TV Guide UK Tonight: Mon 5 Oct 2026 – Pierre, The Split Up & The Blame

Published: 1 October 2026

Monday 5 October 2026. Two series finales land at 9pm: The Split Up on BBC One and The Blame on ITV1. Channel 4 picks the same minute to launch Pierre, a new legal drama with David Harewood, and BBC Two revisits the Damilola Taylor case. It’s a crowded hour, so decide now. EastEnders is on at 7.30pm.

Quick Picks: Tonight’s Best

• Pierre Channel 4, 9pm. Six-part legal drama, and the only brand-new series start in the hour.
• The Split Up BBC One, 9pm. Final episode, with the wedding looming.
• The Blame ITV1, 9pm. The last episode, with the answer out and one reckoning to go.
• Damilola: The Untold Story BBC Two, 9pm. New testimony, nearly 26 years on.
• EastEnders BBC One, 7.30pm. On tonight, as every Monday to Thursday.

Early Evening

House of Games – BBC Two, 6pm

Michael Sheen takes over the host’s chair for the week, with Stephen Mangan, Shona McGarty, Andi Peters and Nina Wadia as the players. McGarty spent years as Whitney in EastEnders, so she gets to be on the other side of the clipboard. Sheen is a good fit for a quiz that lives on daft little rounds, as long as he commits to the silliness.

Strictly: It Takes Two – BBC Two, 6.30pm

The main Strictly show isn’t on tonight, but the companion programme is. Ellie Taylor opens the week by sitting down with the pair who went out first, which is the post-mortem that Saturday’s show never has time for.

Ireland with Simon Reeve – Yesterday, 7pm

Reeve starts in the south of the country with some paramotoring, a bit of surfing and a climb up Croagh Patrick. Yesterday then follows with the first two legs of his Americas journey at 8pm and 9pm, from Alaska through Canada to Vancouver and down the Rockies into Montana. Reeve is better than most at getting strangers to say something they hadn’t planned to.

Hollyoaks – E4, 7pm

A fresh episode on E4. James is convinced someone is setting him up, Frankie acts fast after Leah is found out cold, and one villager’s secret comes out. Our Hollyoaks page has the wider picture.

Cooking with the Stars – ITV1, 7.30pm

The new series opens with Caroline Quentin, Harry Aikines-Aryeetey (Nitro from Gladiators) and the soap actor Mark Charnock cooking family-favourite dishes. Charnock plays a chef on screen, which makes him either the ringer or the cautionary tale. I’d put money on the second.

EastEnders – BBC One, 7.30pm

Yes, it’s on. Nicola’s trouble with Ned drags on, Linda gets news she didn’t want, and Harvey tries to keep Kathy upright. Our soaps and big shows guide has the weekly pattern.

Mastermind – BBC Two, 7.30pm

Four contenders take the black chair, with Aztec history, Janis Joplin, Agatha Christie’s Poirot and Max Verstappen as their subjects. The Verstappen one is the one I’d fear, since the stats change every fortnight. BBC Four runs a 1977 edition at 9pm with Magnus Magnusson, covering Tiberius, the Vikings, Vaughan Williams and David Livingstone.

Prime Time

Panorama: Cancer Before 50 – BBC One, 8pm

Panorama digs into NHS data on younger adults being diagnosed more often with cancers such as bowel and breast, and asks why. It’s not a comfortable half hour. It is, though, the sort of programme that sends people to the GP, which is a decent argument for watching.

Emmerdale – ITV1, 8pm

Thea needs a plan, Manpreet puts Gabby ahead of herself, and Sadie is rattled to learn that some voicemails are floating about. Our Emmerdale page has the backstory.

Jamie’s 20 Minute Meals – Channel 4, 8pm

Episode two of the new run: a paneer curry and cumin-crusted lamb chops with couscous and chickpeas. Whether anyone really gets from fridge to table in twenty minutes is the usual argument. The dishes themselves look like the kind you’d cook twice.

Only Connect – BBC Two, 8pm

Victoria Coren Mitchell hosts, and neither team is eliminated this week, which makes for a more relaxed watch than usual. University Challenge follows at 8.30pm, with Glasgow against Goldsmiths and Amol Rajan asking the questions in the second-last first-round tie.

Mrs Harris Goes to Paris – Film4, 8pm

Lesley Manville is a London cleaner who saves for years to buy a Dior gown, and flies to Paris to get it. The film picked up an Oscar nomination for its costumes, and rightly. It’s gentle comfort viewing, rated PG. Film4 follows at 10.20pm with All We Imagine as Light, and our films on TV page has the rest.

