Saturday night brings the return of Michael McIntyre to BBC One, with Gladiators warming up the audience beforehand. If physical combat and embarrassing celebrities aren’t your thing, there’s the Manchester derby for sport fans, Egyptian archaeology on Channel 4, and some dark Irish crime drama on BBC Four later on.
Quick Picks: Tonight’s Best
- Michael McIntyre’s Big Show – BBC One, 6:45pm – Romesh Ranganathan faces his past
- Gladiators – BBC One, 5:45pm – Series three launches with extra theatrics
- The Masked Singer – ITV1, 7pm – Ben Shephard joins the panel
- Blackshore – BBC Four, 9pm – Irish noir crime drama
Early Evening (5pm – 8pm)
Gladiators – BBC One, 5:45pm
The third series arrives with the theatrics dialled up considerably. The Gladiators – Steel, Fire, Sabre, Nitro, Fury, Legend and the rest – are ready to dish out punishment to four new contenders facing a mix of returning challenges and new games. Destruction is a fresh addition where contestants use a battering ram to smash through walls, which feels like someone’s been watching too many police raid documentaries. The physical contact remains properly brutal, with one game stopped when a contestant loses his shirt and another competitor noting that his jaw isn’t supposed to bend the way it just did. Referee Mark Clattenburg gets dunked in a ball pit at one point. It’s gloriously silly, the crowd loves it, and Saturday nights were made for this kind of thing.
Michael McIntyre’s Big Show – BBC One, 6:45pm ⭐
McIntyre returns after bidding farewell to The Wheel, and he’s brought some excellent guests. Romesh Ranganathan takes on Remember Me, where faces from his past appear to test his memory – he goes from horrified to confused to genuinely emotional as familiar people emerge. Rugby player Joe Marler, still riding high after his Traitors appearance, faces the Midnight Game Show challenge. The Unexpected Star segment follows an unsuspecting person on a pub crawl through historic London watering holes, with Peter Crouch and Abbey Clancy delivering some entertainingly wooden acting before the big finale. McIntyre has perfected the art of embarrassing people without actually humiliating them, and this series opener gets the balance right.
The Masked Singer – ITV1, 7pm
Joel Dommett hosts as more costumed celebrities warble their way through performances while the panel tries to guess who’s underneath. This week Ben Shephard joins Davina McCall, Jonathan Ross, Mo Gilligan and Maya Jama as a guest detective. The format hasn’t changed much since series one, but there’s reliable fun in watching famous people attempt to throw everyone off the scent with elaborate costumes and disguised voices.
Valley of the Kings: Secret Tomb Revealed – Channel 4, 7:30pm
Archaeologist Anke Weber and her team complete their investigation of the tomb of Pharaoh Ramses III, which has suffered considerable damage over the millennia. The focus shifts to some intriguing figures: Butehamun, an ancient scribe who appears to have been both protector and plunderer of royal tombs, and the rather more famous Howard Carter. There’s speculation about whether Carter, who later discovered Tutankhamun’s tomb, might have been involved in removing artefacts from Ramses’s burial chamber. A mysterious sand layer raises old questions about missing treasures.
Prime Time (8pm onwards)
Casualty – BBC One, 8:30pm
The ED faces a major incident when a school roof collapses, bringing in multiple casualties. New arrival Matty Linlaker is still dealing with the fallout from calling the Care Quality Commission to complain about his chaotic first shift – a decision that’s looking increasingly unwise as his colleagues rally together. Meanwhile, junior doctor Kim Chang is getting a tough-love education from mentor Stevie, though pushing someone who already doubts themselves might not be the wisest approach.
The 1% Club – ITV1, 8:30pm
Lee Mack’s quiz returns with another batch of contestants facing questions that get progressively harder based on what percentage of the population can answer them. Tonight’s group includes a ceramic artist who brings Lee a gift with a rude twist, two strangers who’ve somehow turned up in identical jumpers and ended up seated next to each other, and someone with a genuinely eye-watering story about a colleague and a bin. The appeal is testing yourself at home – how long can you survive before the questions defeat you?
Blackshore – BBC Four, 9pm
Irish crime drama with definite Nordic noir influences. Lisa Dwan plays DI Fia Lucey, who’s been sent back to her fictional hometown after a violent intervention in a Dublin bar. A missing person case quickly escalates into a murder investigation, complicated by the usual combination of personal baggage and locals with secrets. Aidan McArdle plays a slippery restaurateur, Rory Keenan is a long-suffering local Garda officer. Originally shown on RTE One then U&Drama in 2024, it’s familiar territory but well executed. A second episode follows at 9:55pm.
