TV Guide UK Tonight: Mon 18 May 2026 – The Cage Finale, Believe Me Finale & Lucy Worsley

Updated: 15 May 2026

Monday 18 May 2026. Two series finales in the same 9pm slot. The Cage wraps on BBC One — Tony Schumacher’s last episode, Sheridan Smith and Michael Socha. Believe Me wraps on ITV1 — Jeff Pope’s Worboys drama, court verdict, parole, Carrie Symonds back in the picture. Pick one and iPlayer or ITVX the other. Elsewhere: Lucy Worsley is on BBC Two at 9pm looking at the American Revolution from the other side of the Atlantic, RHS Chelsea Flower Show highlights at 8pm on BBC Two, and EastEnders in its usual 7:30pm slot.

Quick Picks: Tonight’s Best

• The Cage ⭐ — BBC One, 9pm — SERIES FINALE. Leanne, Matty, the casino. Tony Schumacher signs off
• Believe Me — ITV1, 9pm — SERIES FINALE. Worboys parole, Carrie Symonds, judicial review
• Lucy Worsley Investigates — BBC Two, 9pm — American Revolution, British perspective. Both eps on iPlayer already
• RHS Chelsea Flower Show — BBC Two, 8pm — King’s garden, Beckham’s gnome, Monty Don
• EastEnders — BBC One, 7:30pm — On tonight as usual
• Great Continental Railway Journeys — BBC Two, 6:30pm — Portillo’s first Sardinia visit in nine series

Early Evening

Great Continental Railway Journeys – BBC Two, 6:30pm

Nine series in and Portillo has never set foot in Sardinia until now. He makes up for it with a visit to Cagliari’s galleried library to learn about 14th-century heroine Eleonora d’Arborea, then heads to Porto Flavia — a harbour literally carved into a cliff face in the 1920s, which looks like it belongs in a Bond film. Corsica follows. BBC iPlayer.

Canal Boat Diaries – U&Yesterday, 7pm and 8pm (NEW SERIES)

Robbie Cumming is back for a seventh run on the Llangollen Canal with his narrowboat Naughty Lass. Double bill tonight. The aqueducts and lock sequences are reliable entertainment, but the more interesting moment involves someone who turns up and knows the boat far better than Cumming expected. Available on U.

Prime Time

EastEnders – BBC One, 7:30pm

Monday to Thursday, 7:30pm on BBC One — tonight is no different. BBC iPlayer for the current Walford storyline.

Emmerdale – ITV1, 8pm

Charity Dingle versus Dr Todd, who knows the paternity of Sarah’s baby is not what the family believes. Ross Barton’s child, not Jacob’s — and Todd wants money to keep it that way. Charity is trying to protect the version of events that keeps everyone together, while Todd keeps turning the screw. ITVX.

RHS Chelsea Flower Show – BBC Two, 8pm

Evening highlights, and Monty Don is already noting this year feels more celebrity than botany. The King helped design one of the featured gardens. David Beckham has decorated a gnome. Sophie Raworth hosts the royal visit; Carol Klein and Adam Frost look at the planting. The Great Pavilion is the real reason to watch. BBC iPlayer.

9pm: Two Finales, One Night

The Cage ⭐ – BBC One, 9pm (SERIES FINALE)

Stop here if you haven’t watched Sunday’s penultimate episode. The police arrive at the casino and Leanne (Sheridan Smith) plays it with a nerve that’s either brilliant or reckless — probably both. What follows is rough.

The scene that defines the finale happens away from all of that. Stranded, waiting for a breakdown truck, Matty (Michael Socha) tells Leanne they’ll find a way out of it together. She’s his best mate. She tells him he’s her only mate. Schumacher lets that sit for as long as he needs to and then refuses to let it sweeten what comes next. The whole series has earned this ending. BBC iPlayer.

Believe Me – ITV1, 9pm (SERIES FINALE)

Much of the finale takes place in court, where the victims of John Worboys pursue a civil case against the Metropolitan Police for failing them. What comes out is damning. The Met does not emerge well.

Then, five years on, Worboys (Daniel Mays) is granted parole. That brings Carrie Symonds back into the picture — she was drugged by Worboys in 2007, and by this point she’s a Conservative Party press officer with the clout to demand a judicial review. Pope keeps the camera on the women throughout. Mays plays Worboys close to blank, which is the scarier choice. ITVX.

