TV Guide UK Tonight: Sat 28 Mar 2026 – Gladiators Grand Final, The Walsh Sisters Finale & Big Night of Musicals
Easter Saturday 2026 and BBC One has stacked the schedule accordingly. The Gladiators Series 3 Grand Final lands at 5:45pm, with specific details the trailers have kept quiet: Sabre loses her unbeaten record, there’s a gatecrasher in the commentary box, and Bradley Walsh ends up racing Electro in Unleash. After that, The National Lottery’s Big Night of Musicals takes over at 7:45pm with Jason Manford in Manchester, then The Walsh Sisters closes its run at 9:20pm. ITV1 counters with Britain’s Got Talent auditions and Celebrity Sabotage. BBC Four premieres Hidden Assets as a back-to-back double bill. One practical matter: the clocks go forward one hour at 1am tonight. Easter Sunday begins an hour shorter.
Quick Picks: Tonight’s Best
- Gladiators Grand Final ⭐ — BBC One, 5:45pm — Sabre’s unbeaten record ends, Bradley Walsh races Electro, the Eliminator decides Series 3
- Big Night of Musicals — BBC One, 7:45pm — 90 mins of proper musical theatre from Manchester; Lion King, Miss Saigon, Oliver! and more
- The Walsh Sisters — BBC One, 9:20pm — Series finale; Aidan’s memorial goes predictably badly, ends generously
- Hidden Assets — BBC Four, 9pm — Back-to-back premiere; Dublin to Bilbao criminal trail
- Inside Britain’s National Parks — BBC Two, 8:30pm — New series; the New Forest, beautifully made
- WSL: Man Utd v Man City — BBC One, 1:15pm (k/o 1:30pm) — Live Manchester derby
Daytime
Flaming Feasts – BBC One, 11:30am
New series. Welsh chef Chris “Flamebaster” Roberts — the physique of a 1970s wrestler, the name of a Gladiator — tours Wales for six episodes, cooking with fire and local ingredients. He opens in Aberteifi (Cardigan), where spider crabs, sea trout and some exceptional local cheese all feature. There’s a Ukrainian refugee chef whose story gives the show more heart than you’d expect from a programme built around a bloke with a blowtorch. Catch up via iPlayer.
Women’s Super League: Manchester United v Manchester City – BBC One, 1:15pm
Live Manchester WSL derby from Old Trafford, kick-off 1:30pm. The women’s game derby fixture has consistently delivered in recent seasons and this one has the added context of a title race that gives both clubs reason to want the three points. Free to air on BBC One.
The Ipcress File – BBC Two, 2:30pm
A timely repeat following the death of Len Deighton aged 97. His debut novel gave us Harry Palmer, the grammar-school spy with a sardonic edge and a taste for cooking — about as far from Bond as you could get in 1960s British fiction. Sidney J Furie’s 1965 film gave Michael Caine his break, and it still holds up: John Barry’s score, the downbeat London settings and Caine’s particular kind of watchful charisma make this one of the period’s best spy pictures. Worth catching if you’ve never seen it. PG. Catch up via iPlayer.
Togo – Channel 4, 4:10pm
If you want something the whole household can sit down to on Easter Saturday afternoon, this 2019 Disney adventure is a good shout. Willem Dafoe plays Leonhard Seppala, a musher who played a central role in the 1925 relay to deliver diphtheria medicine across 600 miles of Alaskan wilderness. The real lead is the dog, obviously. Sixty-six Siberian huskies were used in the making of it, including Diesel, who happens to be a direct descendent of the real Togo. PG. Catch up via Channel 4 streaming.
Prime Time
Gladiators – BBC One, 5:45pm ⭐
Series 3 Grand Final. Bradley Walsh and Barney Walsh bring the curtain down on what’s been the show’s most polished series yet, and the scan data from inside the recording suggests it goes out on a high. On the women’s side it’s business consultant Naomi against Cambridge graduate Emily — a 17-year age gap between them but, by all accounts, a close match. The men’s final pits teacher Tyler against sales manager Josh.
What makes this one stand out from previous finals: Sabre loses her unbeaten record, the Cyclone delivers the closest finish the show has ever produced, and someone gets into the commentary box who shouldn’t be there. Best of all, Bradley Walsh is talked into racing Electro in Unleash, which is the kind of thing that only happens when a show is confident enough to not take itself too seriously. After two Eliminators, Series 3 has its champions. Good television. Catch up via BBC iPlayer.
(Note: Scotland viewers get this at 7:20pm due to regional scheduling.)
Britain’s Got Talent – ITV1, 6:45pm
Fifth round of auditions, hosted by Ant and Dec. The format doesn’t change but the acts do, and this stage of the competition tends to sort out the acts with genuine novelty from the ones that looked better on paper. Catch up via ITVX.
Celebrity Sabotage – ITV1, 8:00pm
Joel Dommett leads this hidden-camera format where a team of celebrities — Matt and Emma Willis are among the guests this week — are planted inside a fake, love-themed TV show with instructions to quietly sabotage it. The Willises play the fake hosts within the show, which is a different thing from actually hosting it. Worth a look if you want something lighter before the main BBC One events land. Catch up via ITVX.
Big Night of Musicals – BBC One, 7:45pm
About 90 minutes. Jason Manford is in Manchester for the fifth annual showcase of contemporary British musical theatre, and if your instinct is to be sceptical about what is essentially a very good-looking marketing exercise for the West End, the advice is to set that aside for the evening.
