TV Guide UK Tonight: Mon 31 Aug 2026 – Vigil, Trigger Point & the Edinburgh Tattoo

Published: 29 August 2026

Bank Holiday Monday 31 August 2026. Both of last night’s returning dramas reach episode two at exactly the same time: Vigil on BBC One and Trigger Point on ITV1. Before that BBC One has the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, and BBC Two gives the 9pm hour to Surviving 9/11. EastEnders is on at 7.30pm.

Quick Picks: Tonight’s Best

• Vigil BBC One, 9pm. A hostage clock in Glasgow, Arctic politics in Svalbard.
• Trigger Point ITV1, 9pm. The trail leads to a boat yard, and the bombers have gone.
• Tea with Judi Dench Sky Arts, 9pm. McKellen visits. It’s a delight.
• Surviving 9/11 BBC Two, 9pm. Twenty years on from the morning itself.
• EastEnders is on tonight — BBC One, 7.30pm.

Early Evening

Pointless – BBC One, 5.15pm

Alexander Armstrong and Susan Wokoma, and the enduring pleasure of watching someone confidently offer an answer that six other people also gave.

Celebrity Escape to the Country – BBC One, 6.30pm

Richie Anderson takes Strictly professional Neil Jones and his fiancée round the Yorkshire Dales. Last of the run.

Great British Railway Journeys – BBC Two, 6.30pm

Michael Portillo starts a new run in the Weald, one of the oldest surviving landscapes in the country and, as he keeps pointing out, one that only makes sense once you understand how the railways carved it up.

EastEnders – BBC One, 7.30pm

You cannot arrive in Albert Square without a long-buried secret, and the Hawkins clan are no exception. Nicola Mitchell’s world tips over when her formidable mother Rose turns up, along with sisters Gemma and Jodie, brother-in-law Ned and his son Ryder. Ned’s old friend Alfie Moon is landlord of the Queen Vic, which raises the obvious question of how the two of them know each other and why neither is keen to say. Meanwhile Priya is struggling with her guilt and Cindy and Kim’s weddings are bearing down on everybody.

Millionaire Hot Seat – ITV1, 7.30pm

A second series, and it is a properly nasty piece of format design — even Jeremy Clarkson says so. Six players, a hard clock, no lifelines at all and a prize pot that drops with every wrong answer. The long, agonised deliberation that makes the parent show watchable is gone: guess wrong and you are out of the seat, possibly for good, as one of the others takes your place. Clarkson hurries people along like a bus driver with a schedule to keep. On nightly this week.

Emmerdale – ITV1, 8pm

Serena is taken aback, DS Ramsden lays out her plan, and Gabby is not coping. Coronation Street follows at 8.30pm, where Todd learns of Celeste’s death and Debbie arrives at work in her slippers.

The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo – BBC One, 8pm

The Massed Pipes and Drums on the castle esplanade, which on a good August night is still one of the few genuinely spectacular things British television broadcasts live. This year the US Army Field Band appear, marking 250 years since the Declaration of Independence. Richard Rankin narrates.

Fred’s Ultimate Hotels – Channel 4, 8pm

Close enough in shape to Amazing Hotels: Beyond the Lobby that the comparison is unavoidable, but Sirieix is a hospitality man to his boots and the difference shows. He stays at the Royal Mansour in Marrakesh as a guest — breakfast delivered by hot air balloon, butlers who materialise on cue — and then works a shift to find out how any of it is possible. The answer is a network of tunnels running underneath the whole property, so staff can move around without a guest ever seeing them. Channel 4 at 8pm.

My Life Is Murder – U&Alibi, 8pm

Pub quizzes look sociable until the tie-break, at which point a certain kind of person reveals themselves. One team member is found pushed from a considerable height with an answer sheet stuffed in his mouth, which is a fine opening image. Alexa and Madison go undercover among suspects who all consider themselves the cleverest person in the room.

Only Connect – BBC Two, 8pm

The Risk Takers face the Creepy Crawlys, and University Challenge follows at 8.30pm with Birmingham against Leicester in a first-round Midlands derby.