Clickbait Clinic with Stacey Dooley – BBC One, 8.30pm

Episode three of six. Dooley investigates IV vitamin drips pushed by celebrities and weight-loss injections sold through social media, and asks how safe either really is.

Coronation Street – ITV1, 8.30pm

Jodie tries to get Doug thrown out by painting him as a threat, Christina waves away Sally’s warning over Lucy, and word of Marco’s car crash reaches Summer. See Coronation Street for more.

Pierre – Channel 4, 9pm ⭐

This is my pick, partly for the clash and partly because new British drama doesn’t often arrive with a lead this good. David Harewood plays Pierre, a duty solicitor who spends his nights in police stations, meeting people on the worst day of their year. When a young client dies, he is dragged into a case with corruption and prejudice running all through it.

A duty solicitor is a smart way into a legal drama. He sees the system at 3am, without the polish of a courtroom, and he has to find out what happened rather than just argue about it. It’s the first of six episodes, so I’m wary of promising anything beyond a strong opening. It’s good to see Harewood carrying a series, and this one gives him plenty to carry.

The Split Up – BBC One, 9pm

The sixth and final episode, with Aria and Neal’s wedding about to happen. Whether the ceremony actually happens is what the whole series has been circling, and the title doesn’t exactly settle it. Contains strong language. It runs until 10pm.

The Blame – ITV1, 9pm

The final episode. With the serial abuser identified, Emma finds one more clue that sends her into a last, devastating confrontation. A crime drama has to earn its ending after the reveal, and this one has the harder job of doing it in the sixth hour rather than the fifth. ITV2 has Big Brother live at 9pm, if neither finale is for you.

Damilola: The Untold Story – BBC Two, 9pm

A documentary on the killing of ten-year-old Damilola Taylor in Peckham, south London, in 2000. It adds new testimony to a case that shaped how the country thought about youth violence. Contains scenes some viewers may find upsetting. It runs until 10.15pm.

Michael Palin in the Philippines – Channel 5, 9pm

Episode two. Palin goes down Palawan’s underground river, visits a prison known for its synchronised dance routines, investigates corruption in flood-defence spending and goes diving with sardine shoals. In his eighties he still travels with more curiosity than most people half his age. Channel 5 is the home of this one, while 5USA has NCIS from 6pm and Wild Cards at 9pm.

Our Farm Next Door: Amanda, Clive and Kids – More4, 9pm

A fourth series begins with the Owens still renovating their new home, and the opening episode is set at Christmas, in October. More4 is the right home for this unhurried, wellie-heavy sort of television.

Have I Got a Bit More News for You – Dave, 9pm

Charlie Brooker hosts, with Grayson Perry and Angela Barnes joining Paul Merton and Ian Hislop. A guest host usually means Hislop gets to go off script. Dave has Would I Lie to You? at 7.40pm and QI XL at 10pm if you want to stay for an evening of panel shows.

Late Night

All We Imagine as Light – Film4, 10.20pm

Payal Kapadia’s 2024 film follows three women who work at a Mumbai hospital. It won the Grand Prix at Cannes. It’s quiet and slow-moving, and I think it’s wonderful.

Have I Got News for You – BBC One, 10.40pm

Richard Ayoade hosts, with Gyles Brandreth and Charlotte Church on the panel. It’s listed as episode one of the series, which was on Friday’s schedule, so expect a repeat.

Downton Abbey – ITV3, 10pm

Series three, with an offer that divides opinion for Edith, Isobel throwing Ethel a lifeline, and Daisy resenting the attention Alfred gives to the new maid. ITV3 has Midsomer Murders earlier at 8pm, where a smuggled rare orchid leads to death, and Drama has The Brokenwood Mysteries at the same hour.

Sport

Northern Ireland host Georgia in the Nations League, shown on BBC Two Northern Ireland and iPlayer from 7.30pm, with kick-off at 7.45pm. Viewers elsewhere in the UK get Mastermind on BBC Two at that time instead. Our Northern Ireland football page has the fixtures, and football on free TV tonight covers the rest.

Elsewhere, the China Open tennis is on Sky Sports, and New Orleans Saints play Atlanta Falcons at 1am on Sky Sports Main Event. Quest has MotoGP highlights from Japan at 10pm.

What’s On Streaming

BBC iPlayer — The Split Up, Damilola: The Untold Story, Clickbait Clinic, Panorama: Cancer Before 50, Northern Ireland v Georgia.

ITVX — The Blame, Cooking with the Stars, Emmerdale, Coronation Street.

Channel 4 — Pierre, Jamie’s 20 Minute Meals, Hollyoaks.

5 — Michael Palin in the Philippines.

