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

Published: 8 September 2026

That’s TV runs almost entirely on British television’s back catalogue: sitcoms from the 1970s and 1980s, a bit of crime drama, archive music clips, and a long teleshopping stretch before breakfast. It’s free to air on Freeview, Sky, Freesat and Virgin Media, with no subscription and no app of its own. Tonight runs a straight stretch of classic sitcoms through early evening before Minder at 7:55pm, then Benidorm into Shameless is the strongest pairing of the night. Full times for every programme are in the table below.

That’s TV Schedule: Wednesday 9 September 2026 (Full Listings)

Here is the complete That’s TV schedule for Wednesday 9 September 2026, on Freeview 56.

Overnight

Breakfast

Morning

Afternoon

Early evening

Primetime

Late night

What’s on That’s TV today

Wednesday opens with Benidorm just after midnight, then Minder, Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em and Man About the House carry the small hours before The Kenny Everett Video Show and the archive clip strand That’s 60s – Best Music Live! drop in from 3am. A Nearest and Dearest pair and British Railway Journeys run into a teleshopping stretch from 6am — cruise holidays, then a folding mobility scooter, then cruise holidays again — which holds until Rising Damp resumes the sitcoms at 8am.

From there it’s the channel’s usual half-hour reruns with no particular theming: Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em, You Rang, M’Lord?, Bread, Steptoe and Son and Oh, Doctor Beeching! carry the morning, then a second Rising Damp, an early Man About the House, Goodnight Sweetheart and the archive drama When the Boat Comes In fill the early afternoon. Minder and Just Good Friends run through to a further Man About the House and Bread by late afternoon, with Birds of a Feather at 5:30pm ahead of the evening line-up below.

That’s TV tonight — primetime and the evening schedule

Here’s the That’s TV primetime line-up for tonight, Wednesday 9 September 2026.

That’s 60s – Best Music Live! — That’s TV, 6pm

A short burst of archive 1960s music footage opens the evening, running five minutes ahead of Rising Damp.

Rising Damp — That’s TV, 6:05pm

The Leonard Rossiter sitcom runs from 6:05pm, continuing the early-evening sitcom strip.

Steptoe and Son — That’s TV, 6:40pm

The rag-and-bone classic Steptoe and Son keeps the early-evening sitcom run going, father and son bickering their way through another job.

Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? — That’s TV, 7:20pm

The Likely Lads sequel closes out the sitcom run from 7:20pm.

Minder — That’s TV, 7:55pm

Minder moves into its usual early-evening slot at 7:55pm, ahead of the two newer titles later on.

Benidorm — That’s TV, 9pm

Benidorm opens the later stretch of the night at 9pm.

Shameless — That’s TV, 10:05pm

Shameless follows directly after, from 10:05pm.

Man About the House — That’s TV, 11:05pm

A separate, later episode of Man About the House airs alone at 11:05pm — a different instalment from the one shown earlier in the afternoon.

Mind Your Language — That’s TV, 11:35pm

Mind Your Language closes out the night from 11:35pm.

What kind of shows are on That’s TV

Sitcoms from the 1970s and 1980s

This is the bulk of the channel. Rising Damp, Steptoe and Son, Man About the House, Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em, Just Good Friends and Mind Your Language cycle through daytime and early evening on a near-constant loop. There’s no theming to speak of: they’re familiar half-hours filling the space between the shopping strands and whatever the channel has lined up for the evening.

Crime and drama reruns

Minder does most of the heavy lifting on the crime and drama side, often turning up more than once in a day. Benidorm and Shameless, both decades younger than the rest of the schedule, hold primetime.

Music and variety nostalgia

The archive clip strand billed as That’s 60s drops in several times a day, live performance footage from 1960s music shows and a leftover from when the group ran full decade-themed music channels. Longer compilations such as Ronnie Barker: The Very Best Of turn up as one-off hours.

Teleshopping

Roughly 5am to 8am, given over to mattresses and garden multitools. A free channel with no subscription income has to fill the small hours with something that pays for itself.

How to watch That’s TV

Channel numbers

Here’s where to find That’s TV across the main UK platforms:

Virgin Media’s number shifts more often than the others, so your on-screen guide is the definitive source if it doesn’t match.

Streaming online

There’s no That’s TV app, no catch-up service and no live stream of its own, which puts it a long way behind Channel 4 or ITV. You watch it as it goes out, through a Freeview, Sky, Virgin Media or Freesat box or smart TV. A Freeview Play-enabled television will find and tune the channel for you with no extra setup.

That’s TV regional and sister channels

That’s TV belongs to That’s Media, whose chief executive, Daniel Cass, built the group out of local television licences: around 20 of them, awarded under Ofcom’s Local Digital Television Programme. That’s Manchester, That’s Solent and That’s Glasgow all opt out for local news and community programming for part of the day, then simulcast the national schedule for the rest.

That’s TV 2 works the same archive on a separate schedule. The group also tried standalone channels themed to the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s; several were folded back into the main service or closed outright earlier in 2026, which is why the 60s music show now appears as a filler strand rather than a channel in its own right.

Frequently asked questions

What channel is That’s TV on Freeview?

Channel 56 nationally, or 80 in Greater Manchester. That’s TV 2 is on 65, and the local opt-out versions sit on 7 or 8 depending on where you live.

What’s on That’s TV tonight?

A run of classic sitcoms carries early evening from 6pm, then Minder takes the 7:55pm slot. Benidorm follows at 9pm and Shameless at 10:05pm, before a separate, later Man About the House airs alone at 11:05pm — a different episode, not a continuation of the earlier run. Mind Your Language closes the night at 11:35pm. The table above has the full day.

Is That’s TV free to watch?

Yes, on every platform that carries it. Ad breaks during programmes and teleshopping before breakfast are how it pays for itself.

Verdict

That’s TV is comfort viewing and makes no pretence otherwise. Wednesday’s afternoon runs the same unthemed stitch of 1970s and 1980s reruns as any other day: Rising Damp and Man About the House through midday, Goodnight Sweetheart and the archive drama When the Boat Comes In taking up early afternoon, then Minder and Just Good Friends carrying it towards evening.

The evening opens with a run of classic sitcoms from 6pm, then Minder takes the 7:55pm slot. Benidorm at 9pm is the strongest patch of the night, with Shameless close behind at 10:05pm. A separate, later Man About the House gets its own showing at 11:05pm — a different episode from the earlier run, not a repeat of it — and Mind Your Language closes the night at 11:35pm.

Related: What’s On TV Tonight | Freeview Channel Guide | Talking Pictures TV Guide | Films on TV This Week