TV Guide UK Tonight: Mon 25 May 2026 – Springwatch, Dear England & Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret

Published: 25 May 2026

Bank Holiday Monday 25 May 2026. A proper telly day. Springwatch is back on BBC Two at 8pm, which is all the reason you need to stay in. Dear England continues on BBC One at 9pm, there’s an afternoon film on Film4 that’s genuinely worth your time, sport at Wembley and Roland-Garros, and two late films for those staying up. EastEnders is on in its usual slot too, bank holiday or not.

Quick Picks: Tonight’s Best

• Springwatch ⭐ — BBC Two, 8pm — NEW SERIES. Packham and Strachan at Crom estate, County Fermanagh. Otters, red squirrels, and the bird-feeding question
• Dear England — BBC One, 9pm — Episode 2. Fiennes as Southgate, Whittaker as Pippa Grange. The dream team starts to crack
• Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret — BBC Two, 10pm — Judy Blume adaptation. Abby Ryder Fortson, Rachel McAdams, Kathy Bates. Lovely stuff
• Robot Dreams — Film4, 4:35pm — Dialogue-free animation. A dog, a robot, 1980s New York. Four stars, easy
• League Two Play-off Final — Sky Sports, 2pm — Wembley. One promotion spot left
• Murder of the Essex Boys — Channel 4, 10pm — The Rettendon murders, revisited
• EastEnders — BBC One, 7:30pm — On tonight. Max confronts the Mitchells

Sport

Tennis: French Open Day 2 – TNT Sports 1, from 9:30am

Day two at Roland-Garros, with Carlos Alcaraz and Coco Gauff both defending 2025 titles on the Paris clay. TNT Sports 1 and TNT Sports 4 from 9:30am.

Women’s T20 Cricket: England v New Zealand – Sky Sports Cricket, 2pm

Third and final T20 of the series at Hove. Series decider if it’s level going in. Sky Sports Cricket from 2pm.

Football: League Two Play-off Final – Sky Sports Main Event, 2pm

Wembley, bank holiday afternoon, one promotion place. The semi-finalists were Salford City, Grimsby Town, Notts County and Chesterfield. Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football, kick-off to follow.

Early Evening

Robot Dreams – Film4, 4:35pm

Spanish director Pablo Berger made a dialogue-free animated film, released in 2023, based on Sara Varon’s graphic novel. A lonely dog in 1980s New York builds himself a robot friend. They go to Coney Island. Things go wrong. The two are separated, and the film follows each of them trying to find a way back to the other.

No words, just gorgeous clean-lined 2D animation that captures the Lower East Side better than most live-action films manage. Rated PG. Catch up via Channel 4 streaming.

Natalie Cassidy: Caring Together – BBC One, 7pm (repeat)

First shown at 1:30pm. Cassidy, best known for playing Sonia in EastEnders, trains as a carer at a leading Health and Social Care college. The repeat runs at 7pm (not in Wales). BBC iPlayer has it now.

EastEnders – BBC One, 7:30pm

On tonight despite the bank holiday. Max confronts the Mitchells over his suspicions, Gina gives Eddie the cold shoulder, and Zack gets news he wasn’t hoping for. BBC iPlayer.

Prisoner – Sky Atlantic, 7pm and 8pm (PIN-PROTECTED FINALE)

The pin-protected finale of Sky’s high-octane thriller. Amber and Tibor are fighting for survival. The series will return. Available on NOW.

Prime Time

Springwatch ⭐ – BBC Two, 8pm (NEW SERIES)

Back at last, and this year it’s at Crom. The National Trust’s estate on Lough Erne in County Fermanagh is where Packham and Strachan have set up camp, with otters, red squirrels, pine martens and great crested grebes all on the target list. Iolo Williams is at the Knepp estate in West Sussex, hoping to catch a nightingale.

Packham has flagged that the RSPB’s guidance against feeding garden birds through summer will come under the microscope. It’s a more contested question than it sounds, and something tells me he’s been building to it. Essential bank holiday viewing. BBC iPlayer.

The Brokenwood Mysteries – U&Drama, 8pm (SEASON 12 OPENER)

Murdoch had apparently told people a UFO crash-landed nearby. Twenty-four hours later, a chef is dead inside a crop circle and a convention of alien enthusiasts is rolling into town. Inspector Shepherd (Neill Rea) has to stay rational while everyone around him loses the plot entirely. Daft in exactly the right way. All episodes on U.

Would I Lie to You? – BBC One, 8:30pm

A best-of from the last series. Tasha Ghouri’s tattoo regret, John Kearns’ eight-stone rabbit, Harriet Kemsley on a cringeworthy ex. All fine. The standout is Bob Mortimer’s story about helping a Premier League footballer choose cheese — it takes on a life of its own, picks up characters called Jerry Haversack and Shetland Tony, and runs for roughly a third of the episode. BBC iPlayer.

Dear England – BBC One, 9pm (EPISODE 2)

James Graham’s drama picks up where last week left off. Gareth Southgate (Joseph Fiennes) and psychologist Pippa Grange (Jodie Whittaker) are still pushing the squad to chase the process rather than the result. It’s working. The football is improving.

Tonight, Southgate makes a declaration that creates distance between him and Pippa — not quite a falling-out, more a divergence. Fiennes and Whittaker handle it well. Both episodes are already on BBC iPlayer.

