TV Guide UK Tonight: Fri 27 Mar 2026 – Death in Paradise, Beyond Paradise & Gardeners’ World

Published: 21 March 2026

Friday night and BBC One has gone all-in on the Paraverse. Death in Paradise closes series 15 at 8pm, Mervin Wilson dealing with budget pressure and a dead novelist, and then straight after at 9pm Beyond Paradise kicks off series 4 with Humphrey Goodman handling a sea monster sighting and an unexpected house guest simultaneously. BBC Two runs Gardeners’ World at 8pm — Monty Don on seeds and ferns, Frances Tophill on miniature daffodils — and Big Cats 24/7 at 9pm where a lion pride with no adult males is struggling. Channel 4 has a Dispatches on Labour’s chaotic first year in government. Late on, the MOBO Awards celebrate 30 years at Co-op Live in Manchester, with Olivia Dean and Slick Rick on the bill. There’s also England v Uruguay at Wembley on ITV1 from 7pm.

Quick Picks: Tonight’s Best

• Death in Paradise ⭐ — BBC One, 8pm — Series 15 finale; Mervin Wilson under staffing pressure and a terminally ill novelist’s suspicious death
• Beyond Paradise — BBC One, 9pm — Series 4 opener; Humphrey Goodman vs sea monster, surprise house guest
• Gardeners’ World — BBC Two, 8pm — Monty Don on seeds and ferns, Frances Tophill and miniature daffodils
• Big Cats 24/7 — BBC Two, 9pm — A lion pride in trouble and a cheetah mum’s hands-on hunting lesson
• MOBO Awards — BBC One, 11:25pm — 30th anniversary ceremony with Olivia Dean, Slick Rick and FLO
• Football: England v Uruguay — ITV1, 7pm (k/o 7:45pm) — Wembley friendly

Early Evening

Father Brown — BBC One, 2pm

Series finale. The scheming Bishop-elect Fox has concocted a plan to pack Father Brown off to Scotland via a curate exchange. It should be simple. It isn’t. Fox gets himself abducted before he can be consecrated, and Father Brown ends up mounting a rescue that goes predictably sideways. Kembleford’s crime rate continues to be statistically implausible. Catch up via BBC iPlayer.

Deadly 60 — CBBC, 6pm

Steve Backshall is back with a new series, tracking down the world’s most dangerous and awkward creatures. Good for kids, honestly quite watchable for adults too. Catch up via BBC iPlayer.

Extraordinary Portraits with Bill Bailey — BBC One, 7:30pm

Darryn Frost is the young man who grabbed a narwhal tusk from a wall display and used it to help restrain the terrorist behind the London Bridge attack in November 2019. He’s not keen on being celebrated for it — he finds the whole thing uncomfortable to revisit. Sculptor Nick Elphick has the job of capturing that ambivalence in a portrait. The result, according to Bill Bailey who presents, manages to convey the darkness and burden the experience left behind rather than turning Frost into a heroic statue. Worth an early Friday night. Catch up via BBC iPlayer.

Prime Time

Death in Paradise ⭐ — BBC One, 8pm

Series 15 finale. A senior officer arrives on Saint Marie to tell Mervin Wilson his staff-to-square-footage ratio is out of line — translation: someone on the team is getting cut. Loyal Esther, eccentric station officer Imargo and hapless but likeable Kelby are all in the frame. It’s a neat way to build stakes without the usual dramatic device.

The case running alongside involves a novelist who was both terminally ill and completely broke, found dead in circumstances that warrant investigation. The question of who gains when someone with no money and no time left dies is actually a more interesting premise than it sounds. Good end to the series. Catch up via BBC iPlayer.

Gardeners’ World — BBC Two, 8pm

Late March is when this show earns its place in the schedule. Monty Don spends time on seed sowing — apparently there are right and wrong ways to do it, and many of us are doing it wrong — and divides ferns in his Woodland Garden. Frances Tophill goes deep into miniature daffodils, a variety that has been gaining ground in recent years and works much better in small gardens than the full-size versions. In Llanelli, Sue Kent meets a gardener who has set up a community seed library, which is a good idea and a bit overdue. There’s also a Yorkshire grower obsessed with old-fashioned tomato varieties. Practical, calm, worth an hour of your Friday evening. Catch up via BBC iPlayer.

