TV Guide UK Tonight: Fri 5 Jun 2026 – MasterChef Final, Have I Got News for You & Celebrity Gogglebox

Published: 29 May 2026

Friday 5 June 2026. A big finish to the week. After 20 years, MasterChef hands over its trophy in the series final at 8pm on BBC One, and straight after it Have I Got News for You wraps up its run with David Tennant in the chair. Channel 4 brings back Celebrity Gogglebox at 9pm, and there’s a treat for soul fans on BBC Four. One quick note before we start, since people always ask: no, EastEnders isn’t on tonight.

Quick Picks: Tonight’s Best

• MasterChef Final ⭐ BBC One, 8pm. Three cooks, one trophy. Grace Dent and Anna Haugh crown a champion.
• Have I Got News for You BBC One, 9pm. Series finale, hosted by David Tennant, with Michael Gove on the panel.
• Celebrity Gogglebox Channel 4, 9pm. Back for an eighth series and its 50th episode.
• Hidden Treasures of the National Trust BBC Two, 9pm. Snowshill Manor and its glorious clutter.
• Ponies Sky Atlantic, 9pm. Daft, dark comedy double bill. Bea’s date with a KGB agent.
• Aretha Franklin Night BBC Four, 9pm. The Queen of Soul, including a 1968 Amsterdam concert.

Sport

Men’s Test Cricket: England v New Zealand – Sky Sports Cricket, from 10:15am

Day two of the first Test at Lord’s, with the series opener nicely poised. Highlights on BBC Two at 7pm if you can’t watch the day’s play live. Subscription required for the live coverage.

Tennis: French Open – TNT Sports 1, from 1:30pm

The men’s singles semi-finals at Roland-Garros, settling who’ll play in Sunday’s final. Subscription required via TNT Sports.

Cycling: Women’s Giro d’Italia Stage 7 – TNT Sports 3, 2pm

A 159km stage from Sorbolo Mezzani to Salice Terme, with the race entering its closing weekend. Subscription required.

Early Evening

The Marvellous Miniature Workshop – BBC One, 7:30pm

A repeat worth catching if you missed it: Sara Cox and the team painstakingly recreate Reading’s Central Club in miniature, marking its place in the city’s Caribbean cultural history. It’s a lovely, low-stakes half-hour, all tiny details and obvious affection for the subject. Not shown in Scotland or Wales tonight. BBC iPlayer.

Prime Time

MasterChef Final ⭐ – BBC One, 8pm (SERIES FINALE)

This is the one. After a couple of turbulent years off screen, MasterChef came back with Grace Dent and Anna Haugh in charge, and the gamble has paid off: it feels warmer and a bit funnier than it did, without losing the bits that matter. Dent’s way with a verdict and Haugh’s actual cooking knowledge make a good double act.

Tonight, seven weeks of cooking come down to three finalists, each tasked with producing the best three-course meal they’ve ever made. No twists, no gimmicks, just the food and the nerves. By the end we’ll know who joins the long line of MasterChef champions, and on the strength of this series it’s a genuinely hard one to predict. The whole thing is on BBC iPlayer if you want to relive the run first.

Gardeners’ World – BBC Two, 8pm

Roses are at their peak, and so, inevitably, are rose problems, so Monty Don spends tonight sorting out the common ones as well as celebrating the good stuff. There’s also planting to be done in the veg patch, with lettuce and beetroot going in, while Sue Kent travels to gardens in Penarth, Brighton and Bedfordshire. Reliable, calming Friday viewing. BBC iPlayer.

Will My Summer Holiday be Cancelled? Dispatches – Channel 4, 8pm

A timely half-hour from Kate Quilton on the uncertainty hanging over summer travel this year. Jet-fuel prices have jumped, flights are being cancelled, and with peak season almost here she looks at what it means for anyone hoping to get away, including whether staying in the UK is the safer bet. Channel 4 streaming.

Have I Got News for You – BBC One, 9pm (SERIES FINALE)

The series 71 finale, and the booking does the work here: David Tennant hosts, and Michael Gove makes his first ever appearance on the show. Putting a former Cabinet minister on a programme that has spent decades mocking the political class is exactly the sort of needling the format thrives on, and Tennant is a quick, willing host. Comedian Chloe Petts rounds out the panel. A good way to send the series off. BBC iPlayer.

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

If you want something gentler at 9pm, this is the pick. Tonight’s visit takes in Snowshill Manor in the Cotswolds, where the collector Charles Wade crammed his home with everything from battered old buckets to suits of samurai armour, some of it now heading off to a British Museum exhibition. There’s also a trip to Calke Abbey, with its slightly eerie taxidermy and a flock of rare Portland sheep in the grounds. It’s the kind of programme that makes you want to visit all of it. BBC iPlayer.