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

The concluding episode of Worsley’s take on Britain’s messiest breakup. Tonight she’s on the overlooked details: an arson attack on Portsmouth’s Royal Dockyard by a radicalised Scot (the rope house went up in flames in December 1776), and a double agent who quietly spied on the American delegation in Paris, including Benjamin Franklin. Both episodes are already on BBC iPlayer if you want to watch them back to back.

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit – Sky Witness, 9pm (SEASON 27)

Season 27, which barely any TV drama gets close to. A new chief questions whether Captain Benson (Mariska Hargitay) should still be on the frontline — poor timing, since a unit mentor is being laid to rest and Fin (Ice-T) is shaken after an assault. Available on NOW.

Classic FM Live: Summer Concert – Sky Arts, 9pm

The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and guest soloists, hosted by Myleene Klass and Dan Walker. A decent option if you want something calmer after a day of sport and drama.

Murder of the Essex Boys: Blood and Betrayal – Channel 4, 10pm and 11pm

The 1995 Rettendon murders — Pat Tate, Craig Rolfe and Tony Tucker, shot in a Range Rover on a snow-covered Essex lane — have spawned books, the Rise of the Footsoldier franchise and more than one documentary. This two-parter argues previous accounts don’t have the full story, then sets about unpicking the original investigation: doormen, dealers, nightclubs, and a catastrophic miscalculation by three men who upset the wrong people. Both episodes on Channel 4 streaming after broadcast.

Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret – BBC Two, 10pm

The film rights to Judy Blume’s novel sat untouched for almost fifty years. Producer James L. Brooks finally got them in 2020, and director Kelly Fremon Craig (The Edge of Seventeen) was the reason it worked. Abby Ryder Fortson plays Margaret, a 1970s teenager navigating puberty with Rachel McAdams as her mother and Kathy Bates as the grandmother. Warm, funny, and messier than most coming-of-age films bother to be. Blume approved. Rated PG. BBC iPlayer after broadcast.

Arthur the King – BBC One, 11pm

2024 sports drama, rated 12. Mark Wahlberg leads an adventure-racing team through ten days in the Dominican Republic. The zip-wire stunt is exactly as hair-raising as the trailers suggest. The real pull is Ukai, the stray crossbreed playing Arthur, who attaches himself to Wahlberg’s character mid-race. A dog film — manipulative in the way they always are, but Wahlberg clearly connected with the actual animal. BBC iPlayer.

The Viewing Schedule

What’s On Streaming

BBC iPlayer: Springwatch, Dear England (both episodes already available), Lucy Worsley Investigates (both episodes already available), Natalie Cassidy: Caring Together, EastEnders, Would I Lie to You?, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, Arthur the King
Channel 4 streaming: Murder of the Essex Boys: Blood and Betrayal (both episodes), Robot Dreams
NOW: Prisoner (Sky Atlantic), Law & Order: SVU (Sky Witness), Classic FM Live (Sky Arts)
U: The Brokenwood Mysteries (all episodes)

Frequently Asked Questions

Is EastEnders on tonight (Bank Holiday Monday 25 May 2026)?

Yes — EastEnders is on BBC One at 7:30pm tonight despite the bank holiday. Max confronts the Mitchells about his suspicions, Gina gives Eddie the cold shoulder, and Zack gets some unwelcome news in tonight’s episode. BBC iPlayer has recent episodes if you need to catch up.

What time is Springwatch on tonight?

Springwatch starts its new series at 8pm on BBC Two (Monday 25 May 2026). The team is based at the National Trust’s Crom estate on Lough Erne in County Fermanagh. Chris Packham and Michaela Strachan present from the estate; Iolo Williams is at the Knepp estate in West Sussex. BBC iPlayer.

What time is Dear England on BBC One tonight?

Dear England episode 2 is on BBC One at 9pm tonight (Monday 25 May 2026). Joseph Fiennes plays Gareth Southgate and Jodie Whittaker plays psychologist Pippa Grange. Both episodes are already on BBC iPlayer if you missed the opener.

What is the League Two play-off final result today?

The League Two play-off final is live at Wembley from 2pm today on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football. The four semi-finalists were Salford City, Grimsby Town, Notts County and Chesterfield — one of them earns promotion to League One.

What’s the best thing to watch on TV tonight (Bank Holiday Monday 25 May 2026)?

Springwatch on BBC Two at 8pm is the must-watch — the new series opener from Crom estate in County Fermanagh, with Packham and Strachan back in form. Dear England on BBC One at 9pm is the best drama of the evening. If you want a film, Robot Dreams on Film4 at 4:35pm is genuinely excellent, or Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret on BBC Two at 10pm is warm, funny and better than you’d expect.

Final Verdict

A bank holiday Monday that actually delivers. Springwatch at 8pm on BBC Two is the pick of the night without question — Packham and Strachan at Crom estate, with the RSPB bird-feeding debate thrown in for good measure. Dear England at 9pm on BBC One earns its place in the 9pm slot; Fiennes and Whittaker are doing something properly interesting with their dynamic. For late-night viewing, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret on BBC Two at 10pm is a lovely surprise. And if you missed Robot Dreams on Film4 this afternoon, find it on Channel 4 streaming — it’s the best film they’ve shown in months.

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