Keir Starmer: Labour in Crisis? Dispatches — Channel 4, 8pm

Lewis Goodall — who moved from LBC journalism to podcasting — speaks to politicians, advisors, pollsters and journalists to work out how a government that won by a historic margin has managed to generate this much noise and this little goodwill in under two years. The diagnosis covers the obvious — Trump, an inherited economic mess — and the less obvious: the internal tensions, the communication failures and a question mark over Peter Mandelson. Wherever you sit politically, the gap between what was promised and what has happened is hard to explain, and this tries. Catch up via Channel 4 streaming.

Beyond Paradise — BBC One, 9pm

Series 4 kicks off in Devon with Humphrey Goodman facing a situation that would test anyone. There are reports of something large and unexplained in the water offshore. At the same time his niece has arrived under his roof without much warning. He regards both developments with the same mixture of exhaustion and suspicion, which is fair enough. The show’s warmth and gentle comedy are intact from the off. Catch up via BBC iPlayer.

Big Cats 24/7 — BBC Two, 9pm

The lion pride now has 14 cubs and no adult males anywhere near the scene. The females are running everything, and it’s not going well — at least one cub is noticeably underweight. The standout moment tonight involves cheetah mum Pobe, who catches a small impala and then deliberately keeps it alive so her cubs can practise the chase and the kill. It is exactly as grim and as fascinating as it sounds. Full series on BBC iPlayer.

Billy Idol Should Be Dead — Sky Arts, 9pm

A doc that peels back the leather jacket and the snarl to find something more complicated underneath. Billy Idol’s punk credentials were questioned from the start — too pretty, too middle-class, not angry enough. He handled this criticism by becoming one of the most chemically reckless figures of the 1980s pop scene, which is one approach. Idol gets to tell much of the story himself, and he’s a better raconteur than expected. Available via Now.

Late Night

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

Jimmy Carr and Lisa Kudrow on the sofa in the same episode is a combination worth staying up for. Chase Infinity from One Battle After Another is also in. Catch up via BBC iPlayer.

Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy — ITV1, 10:50pm

Final episode. It’s May 1994, and the series ends at the Illinois correctional centre on the night of Gacy’s execution. The show keeps the actual death off screen, which turns out to be a deliberate choice — the point being that watching someone be executed does nothing to close the grief of the victims’ families waiting in a separate room. A thought-provoking final hour. Full series on ITVX.

The MOBO Awards — BBC One, 11:25pm

Thirty years of MOBO, celebrated at Manchester’s Co-op Live. Eve and Eddie Kadi host. Olivia Dean, Slick Rick, FLO and Estelle are on the bill. Little Simz leads the nominations with Lotus up for Album of the Year. Followed at 12:25am by MOBO at 30: Greatest Moments, looking back at three decades of performances and speeches. Catch up via BBC iPlayer.

Femme ★★★★ (15) — BBC Two, 11pm

A 2023 thriller about a drag performer who is attacked by a closeted man and returns under a different identity to seduce him. Nathan Stewart-Jarrett spent weeks learning to walk in heels for the role — he admits it didn’t really work — and George MacKay spent two months building up physically for his part, arriving on set each morning to have elaborate tattoos reapplied. The effort from both pays off. Intelligent and unsettling. Catch up via BBC iPlayer.

Sport

Football: England v Uruguay — International friendly at Wembley live on ITV1 from 7pm. Kick-off 7:45pm. Catch up via ITVX.

Rugby Union: Premiership — Newcastle Red Bulls v Exeter Chiefs — Live on TNT Sports 1 from 7pm. Kick-off 7:45pm.

Rugby League: Super League — Hull Kingston Rovers v St Helens — Live on Sky Sports Main Event from 7:30pm. Kick-off 8pm at Sewell Group Craven Park.

