TV Guide UK Tonight: Fri 15 May 2026 – Hidden Treasures of the National Trust, MasterChef & Smoggie Queens

Published: 9 May 2026

It’s the last Friday before Chelsea, the Giro is grinding through the Apennines, and BBC Two has quietly put together one of the better Friday nights of the year. The top billing goes to a documentary series that doesn’t get nearly enough attention, and there’s a very funny sitcom double bill on BBC Three for anyone still standing after midnight.

Quick Picks: Tonight’s Best

• Hidden Treasures of the National Trust ⭐ — BBC Two, 9pm — Agatha Christie’s Greenway and Thomas Hardy’s Max Gate
• MasterChef — BBC One, 8pm — Last quarter-final. Three chefs through to knockout week
• Gardeners’ World — BBC Two, 8pm — Monty Don sows ahead of Chelsea. Carol Klein on year-round colour borders
• Smoggie Queens — BBC Three, 10pm & 10:30pm — Series 2 double bill. Coming-out party at Keith’s World of Carpets
• Hacks — Sky Atlantic, 9pm — Jean Smart’s final season
• Bob Marley Night — BBC Four, from 10:05pm — 45th anniversary strand with the Chineke! orchestra concert

Early Evening

Bradley & Barney Walsh: Breaking Dad – ITV1, 7:30pm

Bradley and son Barney arrive on Australia’s Gold Coast for the kind of holiday that would terrify most people over fifty. Outrigger racing and synchronised swimming are both on the cards, with Bradley reportedly less than thrilled about the pink costume required for the latter. Stunt school follows, with the instructors offering the quietly alarming reassurance that nobody has died recently. Good fun, low stakes, and the Walshes are genuinely entertaining company.

Prime Time

MasterChef – BBC One, 8pm

The last quarter-final of the current series, and six chefs have one final chance to reach knockout week. The invention test throws up spicy piña colada choux buns alongside apple crumble, and judge Anna Haugh is unconvinced by what she sees: “There’s no shining star in this invention test.” Things improve in the second challenge, set by food writer Leyla Kazim. The brief: cook something you hated as a child, using ingredients that include mushrooms, duck, blackberries, burgers, minced beef and beetroot. Three chefs make it through.

Gardeners’ World – BBC Two, 8pm

Monty Don is at Longmeadow with the kind of clay soil most gardeners know too well, sowing thyme and sage seeds in pots, planting grasses, and sharing his thoughts on this year’s daffodil bulbs. Carol Klein, who is also presenting Greatest Gardens at 7pm alongside Diarmuid Gavin, creates a year-round colour border that mixes vegetables with flowering plants. There are also reports from a nursery in Hertfordshire and from Kew Gardens, where horticulturists are preparing trees for a changing climate. Chelsea is next week.

Emmerdale – ITV1, 8pm

The Dingles have been at the centre of Emmerdale for over three decades, and things are looking particularly grim for the family right now. Robert Sugden has framed matriarch Moira for human trafficking and double murder, but Cain has found out the truth. His response is direct: he orders brother Sam to knock Robert out, and ties him to a chair. Robert Sugden has made enemies across the Dales, and Cain is not known for forgiveness.

Coronation Street – ITV1, 8:30pm

The Theo Silverton death inquiry continues to close in on Gary Windass, who made several serious mistakes in the hours before Theo died: a smashed windscreen, a menacing text message. Whether Gary actually killed him remains unclear, but DC Kit is not interested in other suspects. The episode turns on how much rope Gary has left.

Have I Got News for You – BBC One, 9pm

Victoria Coren Mitchell hosts this week’s edition, with Roisin Conaty and Karl Turner MP joining the regulars. Paul Merton and Ian Hislop have been doing this for thirty-five years now and still manage to make it feel unrehearsed. The political news of the past week should give them plenty of material.

Hidden Treasures of the National Trust – BBC Two, 9pm ⭐

Series 4 of the National Trust restoration documentary, and this week’s episode is the best argument you’ll find for watching it. The team opens at Greenway in Devon, Agatha Christie’s much-loved retreat and the setting for her novel Dead Man’s Folly. A late 19th-century Chinese silk robe that once belonged to Christie’s mother Clarissa is in urgent need of specialist conservation. The house was requisitioned during the Second World War and an American officer painted a large frieze on the walls; that painting is now blistering and flaking. Curator Emma Slocombe and house officer Tamara Roberts are both compelling on screen.