Prime Time

Vigil – BBC One, 9pm ⭐

Writing about this series at this point in a run always feels like preparing evidence for an inquiry — everything that looks incriminating is going to vanish under redaction later. What can be said tonight is that Amy is on a hard clock trying to keep a hostage alive, having already watched a government adviser die and a kidnapping unfold, and that she is now dragged into a car chase across Glasgow. The Arctic half finds Kirsten trying not to trigger a diplomatic incident, with very little time left over to admire the interior design of the Svalbard Science Institute. It looks like a wonderful place to stay, were it not for the steady likelihood of being killed. Full series on iPlayer.

Trigger Point – ITV1, 9pm

After a major attack in the City of London, the only firm fact the team have is that army-standard explosive was used. Everyone is warned rather unnecessarily to proceed with extreme caution, and then Lana and Danny walk into a trap involving a hostage and a young man with a device fixed between his teeth. The constant threat of dying makes this a hard watch even when the dialogue is doing the heavy lifting. Something is also going wrong inside the unit: one team member’s account of an earlier incident does not stand up.

Surviving 9/11 – BBC Two, 9pm

Made for the twentieth anniversary and still the most humane of the many films about that morning. It moves between the day itself and the two decades since, and it is the accumulation of small specific details that does the damage — the noise the steel made as the first tower began to go, the faces of firefighters climbing a stairwell against the flow, the sight of people who had jumped holding on to each other. Testimony from those who got out, and from families who lost someone, is given room rather than cut for pace.

Tea with Judi Dench – Sky Arts, 9pm

Previous guests have included Eileen Atkins, Maggie Smith, Joan Plowright and Kenneth Branagh, so the format was proven before Ian McKellen sat down at the table. What lifts this one is fifty years of shared history: the 1976 Macbeth for Trevor Nunn, staged in the round, which both of them describe as terrifying; the vanity that came afterwards; McKellen’s memory of being given several pairs of underpants for his birthday one year and breaking his Golden Globe another. Dench talks about how far her sight has gone with a directness that stops the whole thing from becoming cosy. They laugh at each other constantly. It is a delight. Sky Arts at 9pm, with Discovering: Ian McKellen at 10pm.

24 Hours in A&E – Channel 4, 9pm

Claire, 22, collapses while out running; Emma has serious burns from a spilled kettle; Adele has an injured toe and, as ever, the smallest case turns out to carry the most.

Fare Dodgers: At War with the Law – Channel 5, 9pm

Investigators chase a passenger who may have avoided £1,400 in fares, while inspectors work through concession card misuse. Channel 5 at 9pm, after Street Cops at 8pm.

Ant Anstead: Born Mechanic – Quest, 9pm

A three-wheeled BMW Isetta arrives, catches fire and then loses its brakes. Quest at 9pm.

Elsewhere at 9pm: ITV3 has Midsomer Murders from 8pm with Lewis at 10pm, Legend shows Mr & Mrs Smith, Yesterday is in the middle of a four-episode Canal Boat Diaries run, and Sky Witness has a new Law & Order: SVU.

Late Night

Close to Vermeer – BBC Four, 10pm

Gregor Weber spends the film assembling the largest Vermeer exhibition ever attempted and, along the way, arguing with other experts about which paintings are actually by him. The scene where two specialists disagree about a single canvas in front of the canvas itself is worth the whole hour. BBC Four at 10pm.

Have I Got News for You – BBC One, 10.30pm

Victoria Coren Mitchell hosts, with Chris McCausland and Janet Street-Porter.

The Godfather Part II – BBC Two, 10.30pm

BBC Two continues what it started last night. Three and a half hours, and the better film of the two if you are prepared to fight about it.

Four Weddings and a Funeral – BBC One, 11pm

Still funnier than its reputation, and the funeral is still the best-judged four minutes Richard Curtis ever wrote.

The Murder Detective – Channel 4, 11.05pm

A repeat of the first part, for anyone who missed it last week.

The Staircase – ITV1, 3am

Relegated to the small hours, which is a shame, because the penultimate episode is the best of the run — the trial recedes and what is left is the damage done to everyone who was near it. It concludes at 3am tomorrow, so set the box for both.

Sport

Day five of the second Test between England and Pakistan at Lord’s is on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Cricket from 10.15am, with highlights on BBC Two at 7pm — this is the last scheduled day, and a Test that has run quickly may already be over, so check first. Aston Villa host Arsenal in the Premier League, kick-off 8pm, coverage from 6.30pm on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League. Day two of the US Open is on Sky Sports Tennis from 3.30pm and Sky Sports Main Event from 10pm. The British Open snooker starts in Cheltenham, live on Channel 5 from 6.45pm with Oliver Brown against Zhao Xintong followed by Pang Junxu against Neil Robertson.