Waiting for the Out – BBC One, 9:20pm
The prison drama digs into Dan’s past through flashback sequences showing a family holiday where young Dan, around ten years old, lived in the shadow of his volatile father. Gerard Kearns plays the dad, whose paranoia and weakness erupts into rage directed at Dan’s mother. These sequences are disturbing precisely because they’re restrained rather than graphic. In the present day, Dan’s prison philosophy class tackles masculinity, we meet his uncle Frank (Phil Daniels), and a dinner party goes comprehensively wrong as Dan’s temper surfaces. The full series is on iPlayer.
Fergie and the Fake Sheikh Scandal – Channel 5, 9:20pm
In 2010, Sarah Ferguson found herself in dire straits – cast out of royal circles and facing financial ruin. She was secretly filmed by Mazher Mahmood, the notorious News of the World undercover reporter known as the Fake Sheikh, apparently offering access to royal secrets in exchange for money. The sting was devastating. This documentary examines how one of tabloid journalism’s most ruthless operators caught his target. Earlier at 7:55pm, Channel 5 airs an updated documentary about Ferguson’s daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.
Late Night
Catch Me a Killer – U&Drama, 10pm
Crime drama set in mid-1990s South Africa as the country emerged from apartheid. Charlotte Hope plays Micki Pistorius, a real-life criminal profiler who joined the police to hunt a serial killer responsible for the deaths of 22 young boys. Based on true events and first shown on U&Alibi in 2024, it maintains a dark, unsettling tone throughout.
Sport
Football: Manchester United v Manchester City – Sky Sports, 12:30pm
The Manchester derby from Old Trafford. United’s managerial situation remains unresolved as they face their local rivals, which has traditionally been a recipe for either disaster or unexpected heroics. City will be favourites.
Football: Nottingham Forest v Arsenal – TNT Sport 1, 5:30pm
The Gunners travel to the City Ground to face Forest.
Snooker: The Masters – BBC One/BBC Two, various times
Semi-final action from Alexandra Palace in the prestigious invitational tournament. Coverage on BBC One from 1pm and BBC Two from 7pm.
The Viewing Schedule
| Time | Channel | Programme |
|---|---|---|
| 12:30pm | Sky Sports | Man United v Man City |
| 1:00pm | BBC One | Snooker: The Masters |
| 5:30pm | TNT Sport 1 | Nottingham Forest v Arsenal |
| 5:45pm | BBC One | Gladiators |
| 6:30pm | Channel 4 | New Zealand’s Best Homes with Phil Spencer |
| 6:45pm | BBC One | Michael McIntyre’s Big Show |
| 7:00pm | ITV1 | The Masked Singer |
| 7:00pm | BBC Two | Snooker: The Masters |
| 7:30pm | Channel 4 | Valley of the Kings: Secret Tomb Revealed |
| 8:30pm | BBC One | Casualty |
| 8:30pm | ITV1 | The 1% Club |
| 9:00pm | BBC Four | Blackshore |
| 9:20pm | BBC One | Waiting for the Out |
| 9:20pm | Channel 5 | Fergie and the Fake Sheikh Scandal |
| 10:00pm | U&Drama | Catch Me a Killer |
What’s On Streaming
BBC iPlayer: Michael McIntyre’s Big Show, Gladiators, Casualty, Waiting for the Out (full series), Blackshore (full series)
ITVX: The Masked Singer, The 1% Club
Channel 4 streaming: Valley of the Kings, New Zealand’s Best Homes
My5: Fergie and the Fake Sheikh Scandal
Frequently Asked Questions
What time is Michael McIntyre’s Big Show on tonight?
Michael McIntyre’s Big Show is on BBC One at 6:45pm tonight (Saturday 17th January 2026).
What’s the best thing to watch on TV tonight?
Our top pick is Michael McIntyre’s Big Show on BBC One at 6:45pm – Romesh Ranganathan faces Remember Me and there’s an Unexpected Star finale featuring Peter Crouch and Abbey Clancy.
Is EastEnders on TV tonight?
No, EastEnders is not on tonight. The soap airs Monday to Thursday at 7:30pm on BBC One. You can catch up on recent episodes via BBC iPlayer.
What time is Gladiators on tonight?
Gladiators is on BBC One at 5:45pm tonight, kicking off the Saturday night entertainment lineup with series three.
What channel is the Manchester derby on?
Manchester United v Manchester City is on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League with a 12:30pm kick-off.
Final Verdict
A properly busy Saturday night. Michael McIntyre’s Big Show is the main event, with Romesh Ranganathan’s Remember Me segment the highlight – he genuinely doesn’t see what’s coming. Gladiators beforehand delivers the physical chaos you’d expect from series three. If you’d rather avoid entertainment shows, Blackshore on BBC Four offers solid Irish crime drama, and sport fans have the Manchester derby at lunchtime. Just don’t expect EastEnders – it’s a Monday to Thursday affair.
