viewing during its long daily runs, more soap opera than dating format at this point. Celebs Go Dating pairs famous faces with the public under the guidance of relationship coach Anna Williamson, whose bluntness with hopeless clients is a big part of the show’s appeal.

Comedy reruns

Brooklyn Nine-Nine anchors E4’s daytime comedy schedule, and it holds up well on repeat viewing thanks to a strong ensemble led by Andy Samberg as Detective Jake Peralta. The Simpsons appears multiple times a day across several different eras of the show, while Modern Family and The Goldbergs fill out the rest of the sitcom rotation.

Soap

Hollyoaks is E4’s first-look fixture, airing a full day ahead of its Channel 4 transmission on weekday evenings. For regular viewers, the 7pm slot is as much a habit as a schedule choice.

How to watch E4

Channel numbers

E4 is free-to-air on all of these platforms and needs no subscription. E4 Extra carries additional repeats and library content alongside the main channel.

Channel 4 streaming service

E4 streams live and on demand for free through the Channel 4 streaming service, available at channel4.com and via the Channel 4 app on smart TVs, phones, tablets, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and most streaming sticks. A free account is needed to watch, and there’s no separate payment for E4 content specifically.

Most E4 programmes stay available on demand for around 30 days after broadcast, including Hollyoaks catch-up and full runs of Married at First Sight. Adverts play during programmes on the free tier, and there’s no ad-free option for E4 shows.

Frequently Asked Questions

What channel number is E4 on Freeview?

E4 is on Freeview channel 13. Any Freeview box, Freeview Play device or TV with a built-in tuner picks it up free of charge, with no subscription needed.

What channel is E4 on Sky?

E4 sits on channel 135 across Sky Q, Sky Stream and Sky Glass, included in every Sky package at no extra cost.

What channel is E4 on Virgin Media or Freesat?

E4 is carried on both Virgin Media and Freesat, though the exact channel number depends on your package and region. Check the on-screen guide for the current figure.

What’s on E4 tonight?

Wednesday 19 August 2026: the new Hollyoaks first-look lands at 7pm after a 6:30pm repeat of the previous episode, The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up to Cancer revisits a 2024 tent visit from Danny Dyer, Rhod Gilbert, Leigh Francis and Yinka Bokinni at 8pm, and a two-hour Gogglebox run from 9pm leads into First Dates at 11:05pm.

What time is Hollyoaks on E4?

Hollyoaks holds the 7pm first-look slot Monday to Wednesday, running each new episode a full day ahead of its Channel 4 broadcast. The Simpsons takes over 7pm on Thursdays and Fridays instead. There’s no first-look episode on Sundays either: E4 runs the Hollyoaks Omnibus at 6am that day, rounding up the week, before new weekday episodes resume the following Monday. Every weekday episode also lands on the Channel 4 streaming service from 7am on the day it airs.

Can I watch E4 online for free?

Yes. E4 streams live and on demand for free through the Channel 4 streaming service at channel4.com and via the Channel 4 app, available on smart TVs, phones, tablets, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and most streaming sticks. A free account is all that’s needed, with no card details and no subscription.

Does E4 have adverts?

Yes. E4 is a commercial channel funded by advertising, both on linear TV and on the free tier of the Channel 4 streaming service. That’s what keeps it free to watch, with no licence fee or subscription required.

What is E4 Extra?

E4 Extra is E4’s sister channel, carrying further repeats and extended content from the E4 library. It’s on Freeview channel 31 and Sky channel 139, and like E4 itself, it’s free-to-air with no subscription.

Verdict

A busy midweek schedule that leans hard into E4’s strengths. The new Hollyoaks first-look holds its usual 7pm spot, The Great Celebrity Bake Off gives the 8pm hour a lighter, celebrity-fronted change of pace, and Gogglebox’s two-hour run takes the night into its most-watched territory from 9pm.

Nothing here breaks from E4’s regular rhythm, and that’s rather the point. It’s the usual weeknight mix of soap, comedy reruns and reality, closing out with First Dates just after 11pm.

Related: What’s On TV Tonight | E4 TV Guide | Films on TV This Week