TV Guide UK Tonight: Mon 4 May 2026 – Number One Fan, Secret Service & Great Korean Railway Journeys

Updated: 10 June 2026

Bank Holiday Monday 4 May 2026. People are home all day and the schedules reflect it. Channel 5 launches Number One Fan at 9pm with Jill Halfpenny and Sally Lindsay in a new psychological thriller. Secret Service reaches its penultimate episode on ITV1. Great Korean Railway Journeys kicks off Michael Portillo’s new South Korea series on BBC Two at 6:30pm. The World Snooker Championship Final concludes at the Crucible, and there’s Bank Holiday Premier League football all afternoon and evening. EastEnders is on at 7:30pm, Bank Holiday or not.

Quick Picks: Tonight’s Best

• Number One Fan ⭐ — Channel 5, 9pm — NEW. Halfpenny, Lindsay. Nightly Mon–Thu
• Secret Service — ITV1, 9pm — Ep 4 (penultimate). Final tomorrow
• Great Korean Railway Journeys — BBC Two, 6:30pm — NEW. Portillo in South Korea
• MasterChef — BBC One, 8pm — Steak and chips vs tongue
• Snooker: World Final — BBC Two/TNT Sports, from 1pm — Last frames at the Crucible
• Premier League — Sky Sports, 3pm and 8pm — Chelsea v Forest, Everton v Man City
• EastEnders — BBC One, 7:30pm — On despite Bank Holiday

Early Evening

Great Korean Railway Journeys – BBC Two, 6:30pm (NEW SERIES)

Michael Portillo, red trousers, a country he hasn’t covered before. The opener takes in the demilitarised zone (a sobering stretch of railway), Seoul’s relentless energy, and Portillo attempting Taekwondo with more enthusiasm than technique. South Korea gives the formula more visual contrast than most of his recent series openings. Five parts, one each evening this week. BBC iPlayer.

Sport

Snooker: World Championship Final – BBC Two and TNT Sports, from 12:45pm

The Crucible signs off today. BBC Two carries the afternoon session from 1pm and the evening session from 6:30pm; TNT Sports 3 from 12:45pm and TNT Sports 1 from 6:30pm. Every frame on BBC iPlayer. Bank Holiday snooker has a way of starting as background noise and ending with you genuinely gripped.

Football: Premier League – Sky Sports, from 2:30pm

Two Bank Holiday fixtures. Chelsea v Nottingham Forest on Sky Sports Main Event, 2:30pm (k/o 3pm). Everton v Manchester City on Sky Sports Premier League, 6:30pm (k/o 8pm). Sky Sports subscription required.

Prime Time

EastEnders – BBC One, 7:30pm

Yes, on tonight, Bank Holiday or otherwise. Nicola gets a shock she wasn’t expecting, Phil and Sam Mitchell rally round a loved one, and Ian’s election campaign tips into its most frantic stretch ahead of polling day later in the week. BBC iPlayer.

MasterChef – BBC One, 8pm

The heat continues. One cook stakes everything on steak and chips, a dish that leaves nowhere to hide. Another takes a divisive Welsh route via tongue. Former champions Jane Devonshire, Dr Saliha Mahmood-Ahmed and Thomas Frake join Grace Dent and Anna Haugh on the judging panel. BBC iPlayer.

9pm: Three New Things at Once

Number One Fan ⭐ – Channel 5, 9pm (NEW SERIES)

This is the one to watch. Jill Halfpenny plays Lucy Logan, daytime TV presenter, seemingly perfect life. When Donna (Sally Lindsay) saves her from a supermarket-car-park mugging and announces herself as Lucy’s biggest fan, Lucy takes her in out of gratitude. Donna is warm, attentive, devoted. Then she’s everywhere.

Both are former soap regulars playing well against their usual warmth. Halfpenny is dangerously trusting; Lindsay creeps rather than comforts. When Lucy’s daughter is taken from school at the close of episode one, the series shifts gear. Four parts, nightly Mon–Thu. My5.