Tonight by Channel

A channel-by-channel breakdown of Monday 5 October 2026, so you can jump straight to the one you actually watch.

BBC One

• 7.30pm — EastEnders
• 8pm — Panorama: Cancer Before 50
• 8.30pm — Clickbait Clinic with Stacey Dooley
• 9pm — The Split Up
• 10.40pm — Have I Got News for You

BBC Two

• 6pm — House of Games
• 6.30pm — Strictly: It Takes Two
• 7.30pm — Mastermind
• 8pm — Only Connect
• 8.30pm — University Challenge
• 9pm — Damilola: The Untold Story

ITV1

• 7.30pm — Cooking with the Stars
• 8pm — Emmerdale
• 8.30pm — Coronation Street
• 9pm — The Blame

Channel 4

• 8pm — Jamie’s 20 Minute Meals
• 9pm — Pierre
• 10pm — Geordie Coppers

Channel 5

• 8pm — Traffic Cops: Elite Squad One
• 9pm — Michael Palin in the Philippines

BBC Four

• 7pm — Winter: Earth’s Seasonal Secrets
• 9pm — Mastermind: 1977

E4

• 7pm — Hollyoaks
• 9pm — Made in Chelsea

Film4

• 8pm — Mrs Harris Goes to Paris
• 10.20pm — All We Imagine as Light

ITV3

• 8pm — Midsomer Murders
• 10pm — Downton Abbey

The Viewing Schedule

Frequently Asked Questions

Is EastEnders on tonight (Monday 5 October 2026)?

Yes. EastEnders is on BBC One at 7.30pm tonight. It runs Monday to Thursday, so this is the first episode of the week. Tonight Nicola’s trouble with Ned continues, Linda gets a shock and Harvey tries to look after Kathy.

What time is Pierre on tonight?

Pierre is on Channel 4 at 9pm tonight, with David Harewood as a duty solicitor. It is the first of six episodes, and it starts opposite the finales of The Split Up and The Blame.

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

Pierre on Channel 4 at 9pm, because it is the only brand-new drama start of the night. If you are following a story, The Split Up on BBC One and The Blame on ITV1 both end at 9pm and can be caught up afterwards on iPlayer and ITVX.

What time are The Split Up and The Blame finales on?

Both start at 9pm tonight. The Split Up is on BBC One and ends at 10pm, and The Blame is on ITV1 and also ends at 10pm. Each is the sixth and last episode of its series.

What happens in Coronation Street tonight?

Coronation Street is on ITV1 at 8.30pm. Jodie tries to get Doug thrown out by painting him as a threat, Christina waves away Sally’s warning over Lucy, and word of Marco’s car crash reaches Summer. Emmerdale is on ITV1 at 8pm.

Is Strictly Come Dancing on tonight?

No. The main Strictly show is not on BBC One tonight. The companion programme, Strictly: It Takes Two, is on BBC Two at 6.30pm, with Ellie Taylor talking to the couple who went out first.

What football is on TV tonight (Monday 5 October 2026)?

Northern Ireland play Georgia in the Nations League, shown on BBC Two Northern Ireland from 7.30pm with kick-off at 7.45pm, and on iPlayer. Viewers elsewhere in the UK get Mastermind on BBC Two at 7.30pm instead.

What film is on TV tonight?

Film4 has Mrs Harris Goes to Paris at 8pm and All We Imagine as Light at 10.20pm. ITV4 shows The Losers at 9pm, Legend has The Foreigner at 9pm, and GREAT! Movies has Braven at 9.02pm.

What’s on BBC One tonight?

BBC One has EastEnders at 7.30pm, a Panorama on rising cancer rates in younger adults at 8pm, Clickbait Clinic with Stacey Dooley at 8.30pm and the finale of The Split Up at 9pm. Have I Got News for You follows at 10.40pm.

Who is on Cooking with the Stars tonight?

Cooking with the Stars returns for a new series on ITV1 at 7.30pm. The first heat has Caroline Quentin, sprinter-turned-Gladiator Harry Aikines-Aryeetey and soap actor Mark Charnock.

Final Verdict

If you can only watch one hour, make it Pierre. A new drama with a strong lead is rarer than the schedules suggest. The Split Up and The Blame are both finales, which means both will sit on iPlayer and ITVX tomorrow, and neither will mind waiting.

Earlier on, the quiz block on BBC Two and a new series of Cooking with the Stars give you something to put on in the background. Later, All We Imagine as Light on Film4 is the best film on Freeview tonight, if you can stay up for it.

Related: What’s On TV Tonight | Films on TV Tonight | Freeview Channel Guide