Celebrity Gogglebox – Channel 4, 9pm

The famous-faces version of Gogglebox is back for an eighth series, hitting its 50th episode in the process. The usual sofa pairings return to pass judgement on the week’s telly, among them Rylan and his mum Linda, Roman and Martin Kemp, Shaun Ryder and Bez, and Rob Beckett and Tom Allen, with some new faces joining the rotation. It lives or dies on the company, and this lot are good company. Channel 4 streaming.

Ponies – Sky Atlantic, 9pm

A comedy drama with a premise too silly to resist, played admirably straight. Recently widowed Bea steels herself for a first date with Andrei, a senior KGB agent in Moscow, while concealing the fairly significant detail that she isn’t actually Russian. Her friend Twila is on hand with advice that would get her arrested. It’s a double bill tonight, which suits it: the first half sets up the farce, the second takes a darker turn. Available on Now.

Aretha Franklin Night – BBC Four, 9pm

BBC Four does what it does best on a Friday with an evening devoted to the Queen of Soul. It opens with a collection of Aretha Franklin’s BBC performances across the decades, then at 9:40pm comes the real gem: her 1968 concert at Amsterdam’s Royal Concertgebouw, fur coat and all, working through the likes of Respect and Satisfaction. Essential for anyone who loves her, and a fine introduction for anyone who doesn’t yet. BBC iPlayer.

Late Night

Dolly Parton: Here I Am – BBC Four, 10:20pm

Following the Aretha tribute, BBC Four repeats this warm 2019 profile of Dolly Parton, taking in her songwriting, her sharp business brain and contributions from her Nine to Five co-stars Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin. A timely watch, and Parton is, as ever, far cannier than she lets on. BBC iPlayer.

Bring Them Down – BBC Two, 11pm (15)

A strong, bleak film to close the night. Christopher Andrews’s 2024 debut is a revenge thriller set among feuding sheep farmers in rural Ireland, with Christopher Abbott and Barry Keoghan both excellent and the landscape doing a lot of the work. It’s tense and grim in the best way, and a real calling card for a new director. Rated 15. BBC iPlayer.

The Viewing Schedule

What’s On Streaming

• BBC iPlayer: MasterChef Final, Have I Got News for You, Hidden Treasures of the National Trust, Gardeners’ World, Aretha Franklin Night, Bring Them Down
• Channel 4 streaming: Celebrity Gogglebox, Will My Summer Holiday be Cancelled? Dispatches
• Now: Ponies (Sky Atlantic)

Frequently Asked Questions

What time is the MasterChef final on tonight?

The MasterChef final is on BBC One at 8pm tonight (Friday 5 June 2026). The three remaining amateur cooks each prepare a three-course meal, and judges Grace Dent and Anna Haugh crown the MasterChef champion 2026. Catch up via BBC iPlayer.

Is EastEnders on Friday 5 June 2026?

No, EastEnders is not on tonight. EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday at 7:30pm on BBC One, so there’s no Friday episode. This week’s big “The Night That Changes Everything” run finished on Thursday 4 June, and the soap returns on Monday. All episodes are on BBC iPlayer.

Who is hosting Have I Got News for You tonight?

Have I Got News for You is hosted by David Tennant tonight on BBC One at 9pm. It’s the series 71 finale, with Michael Gove making his first appearance on the show alongside comedian Chloe Petts. Catch up via BBC iPlayer.

What is Hidden Treasures of the National Trust about tonight?

Tonight’s episode on BBC Two at 9pm visits Snowshill Manor in the Cotswolds, home to Charles Wade’s eccentric collection, including suits of samurai armour bound for a British Museum exhibition, plus Calke Abbey with its natural-history hoard and rare Portland sheep. Catch up via BBC iPlayer.

What’s the best thing to watch on TV tonight (Friday 5 June 2026)?

The MasterChef final on BBC One at 8pm is the night’s main event, with Grace Dent and Anna Haugh crowning their first champion. Straight after, Have I Got News for You’s series finale at 9pm is hosted by David Tennant with Michael Gove on the panel, and Celebrity Gogglebox returns on Channel 4 at 9pm. For something calmer, Hidden Treasures of the National Trust is on BBC Two at 9pm.

Final Verdict

Friday rounds off a strong week in style. The MasterChef Final at 8pm on BBC One is the obvious headline, and the new judging team has earned this finale. Stay with BBC One for Have I Got News for You at 9pm, where David Tennant and a panel including Michael Gove close out the series. If satire and cooking aren’t your thing, Hidden Treasures of the National Trust on BBC Two and Celebrity Gogglebox on Channel 4 are both easy, enjoyable 9pm options, and Aretha Franklin Night on BBC Four is a real treat for music fans. And no, before you check the listings again: EastEnders is back on Monday, not tonight.

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