Tennis: Miami Open — Live on Sky Sports Tennis from 5pm, with late-night coverage from 11pm on Sky Sports Main Event.

The Viewing Schedule

What’s On Streaming

BBC iPlayer: Death in Paradise, Beyond Paradise, Gardeners’ World, Big Cats 24/7, Extraordinary Portraits with Bill Bailey, The Claudia Winkleman Show, MOBO Awards, Father Brown, Femme, Elkie Brooks Night, Deadly 60
ITVX: England v Uruguay, Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy (full series)
Channel 4 streaming: Keir Starmer: Labour in Crisis? Dispatches
Now: Billy Idol Should Be Dead (Sky Arts)
Sky Sports: Miami Open tennis, Hull KR v St Helens Super League
TNT Sports: Newcastle Red Bulls v Exeter Chiefs Premiership rugby

Frequently Asked Questions

What time is Death in Paradise on BBC One tonight?

Death in Paradise is on BBC One at 8pm tonight (Friday 27th March 2026). This is the series 15 finale, with DI Humphrey Goodman facing staff cuts while investigating a case involving a terminally ill novelist who died deeply in debt. Catch up via BBC iPlayer.

What time is Beyond Paradise on BBC One tonight?

Beyond Paradise starts at 9pm on BBC One tonight (Friday 27th March 2026), straight after Death in Paradise. Series 4 opens with DI Humphrey Goodman dealing with a possible sea creature offshore and his niece arriving unannounced. Catch up via 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 have missed via BBC iPlayer.

What time is Gardeners’ World on BBC Two tonight?

Gardeners’ World is on BBC Two at 8pm tonight (Friday 27th March 2026). Monty Don covers seed sowing and fern dividing. Frances Tophill explores miniature daffodils, and Sue Kent visits a community seed library in Llanelli. Catch up via BBC iPlayer.

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

Our top pick for Friday 27th March 2026 is the BBC One double bill — Death in Paradise series 15 finale at 8pm followed directly by Beyond Paradise series 4 at 9pm. It is a strong night for fans of the Paraverse. Gardeners’ World on BBC Two at 8pm is excellent late-March viewing, and the MOBO Awards at 11:25pm on BBC One are worth staying up for given it is their 30th anniversary with Olivia Dean and Slick Rick performing.

What’s on BBC One tonight?

BBC One tonight (Friday 27th March 2026) has Extraordinary Portraits with Bill Bailey at 7:30pm, Death in Paradise (series 15 finale) at 8pm, Beyond Paradise (series 4 opener) at 9pm, The Claudia Winkleman Show at 10:40pm with Jimmy Carr and Lisa Kudrow, and the MOBO Awards at 11:25pm.

Is there live sport on TV tonight?

Yes. England v Uruguay is live on ITV1 from 7pm (kick-off 7:45pm) at Wembley. Newcastle Red Bulls v Exeter Chiefs in the Premiership is live on TNT Sports 1 from 7pm (kick-off 7:45pm). Hull Kingston Rovers v St Helens in Super League is live on Sky Sports Main Event from 7:30pm (kick-off 8pm). Miami Open tennis continues on Sky Sports Tennis from 5pm, with late coverage at 11pm on Sky Sports Main Event.

Final Verdict

Death in Paradise at 8pm on BBC One gets the star. The series 15 finale uses the staffing pressure storyline cleverly and the case has more emotional heft than the format usually attempts. A good send-off.

Beyond Paradise straight after at 9pm hits the ground running in series 4 — sea monster, surprise niece, Devon sunshine. It knows exactly what it is and does it well.

Gardeners’ World on BBC Two at 8pm is the alternative if you want something calm and practical. Monty Don on seeds at this time of year is about as useful as television gets.

Big Cats 24/7 at 9pm on BBC Two is hard to look away from. The lion pride storyline has real tension — one cub is visibly struggling — and the cheetah hunting lesson is one of the better sequences of the series so far.

The MOBO Awards at 11:25pm on BBC One are worth staying up for. Thirty years is a proper milestone, and the lineup — Olivia Dean, Slick Rick, FLO, Estelle — makes this more than just a ceremony.

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