The second location is Max Gate in Dorset, the house Thomas Hardy designed for himself and lived in until his death. A large sundial that Hardy himself created is rusted and broken. The programme has been compared to The Repair Shop on a grander scale, and that’s about right: it’s a show about things that matter to people, treated with real care. Don’t miss it.

The Ex-Wife – Channel 5, 9pm

Series 2 of the psychological thriller, and Jack (Tom Mison) is out of prison. He wastes little time re-entering the lives of his two ex-wives: Jen (Katie McGrath), who is trying to hold things together at home, and Tasha (Celine Buckens), who has taken her infant daughter to Cyprus to get away from him. The plotting retains its habit of choosing drama over plausibility, but the performances from McGrath and Buckens keep things watchable.

Hacks – Sky Atlantic, 9pm

The fifth and final season of the HBO comedy continues, with Jean Smart still extraordinary as ageing stand-up Deborah Vance. If you’ve been watching from the beginning, you don’t need to be told to tune in. If you haven’t started, this isn’t the place to begin.

Late Night

Smoggie Queens – BBC Three, 10pm and 10:30pm

Series 2 returns with a double bill, and Middlesbrough’s most colourful sitcom is back in fine form. Stewart (Elijah Young) has come out as a gay man and is living openly for the first time, and his found LGBTQ+ family decide a surprise coming-out party at his workplace, Keith’s World of Carpets, is the appropriate response. Boss Bill Fellows arrives with homemade moonshine. Things deteriorate from there, in the best possible way. Both episodes are charming.

Bob Marley Night – BBC Four, from 10:05pm

BBC Four marks the 45th anniversary of Bob Marley’s death with a full evening of programming. The strand opens with When Bob Marley Came to Britain, a documentary on his time in this country. That’s followed by Bob Marley Reimagined, a 2022 concert recording in which the Chineke! orchestra performs Marley’s classics alongside Ruby Turner and Marley’s grandson Skip. The evening closes with Reggae at the BBC, archive footage of Marley alongside Desmond Dekker, Gregory Isaacs and Burning Spear. A genuinely special late-night block.

First Dates – Channel 4, 10pm

Two dates tonight. Former mayor Tracey is paired with toilet roll salesman Stuart, which sounds like the setup for a sitcom. Social activist Aaron and nightclub host Nathan find their evening takes an unexpected turn.

Sport

Golf: PGA Championship — Sky Sports Main Event/Golf, 12:30pm. Day two from Aronimink Club in Pennsylvania. Live coverage continues at 10pm on Sky Sports Main Event.

Football: Premier League — Sky Sports Main Event/Premier League, 7:30pm. Live top-flight action.

Cycling: Giro d’Italia — TNT Sports 3, 9am; TNT Sports 1, 2pm. Stage 7. A mountainous 244km stage from Formia to Blockhaus in the Apennines.

The Viewing Schedule

What’s On Streaming

• BBC iPlayer: Hidden Treasures of the National Trust (all series), MasterChef, Gardeners’ World, Have I Got News for You, Smoggie Queens (full series), Bob Marley Night
• ITVX: Emmerdale, Coronation Street, Breaking Dad
• Now: Hacks, PGA Championship
• Channel 4 streaming: First Dates, Greatest Gardens
• 5 streaming: The Ex-Wife (full series)

Frequently Asked Questions

Is EastEnders on tonight?

No, EastEnders is not on tonight. EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday on BBC One. New episodes return on Monday.

Where can I watch Hidden Treasures of the National Trust?

It airs on BBC Two at 9pm tonight (Friday 15 May 2026). All series are available on BBC iPlayer.

What time is MasterChef on tonight?

MasterChef is on BBC One at 8pm tonight. This is the last quarter-final of the current series, with three chefs going through to knockout week.

Is Gardeners’ World on tonight?

Yes, Gardeners’ World is on BBC Two at 8pm. Monty Don is at Longmeadow and Carol Klein is creating a year-round colour border. Chelsea Flower Show is next week.

What is Bob Marley Night on BBC Four?

BBC Four is marking the 45th anniversary of Bob Marley’s death with a programming strand from 10:05pm: a documentary on Marley in Britain, a 2022 Chineke! orchestra concert, and Reggae at the BBC archive footage.

Final Verdict

Friday 15 May is a better night than it looks at first glance. BBC Two pairs Gardeners’ World with Hidden Treasures of the National Trust for a genuinely solid double bill, and Smoggie Queens is exactly the kind of cheerful late-night comedy the BBC Three slot was built for. The Bob Marley strand on BBC Four is worth staying up for if you can manage it.

Related: What’s On TV Tonight Thursday 14 May 2026 | What’s On TV Tonight Saturday 16 May 2026