Lucy Worsley Investigates: The American Revolution – BBC Two, 9pm

Part one of two, with both episodes already on BBC iPlayer. Worsley approaches the revolution from George III’s side of the map: how did it all look from London? Her answer is mostly mutual incomprehension. A debt-obsessed King who decided the colonies needed mastering. Colonists who just wanted the rights they considered already English. Plus, in a passing surreal detail, Benjamin Franklin’s morning air baths — conducted outdoors and without clothing. BBC iPlayer.

Our Tiny Islands – More4, 9pm

Sheep farmer Joanne on Iona and the island’s wool production. C4 streaming.

Sport

Football: Premier League – Arsenal v Burnley – Sky Sports, 6:30pm (k/o 8pm)

Relegated Burnley at the Emirates. Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League from 6:30pm, kick-off 8pm.

IPL Cricket: Chennai Super Kings v Sunrisers Hyderabad – Sky Sports Cricket, 2:50pm

Sky Sports Cricket from 2:50pm, Sky Sports Main Event from 3pm.

Late Evening

The Family Next Door – ITV1, 10.45pm and 11.40pm

The Australian thriller midpoint. Isabelle’s investigation homes in on Lulu and daughter Elvis, while the second episode puts lawyer Fran under pressure when Isabelle finds a way to exploit her guilt to access confidential files. Full series on ITVX.

This Is a Bomb: the Nevada Casino Heist – BBC Two, 11pm (LAST IN SERIES)

The finale picks up in August 1980, post-blast, as the FBI close in on John Birges. Two things stand out: the alibi Birges offers (extraordinary in the worst way) and a courtroom cross-examination that is more affecting than you’d expect from a heist documentary. BBC iPlayer.

The Viewing Schedule

What’s On Streaming

BBC iPlayer: EastEnders, The Cage (full series), RHS Chelsea Flower Show, Lucy Worsley Investigates (both episodes), Great Continental Railway Journeys, This Is a Bomb
ITVX: Believe Me (full series), Emmerdale, The Family Next Door
Channel 4 streaming: Our Tiny Islands, Canal Boat Diaries (via U)
NOW: Euphoria, Arsenal v Burnley (Sky Sports subscription)

Frequently Asked Questions

Is EastEnders on tonight (Monday 18 May 2026)?

Yes — EastEnders is on BBC One at 7:30pm tonight (Monday 18 May 2026). The soap runs Monday to Thursday in its regular slot. Catch up on recent episodes via BBC iPlayer.

What time is The Cage series finale on BBC One tonight?

The Cage concludes at 9pm on BBC One (Monday 18 May 2026). Leanne and Matty face the consequences of the casino raid in Tony Schumacher’s final episode. The full series is on BBC iPlayer.

What time is Believe Me on ITV1 tonight (Monday 18 May 2026)?

Believe Me reaches its series finale on ITV1 at 9pm (Monday 18 May 2026). The drama closes with the Worboys parole decision and Carrie Symonds pursuing a judicial review. Full series on ITVX.

What time is Lucy Worsley Investigates on BBC Two tonight?

Lucy Worsley Investigates: The American Revolution begins at 9pm on BBC Two (Monday 18 May 2026). Part one of two — both episodes are already available on BBC iPlayer.

What’s the best thing to watch on TV tonight (Monday 18 May 2026)?

The Cage on BBC One at 9pm — Tony Schumacher’s series finale is the one to watch live. Believe Me on ITV1 at 9pm is the other unmissable finish of the week. You’ll need to pick one and catch up on the other via iPlayer or ITVX.

Final Verdict

Two series finales in the same slot doesn’t happen often. The Cage at 9pm on BBC One gets the nod: Schumacher has been building to this all run, and Sheridan Smith is at her best. Believe Me on ITV1 at 9pm runs it very close — Pope’s anger about how the system failed those women has been there from episode one, and the finale earns it. Catch whichever you miss on iPlayer or ITVX.

Lucy Worsley at 9pm on BBC Two is the option if you’d rather think about the American Revolution from a different angle for an hour.

Related: What’s On TV Tonight Monday | What’s On TV Tonight Sun 17 May 2026 | What’s On TV Tonight Tues 19 May 2026