ITV3 TV Guide: Listings, Schedule & What’s On ITV3 Tonight

ITV3 is ITV’s drama channel, launched on 1 November 2004 as a home for the broadcaster’s back catalogue of detective series, period drama and classic sitcoms. Midsomer Murders, Vera, Wycliffe, Inspector Morse: if it involves a body in a village and a detective who doesn’t much like being interrupted, it has probably run here. Tonight, Wednesday 12 August 2026, a Heartbeat double leads into the evening from 5:50pm, Midsomer Murders takes the 8pm slot, Grantchester runs twice from 10pm, and Trial and Retribution opens a new two-part case at 11:50pm.

ITV3 Schedule: Wednesday 12 August 2026 (Full Listings)

Here is the complete ITV3 schedule for Wednesday 12 August 2026, on Freeview 10.

What’s on ITV3 today

Daytime on ITV3 keeps to its usual detective and soap-repeat rota, and today is a good example. Agatha Christie’s Poirot’s The Incredible Theft opens the day at 1:20am, with stolen plans for a new fighter plane pulling Poirot into a case that turns out to be bigger than ordinary espionage. A short Unwind with ITV wellbeing filler follows at 2:20am, and teleshopping fills the gap from 2:30am until George and Mildred returns at 6am with two episodes back to back, the Ropers settling into their new home before Mildred starts dreaming of motherhood. Two episodes of Classic Emmerdale run from 7:05am, then two episodes of Classic Coronation Street from 8:10am lead into a further pair of Suchet-era Poirot cases, The Cornish Mystery and The Disappearance of Mr Davenheim, from 9:10am. Heartbeat holds the late morning with two episodes from 11:30am, one built around a county sheepdog trial and the other around a horseradish venture that doesn’t go to plan, and Midsomer Murders makes the first of two appearances today at 1:35pm with The Devil’s Work, in which an estate heir’s announcement that a tenancy is ending sets off a chain of events nobody survives. The schedule then repeats the pattern in reverse: Classic Emmerdale again from 3:35pm, Classic Coronation Street twice more from 4:40pm, and Heartbeat twice further ahead of the evening.

ITV3 tonight — primetime and the evening schedule

Here’s the ITV3 primetime line-up for tonight, Wednesday 12 August 2026.

Heartbeat — ITV3, 5:50pm & 6:55pm

Two editions of the Yorkshire police drama fill the run-up to primetime (series 12, episodes 5 and 6). The first brings a songwriter to Aidensfield looking for somewhere quiet to work; the second puts Gina in the middle of a row between a farmer and the ramblers crossing his land.

Midsomer Murders — ITV3, 8pm

Midsomer Murders takes the 8pm slot (series 14, episode 5). A body turns up at a stone circle, druids get the early blame, and Barnaby ends up chasing a far more ordinary motive.

Grantchester — ITV3, 10pm & 11pm

Back-to-back cases for Alphy and Geordie tonight (series 9, episodes 5 and 6). One opens with a killing inside Esme’s office and a strained conversation with the Bishop; the other follows the death of an archaeologist at a dig on the town’s edge.

Trial and Retribution — ITV3, 11:50pm

The opening half of a fresh two-part case, Mirror Image, lands at 11:50pm (series 10, episode 10), built around the deaths of a police commander and his wealthy wife, and the strain it puts on the family left behind.

What kind of shows are on ITV3

Detective drama and cosy crime

The backbone. Midsomer Murders, Vera, Inspector Morse, Endeavour and Wycliffe cover roughly four decades of British detective television between them, and ITV3 works through them in long runs rather than one-off repeats. You can usually pick a series up mid-week and stay with it.

Period and literary adaptation

The Darling Buds of May, and Agatha Christie’s Poirot when it comes round. David Suchet played the part across thirteen series for ITV between 1989 and 2013. These tend to be scheduled in full-series blocks.

Classic sitcom

George and Mildred and its ITV contemporaries fill the overnight and early-morning slots. Nobody’s setting an alarm for these; they’re on while the day gets going.

How to watch ITV3

Channel numbers

Here’s where to find ITV3 across the main UK television platforms:

Free on all of them, no subscription. Numbers shift regionally, so check your on-screen guide if one doesn’t match.

Streaming online

ITV3 streams live and free through ITVX, at itv.com/watch and via the ITVX app on smart TVs, mobiles, tablets and most games consoles. A free account is all that’s needed, no payment details. The ITVX library also carries individual episodes and full boxsets from the channel, Vera and Poirot included, if you’d rather not wait for a repeat to come round.

ITV3 +1 and sister channels

The +1 channel is less useful than it used to be. Since November 2023 it has broadcast only a reduced overnight window rather than a full hour-behind simulcast, so if you’ve missed the start of something, ITVX catch-up is the better bet.

ITV3 sits alongside ITV1, home to Coronation Street, Emmerdale and the network’s biggest primetime shows, and ITV4, which handles sport, action films and older action series.

Frequently asked questions

What channel is ITV3 on Freeview?

Channel 10, free to air.

What’s on ITV3 tonight?

A Heartbeat double, Midsomer Murders, two episodes of Grantchester and the opening part of a Trial and Retribution case. Times are in the primetime rundown above.

Can I watch ITV3 online for free?

Yes, live through ITVX on the website, the app, and most smart TVs and consoles.

Is ITV3 free to watch?

Yes, and it has been since 2004. There’s advertising, but no subscription fee on any platform.

Verdict

ITV3 has never pretended to be about new television, and today is a fair illustration of what that means in practice: archive soaps through the afternoon, two Poirot cases, two Midsomer Murders outings, and a run of primetime repeats carrying the channel past midnight. Depth is the whole proposition. If you already know the channel, a Wednesday like this needs no explanation. If you don’t, it’s still one of the easier ways into British detective drama on Freeview, since you can drop into almost any afternoon or evening and land halfway through something worth finishing.

Related: ITV1 TV Guide | ITV4 TV Guide | What’s On TV Tonight | Films on TV This Week