TV Guide UK Tonight: Fri 20 Mar 2026 – Comic Relief, Gardeners’ World & Walter Presents: Blanca

Published: 15 March 2026

Friday night is Red Nose Day and BBC One has cleared the schedule for it. Comic Relief: Funny for Money takes over from 7pm — Catherine Tate’s back as Nan, Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary have teamed up for something called The Bank Job, and there’s new stuff from Amandaland and The Traitors. If charity telly isn’t your thing, Gardeners’ World on BBC Two at 9pm has Monty Don knee-deep in spring jobs at Longmeadow and Carol Klein visiting someone in Kent who grows 1,200 varieties of apple. More4 launches Walter Presents: Blanca at 9pm — Italian crime drama about a blind profiler working with the Genoa police. BBC Four gives the entire evening to Neil Sedaka. Plenty to choose from.

Quick Picks: Tonight’s Best

• Comic Relief: Funny for Money ⭐ — BBC One, 7pm — Red Nose Day 2026; Catherine Tate as Nan, Alison Hammond, Romesh Ranganathan and a night of fundraising television
• Gardeners’ World — BBC Two, 9pm — Monty Don in spring mode, Carol Klein and 1,200 apple varieties in Kent
• Walter Presents: Blanca — More4, 9pm — New Italian crime drama about a blind profiler with the Genoa police
• Neil Sedaka Night — BBC Four, from 9pm — Four-plus hours of the pop legend, from a live concert to Piano Greats at the BBC
• In Camera — BBC Two, 11:10pm — Bruising 2023 British film about racism in the acting industry; four stars
• Football: Bournemouth v Man United — Sky Sports, 7:30pm (k/o 8pm) — Premier League at the Vitality Stadium

Early Evening

Father Brown — BBC One, 2pm

Katherine Vale used to be a Hollywood actress. Now she’s in Kembleford flogging washing powder on camera, and she’s about as happy about it as you’d expect. Debra Stephenson plays the disgruntled star. Father Brown gets involved when things take a turn. Catch up via BBC iPlayer.

Comic Relief: Funny for Money ⭐ — BBC One, 7pm

Red Nose Day 2026. Catherine Tate is doing Nan again — you either love Nan or you hide behind the sofa, there’s no middle ground. Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary are in something called The Bank Job, which sounds like exactly the sort of chaos those two would generate. New sketches from Amandaland and The Traitors are in the mix too.

The rest of the night’s cast reads like a who’s-who of panel shows: Romesh Ranganathan, Davina McCall, Nick Mohammed, Katherine Ryan, Joe Marler, Lucy Punch, Philippa Dunne, Joel Dommett and Stephen Mulhern. Online creators are involved for younger viewers. The slogan is “Take Yourself Funny for Money” — bit clunky, but never mind. If you can’t sit through the whole thing, highlights air tomorrow on BBC One and iPlayer. Catch up via BBC iPlayer.

Building the Impossible with Rob Bell — Channel 5, 8pm

Rob Bell visits three Scottish lighthouses and digs into how Victorian engineers actually built them — perched on cliffs, battered by some of the worst seas around Britain. Lighthouses always look good on telly, and the engineering stories behind them are properly interesting. Catch up via Channel 5 streaming.

Prime Time: 9pm

Gardeners’ World — BBC Two, 9pm

Monty’s got a lot on at Longmeadow tonight — new borders going in, houseplants that barely survived winter needing attention, pelargoniums to get started for summer. The Cornish garden section has camellias absolutely everywhere, which is worth seeing. Carol Klein goes to Kent to meet a grower who has over 1,200 varieties of apple, which is mad but wonderful. Mary Keen shows Joe Swift around her Cotswolds garden. This is the show at its spring best. Catch up via BBC iPlayer.

Walter Presents: Blanca — More4, 9pm

Walter Presents keeps finding good stuff, and this new Italian series looks promising. Based on novels by Patrizia Rinaldi, it follows Blanca, a blind criminal profiler working with the Genoa police. She picks up on things her colleagues miss — sounds, textures, inconsistencies in what people say versus how they say it. It’s set in Genoa, which helps, and the central idea is different enough from your standard detective show to be worth a go. Catch up via Channel 4 streaming.

Neil Sedaka Night — BBC Four, from 9pm

BBC Four goes all-in on Neil Sedaka tonight. All You Need Is the Music at 9pm, a Legends profile at 9:45pm, a live concert at 10:45pm, then Piano Greats at the BBC at 11:15pm — that last one covers keyboard players from Little Richard to Lady Gaga and is probably the highlight if you’re only dipping in. Catch up via BBC iPlayer.

Comic Relief Does the Weakest Link — BBC Two, 10pm

Romesh Ranganathan hosts a Comic Relief version of the quiz with six comedians. Late-night, for charity, and Romesh doing deadpan put-downs from behind the desk — should work.

Late Night

The Claudia Winkleman Show — BBC One, 10:40pm

Claudia’s back with Guz Khan and Joanne McNally, both of whom are reliably unpredictable guests. Niall Horan is on for music. Catch up via BBC iPlayer.

Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy — ITV1, 10:45pm

The trial grinds on, but this episode is better than the courtroom format often allows. The camera spends time with the victims’ families rather than getting lost in legal procedure, and Detective Rafael Tovar’s interrogation scenes have a real edge to them. Full series on ITVX.