The Viewing Schedule

What’s On Streaming

• BBC iPlayer: EastEnders, The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, Vigil, Surviving 9/11, Only Connect, University Challenge, Close to Vermeer
• ITVX: Trigger Point, Emmerdale, Coronation Street, Millionaire Hot Seat, The Staircase
• Channel 4 streaming: Fred’s Ultimate Hotels, 24 Hours in A&E, Love Cheats, The Murder Detective, Hollyoaks
• 5: Street Cops, Fare Dodgers: At War with the Law, Police: Suspect No.1
• NOW: Tea with Judi Dench, My Life Is Murder, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
• U: My Life Is Murder, The Brokenwood Mysteries

Frequently Asked Questions

Is EastEnders on tonight (Monday 31 August 2026)?

Yes. EastEnders is on BBC One at 7.30pm, in its usual Monday slot before the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo at 8pm and Vigil at 9pm. The Hawkins family arrive in Walford and Nicola gets a shock, while wedding fever builds ahead of Cindy and Kim’s big days. All four of this week’s episodes are on iPlayer from this morning.

What happens in Vigil tonight?

Vigil is on BBC One at 9pm with the second of six episodes. Amy Silva is racing a clock to save a hostage in Glasgow, having already seen a government adviser die and a kidnapping unfold, while Kirsten Longacre navigates competing national interests in the Arctic as a Chinese scientist disappears and the search for her gets under way. The full series is on iPlayer.

What time is Trigger Point on tonight?

Trigger Point is on ITV1 at 9pm with episode two. Following the City of London attack, Lana and the team chase what leads they have to a boat yard, and find the bombers have stayed a step ahead. The full series is on ITVX.

What live sport is on TV tonight: Monday 31 August 2026?

Day five of the second Test between England and Pakistan at Lord’s is on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Cricket from 10.15am, with highlights on BBC Two at 7pm, if the match lasts that long. Aston Villa v Arsenal kicks off at 8pm on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League. Day two of the US Open is on Sky Sports Tennis from 3.30pm, and the British Open snooker begins in Cheltenham live on Channel 5 from 6.45pm.

What’s the best thing to watch on TV tonight (Monday 31 August 2026)?

Vigil on BBC One at 9pm, with Trigger Point on ITV1 the obvious clash. For something gentler on a Bank Holiday evening, Tea with Judi Dench on Sky Arts at 9pm is the loveliest hour on tonight.

What is on BBC One tonight for the Bank Holiday?

BBC One runs Pointless at 5.15pm, Celebrity Escape to the Country at 6.30pm, EastEnders at 7.30pm, the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo at 8pm, Vigil at 9pm, Have I Got News for You at 10.30pm and Four Weddings and a Funeral at 11pm.

What is Fred’s Ultimate Hotels about?

A new Channel 4 series starting at 8pm. Fred Sirieix checks into the world’s most extravagant hotels as both guest and staff member, beginning at the Royal Mansour in Marrakesh, where he finds a network of underground tunnels that lets staff move around unseen.

What time is Coronation Street on tonight?

Coronation Street is on ITV1 at 8.30pm, after Emmerdale at 8pm and before Trigger Point at 9pm. Both are on ITVX afterwards.

Is the Edinburgh Tattoo on TV tonight?

Yes, on BBC One at 8pm from the castle esplanade. The Massed Pipes and Drums lead, with the US Army Field Band appearing to mark 250 years since the Declaration of Independence. Richard Rankin narrates.

Final Verdict

Two returning dramas at 9pm again, and Vigil shades it — the Glasgow hostage thread finally gives Suranne Jones something to do besides supervise, and Svalbard continues to look like nowhere else on television. Trigger Point is the one to record. Away from the clash, Tea with Judi Dench on Sky Arts is the warmest thing on all week, and Surviving 9/11 on BBC Two the most affecting. EastEnders is on at 7.30pm and the Hawkinses have arrived.

Related: What’s On TV Tonight Monday | What’s On TV Tonight Sun 30 Aug 2026 | What’s On TV Tonight Tues 1 Sept 2026