GREAT! Action TV Guide: Listings, Schedule & What’s On GREAT! Action Tonight

Published: 11 September 2026

GREAT! Action is a free-to-air film channel on Freeview 42, built around action films and westerns. It started out as Sony Movies Action on 10 September 2019 and has been renamed twice since, most recently in March 2023. Tonight, Saturday 12 September 2026, is a two-film evening: Any Gun Can Play opens primetime from 6:50pm, broken by a five-minute This Week Back Then bumper at 7:46pm before resuming at 7:51pm, then The Equalizer takes over at 9pm and runs past ten, split by the same interstitial at 9:56pm and picking back up at 10:01pm. The Foreigner closes out the night from 11:50pm.

GREAT! Action Schedule: Saturday 12 September 2026 (Full Listings)

Here is the complete GREAT! Action schedule for Saturday 12 September 2026, on Freeview 42.

Overnight

Breakfast

Morning

Afternoon

Early evening

Primetime

Late night

What’s on GREAT! Action today

The Baron opens the day at 12:15am (series 1, episode 13), followed by The Persuaders! at 1:15am (series 1, episode 16) and Super Collider at 2:15am. Coast Guard Alaska airs at 3:50am (series 1, episode 3), then three Air Rescue instalments run back to back from 4:35am to 5:50am (series 3, episodes 1 to 3), each break marked by a short Good News on GREAT! Extra bulletin. Teleshopping fills 6am to 9am.

Railway Murders opens the morning proper from 9:10am (series 1, episode 4), then two Murder Maps episodes follow at 10:10am (series 1, episode 1) and 11:10am (series 5, episode 9). Paths of Glory fills the middle of the day from 12:10pm, split briefly by a five-minute This Week Back Then bumper at 1:08pm before resuming at 1:13pm, and The Vikings takes the early afternoon from 2:05pm. The African Queen closes out the afternoon from 4:30pm, also split by a This Week Back Then bumper (5:26pm, resuming 5:31pm), ahead of tonight’s line-up below.

GREAT! Action tonight — primetime and the evening schedule

Here’s the GREAT! Action primetime line-up for tonight, Saturday 12 September 2026.

Any Gun Can Play — GREAT! Action, 6:50pm

Any Gun Can Play opens the evening from 6:50pm, the first of two films split by the same short interstitial tonight.

This Week Back Then — GREAT! Action, 7:46pm

A five-minute This Week Back Then bulletin breaks in at 7:46pm before the film picks back up.

Any Gun Can Play — GREAT! Action, 7:51pm

Any Gun Can Play resumes from 7:51pm and runs through to 9pm.

The Equalizer — GREAT! Action, 9pm

The Equalizer follows from 9pm and runs for nearly three hours in total, given the same treatment as the film before it.

This Week Back Then — GREAT! Action, 9:56pm

The same five-minute This Week Back Then bulletin returns at 9:56pm.

The Equalizer — GREAT! Action, 10:01pm

The Equalizer resumes from 10:01pm and runs through to almost midnight.

The Foreigner — GREAT! Action, 11:50pm

The Foreigner closes out the night from 11:50pm, the last film before the schedule turns over into Sunday.

What kind of films are on GREAT! Action

Classic westerns and action icons

The channel advertises itself as the home of John Wayne, Robert Mitchum, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren, and for once the marketing is accurate. Westerns from the 1930s to the 1960s take up most of the daylight hours, series as well as films, with Tombstone Territory and The High Chaparral in heavy rotation. After that come the 1980s and ’90s action vehicles, built around a small and very dependable cast list.

Contemporary action and thrillers

Evenings go harder on star names, usually one bigger studio picture with a leaner independent thriller either side of it. Most had a cinema release before they arrived here.

Anime, rescue documentaries and reality strands

Since around August 2024 the overnight hours have gone to things that are not films at all: Dragon Ball Super, and rescue documentaries such as Coast Guard Alaska and Air Rescue. The evening slots have so far been left alone.

How to watch GREAT! Action

Channel numbers

Here’s where to find GREAT! Action across the main UK television platforms:

Freesat viewers lost it in early February 2024, along with eight other Narrative Entertainment channels, and it has not come back.

Streaming online

GREAT! Action streams free through Great! Player at great-player.com, with no account or sign-in. The app is on Freeview Play, YouView, Amazon Fire TV, and Samsung and LG smart TVs, plus the App Store and Google Play. GREAT! Movies and GREAT! TV sit in the same app, so the whole network is in one place.

GREAT! sister channels

GREAT! Action is one of four channels run by Narrative Entertainment UK Limited under the GREAT! banner.

A fifth channel, GREAT! Movies Christmas, appears seasonally and runs festive films from September to December.

Frequently Asked Questions

What channel is GREAT! Action on Freeview?

GREAT! Action is on channel 42 on Freeview. It’s not currently on Freesat, having been withdrawn from that platform in early February 2024 along with eight other Narrative Entertainment channels. It remains free on Freeview, Sky and Virgin Media.

What channel is GREAT! Action on Sky and Virgin Media?

Channel 323 on Sky, channel 426 on Virgin Media. Both carry the same schedule as Freeview 42 and both are free to watch.

What’s on GREAT! Action tonight?

Two films fill primetime tonight, Saturday 12 September 2026. Any Gun Can Play opens at 6:50pm, broken by a five-minute This Week Back Then bumper at 7:46pm before resuming at 7:51pm. The Equalizer takes over at 9pm and runs past ten, split by the same interstitial at 9:56pm and resuming at 10:01pm. The Foreigner closes the night from 11:50pm. See the schedule table above for the rest of the day.

Is GREAT! Action free to watch, and does it carry adverts?

Yes, entirely free on Freeview, Sky and Virgin Media, with no subscription. It carries advertising during films, which is why some titles run in two parts around a short interstitial such as This Week Back Then.

Who owns GREAT! Action?

Narrative Entertainment UK Limited. The channel launched in September 2019 as Sony Movies Action, was rebranded Great! Movies Action in 2021 after Narrative Capital’s acquisition of Sony’s UK channels, and became GREAT! Action in March 2023.

What are the GREAT! sister channels?

GREAT! Movies, GREAT! TV and GREAT! Romance, plus the seasonal GREAT! Movies Christmas. All stream free via Great! Player.

Can I watch GREAT! Action online for free?

Yes, through Great! Player at great-player.com, with apps on Freeview Play, YouView, Amazon Fire TV, and Samsung and LG smart TVs. No account is needed.

Verdict

GREAT! Action costs nothing to watch and needs no sign-up, and tonight is a rare evening built around two films rather than a run of series television. Daytime runs The Baron and The Persuaders! into Super Collider, then Coast Guard Alaska, Air Rescue, Railway Murders and Murder Maps fill the morning before Paths of Glory, The Vikings and The African Queen take the afternoon, the last two both split by a short This Week Back Then bumper.

Primetime keeps that same pattern going: Any Gun Can Play at 6:50pm and The Equalizer at 9pm are both interrupted by the same five-minute interstitial rather than running straight through. The Foreigner closes out a night that is watchable rather than essential, better suited to having on than sitting down for.

Related: Film4 TV Guide | Freeview Channel Guide | Films on TV This Week