In Camera ★★★★ (15) — BBC Two, 11:10pm

Naqqash Khalid wrote and directed this in his late twenties. Nabhaan Rizwan plays an actor going through audition after audition, constantly asked to make himself smaller — at one point he’s told to do a terrorist accent in a casting room where nobody sees the problem. It’s a bruising watch. Khalid went on to co-write The Good Boy with Stephen Graham and Andrea Riseborough, but this earlier film is angrier and more direct. Worth staying up for. Catch up via BBC iPlayer.

Sport

Football: Premier League — Bournemouth v Manchester United — Live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League from 7:30pm. Kick-off 8pm from the Vitality Stadium.

Premiership Rugby — Bath Rugby v Saracens — Live on TNT Sports 1 from 7pm. Kick-off 7:45pm at the Recreation Ground.

Tennis: Miami Open — Day four at the Hard Rock Stadium, live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Tennis from 3pm, with further coverage at 10:45pm.

Men’s Golf: Valspar Championship — Day two from Palm Harbour, Florida. Live on Sky Sports Golf from 11:30am.

The Viewing Schedule

What’s On Streaming

BBC iPlayer: Comic Relief: Funny for Money, Father Brown, Gardeners’ World, Comic Relief Does the Weakest Link, The Claudia Winkleman Show, Neil Sedaka Night, In Camera
ITVX: Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy (full series)
Channel 4 streaming: Walter Presents: Blanca
Channel 5 streaming/My5: Building the Impossible with Rob Bell
Sky Sports: Premier League Bournemouth v Man United, Miami Open tennis, Valspar Championship golf
TNT Sports: Premiership Rugby Bath v Saracens

Frequently Asked Questions

What time is Comic Relief on BBC One tonight?

Comic Relief: Funny for Money starts at 7pm on BBC One tonight (Friday 20th March 2026) for Red Nose Day 2026. The evening features sketches from Catherine Tate as Nan, a Bank Job sketch with Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary, and appearances from Romesh Ranganathan, Davina McCall, Katherine Ryan, Nick Mohammed, Joel Dommett and Stephen Mulhern. A highlights show airs tomorrow on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

Is EastEnders on TV tonight?

No, EastEnders does not air on Fridays. The soap runs Monday to Thursday on BBC One at 7:30pm. You can catch up on any episodes you missed via BBC iPlayer.

What time is Gardeners’ World on BBC Two tonight?

Gardeners’ World is on BBC Two at 9pm tonight (Friday 20th March 2026). Monty Don has a packed spring agenda at Longmeadow — new borders, houseplants to revive and pelargoniums to prep. Carol Klein visits a Kent grower with over 1,200 apple cultivars, and Mary Keen gives Joe Swift a tour of her Cotswolds garden. Catch up via BBC iPlayer.

What is Walter Presents: Blanca on More4?

Walter Presents: Blanca is a new Italian crime drama series starting tonight on More4 at 9pm (Friday 20th March 2026). Based on novels by Patrizia Rinaldi, it follows Blanca, a blind criminal profiler working alongside the Genoa police. Catch up via Channel 4 streaming.

What’s the best thing to watch on TV tonight?

Our top pick for Friday 20th March 2026 is Comic Relief: Funny for Money on BBC One from 7pm — Red Nose Day 2026 with Catherine Tate as Nan, the Bank Job sketch and a night of fundraising television. For something more relaxed, Gardeners’ World on BBC Two at 9pm is excellent spring viewing. Walter Presents: Blanca on More4 at 9pm is the best new drama of the night. Late night, In Camera on BBC Two at 11:10pm is a four-star British film well worth staying up for.

What’s on BBC One tonight?

BBC One tonight (Friday 20th March 2026) is largely given over to Red Nose Day. Father Brown airs at 2pm. Comic Relief: Funny for Money runs from 7pm with Catherine Tate, Alison Hammond, Romesh Ranganathan and more. The Claudia Winkleman Show follows at 10:40pm with Guz Khan, Joanne McNally and Niall Horan.

Is there live sport on TV tonight?

Yes. Premier League football — Bournemouth v Manchester United — is live on Sky Sports Main Event from 7:30pm (kick-off 8pm). Bath Rugby v Saracens is live on TNT Sports 1 from 7pm (kick-off 7:45pm). The Miami Open tennis continues on Sky Sports from 3pm, with late coverage at 10:45pm. The Valspar Championship golf is live on Sky Sports Golf from 11:30am.

Final Verdict

Comic Relief: Funny for Money on BBC One from 7pm gets the star. It’s Red Nose Day, and the lineup — Tate as Nan, Hammond and O’Leary doing The Bank Job, Traitors sketches — suggests they’ve actually put the work in this year.

Gardeners’ World on BBC Two at 9pm is where you go if three hours of charity telly sounds exhausting. Monty with a spring to-do list, camellias in Cornwall, 1,200 apple varieties in Kent. Hard to beat.

Walter Presents: Blanca on More4 at 9pm is the best new drama tonight. Blind profiler, Genoa setting, based on published novels. Give it a go.

Neil Sedaka Night on BBC Four from 9pm is four hours of archive and live performance. If you’re going to dip in, the Piano Greats at the BBC section from 11:15pm is the pick.

In Camera on BBC Two at 11:10pm is the late-night gem. Four stars. Don’t skip it just because it’s on at quarter past eleven.

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