Secret Service – ITV1, 9pm (Episode 4)

The penultimate episode. Kate’s security clearance is suspended, she’s locked out of the system, and Fiona is being tailed by someone who means harm. Stripping a well-resourced agent of her resources is a stock spy-drama move, but it works here — episode 4 is less procedural than the first three, more personal. Final episode tomorrow. Full series on ITVX.

Mint – BBC One, 9pm and 9:30pm (Episodes 5 & 6)

The double bill continues. A violent incident involving Arran puts Shannon under real pressure, and tonight she makes the kind of decision that can’t be undone. The show’s fairy-tale framing surfaces again: Shannon is no princess and nobody is coming to rescue her. She ends up in a garage with a man and a gun. BBC iPlayer.

Our Tiny Islands – More4, 9pm

A gentle counter to everything else at 9pm. Tonight: Sark in the Channel Islands (Helen’s horse-drawn taxi service), Lamb Holm in Orkney (Tommy’s home-built plane), and Inish Corkish in Northern Ireland (essentially a paradise for pigs). If Ben Fogle’s wilderness shows are your thing, this is in the same territory. C4 streaming.

Knut: the Viking Emperor – Sky History, 9pm (NEW SERIES)

The Danish king who stitched together Denmark, England, Scotland, Norway and parts of Sweden into an 11th-century North Sea empire. Episode 1 opens on a young Knut invading England in 1013. Historians plus AI-assisted battle re-enactments. Four episodes. NOW.

Late Evening

The Great Escaper – BBC Two, 10pm (Rated 12)

2023 drama. Bernard Jordan, 89, left his Hove care home in 2014 to attend D-Day commemorations in Normandy without telling anyone first. Michael Caine plays him in what he’s said is his final role. Glenda Jackson plays wife Irene in hers. Both passed before or shortly after the film’s release. A good film made quietly devastating by what came after. BBC iPlayer.

The Viewing Schedule

What’s On Streaming

BBC iPlayer: EastEnders, MasterChef, Mint (full series), Great Korean Railway Journeys, The Great Escaper, Snooker Final
ITVX: Secret Service (full series)
My5: Number One Fan
Channel 4 streaming: Our Tiny Islands, Escape to Florida, Celebs Go Dating
NOW: Knut: the Viking Emperor, Rooster
Sky Sports: Chelsea v Forest (3pm), Everton v Man City (8pm)

Frequently Asked Questions

Is EastEnders on tonight (Bank Holiday Monday 4 May 2026)?

Yes — BBC One at 7:30pm. Nicola gets an unexpected shock, Phil and Sam Mitchell are there for a loved one, and Ian’s election campaign lurches into its most desperate phase. BBC iPlayer.

What time is Number One Fan on Channel 5 tonight?

Channel 5 at 9pm. Jill Halfpenny is Lucy Logan; Sally Lindsay is Donna. Four episodes, nightly Mon–Thu. My5.

What time is Secret Service on ITV1 tonight?

Episode 4 (penultimate) on ITV1 at 9pm. Final episode Tuesday 5 May at 9pm. Full series on ITVX.

What time is the World Snooker Championship Final on today?

BBC Two from 1pm and 6:30pm; TNT Sports 3 from 12:45pm, TNT Sports 1 from 6:30pm. BBC iPlayer.

Is there Premier League football on Bank Holiday Monday?

Chelsea v Nottingham Forest on Sky Sports Main Event, 2:30pm (k/o 3pm). Everton v Manchester City on Sky Sports Premier League, 6:30pm (k/o 8pm).

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

Number One Fan on Channel 5 at 9pm — the new drama launch, properly dark. Secret Service on ITV1 at 9pm for the penultimate. Great Korean Railway Journeys on BBC Two at 6:30pm.

Final Verdict

Number One Fan at 9pm on Channel 5. Two soap veterans playing against type in a thriller that means it. Four episodes this week.

Secret Service at 9pm on ITV1: penultimate episode, Kate at her most exposed. Worth sticking with for tomorrow’s finale.

Great Korean Railway Journeys at 6:30pm on BBC Two for the early evening. Portillo at the DMZ, then Taekwondo.

Related: What’s On TV Tonight Monday | What’s On TV Tonight Sun 3 May 2026 | What’s On TV Tonight Tues 5 May 2026