The Lion King opens things up — “Circle of Life” remains one of those pieces of music that does something involuntary to most people regardless of how many times they’ve heard it. Miss Saigon and Oliver! are also in the mix, along with an Alan Menken medley. Two moments stand out: a Manchester performing arts group (Wild Things Performing Arts) sharing the stage with the cast of Annie, and a Teesside pub choir joining the cast of The Choir of Man. Both are the kind of television that justifies the whole exercise.
If three hours isn’t enough, BBC Two at 9:20pm has Elaine Paige presenting Show Tunes at the BBC: Volume 3, featuring archive performances from Shirley Bassey, Fred Astaire and Louis Armstrong — a natural second half to the evening if you’re in the mood. Catch up via BBC iPlayer.
Chernobyl: 48 Hours to Escape – Channel 4, 7:50pm
It’s 40 years since the disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear plant, and documentary-makers are still finding angles on the story that haven’t been fully explored. This one concentrates on the immediate human fallout — what happened on the ground in the hours and days after the explosion, and what it took to evacuate the surrounding area. New testimonies from residents and emergency workers who were there give it a freshness that a lot of Chernobyl documentaries, however good, can’t claim. Catch up via Channel 4 streaming.
Inside Britain’s National Parks – BBC Two, 8:30pm
New series, opening in the New Forest. Here’s an odd thing: this is a German-made documentary about an English national park, narrated by Alex Jennings with a voice that suggests he might personally own several acres of it. It shouldn’t work quite as well as it does. The New Forest has plenty to offer — medieval-sounding institutions like “verderers” and “pannage”, free-roaming ponies, 2,700 species of fungi — and the series finds room for guitar-making, boat building and the annual “drifts” where the ponies are rounded up in something that looks exactly like a Hampshire version of the Wild West. A lovely piece of work. All episodes on iPlayer. Catch up via BBC iPlayer.
The Walsh Sisters – BBC One, 9:20pm
Series finale (episode 6 of 6). It’s Aidan’s memorial and it’s a disaster — not in the tragic sense, in the sense that everything that could go wrong at a gathering of this particular family does go wrong. The venue is set up for a wedding celebration. There are arguments, shocking revelations and moments awkward enough to watch through your fingers. What the finale also does, to its credit, is end the series on an upbeat note after everything the show has put its characters through. Sharp, dark, funny — and Marian Keyes’s world transfers well to the screen. Catch up via BBC iPlayer.
Hidden Assets – BBC Four, 9pm and 9:50pm
Two back-to-back opening episodes of the Irish crime co-production. The Criminal Assets Bureau raids a property near Dublin with a spectacular sea view — living in such places rarely ends well for anyone in crime drama — and what looks like a contained money-laundering investigation begins to pull outward. The trail leads to Bilbao, and CAB investigator Claire Wallace (Nora-Jane Noone) follows it, parenting responsibilities increasingly behind her. The Spain location gives it a different texture from the usual Irish procedural, and the double-bill opener gives the story room to establish itself before asking you to wait a week. Full series available on iPlayer.
Late Night
Bill Bailey’s Vietnam – Channel 4, 9:20pm
Bailey is in Sa Pa at the northern tip of Vietnam. He takes a cable car to Fansipan — the “Roof of Indochina” — which involves some genuine climbing at the top. He soaks in a barrel of herbal water. He tickles a water buffalo in an unfortunate location. And he attempts to send a postcard, which in 2026 apparently involves enough steps to baffle a seasoned traveller. Lighter than it sounds, and Bailey’s clearly interested in the country rather than just passing through it. Catch up via Channel 4 streaming.
The Windsor Castle Fire: Minute by Minute – Channel 5, 9:20pm
Documentary about the 1992 Windsor Castle fire that began in the Private Chapel and spread across nine principal rooms. It was the year the Queen described as her “annus horribilis”, and this minute-by-minute treatment of the blaze brings the urgency of those November hours back into focus.
Sport
WSL: Manchester United v Manchester City — Live on BBC One from 1:15pm, kick-off 1:30pm. Free-to-air Manchester derby.
WSL: Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur — Live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football from 5pm, kick-off 5:30pm. North London WSL derby.
Tennis: Miami Open Women’s Final — Live on Sky Sports Tennis from 6:30pm.
The Viewing Schedule
| Time | Channel | Programme |
|---|---|---|
| 11:30am | BBC One | Flaming Feasts (New Series) |
| 1:15pm | BBC One | WSL: Manchester United v Manchester City (k/o 1:30pm) |
| 2:30pm | BBC Two | The Ipcress File (Film, 1965, PG) |
| 4:10pm | Channel 4 | Togo (Film, 2019, PG) |
| 5:00pm | Sky Sports | WSL: Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur (k/o 5:30pm) |
| 5:45pm | BBC One | Gladiators (Series 3 Grand Final) |
| 6:30pm | Sky Sports Tennis | Miami Open: Women’s Final |
| 6:45pm | ITV1 | Britain’s Got Talent (Auditions 5) |
| 7:45pm | BBC One | Big Night of Musicals |
| 7:50pm | Channel 4 | Chernobyl: 48 Hours to Escape |
| 8:00pm | ITV1 | Celebrity Sabotage |
| 8:30pm | BBC Two | Inside Britain’s National Parks (New Series) |
| 9:00pm | BBC Four | Hidden Assets (Episodes 1 & 2 – Premiere) |
| 9:20pm | BBC One | The Walsh Sisters (Series Finale) |
| 9:20pm | BBC Two | Show Tunes at the BBC: Volume 3 |
| 9:20pm | Channel 4 | Bill Bailey’s Vietnam |
| 9:20pm | Channel 5 | The Windsor Castle Fire: Minute by Minute |
What’s On Streaming
BBC iPlayer: Gladiators Grand Final, Big Night of Musicals, The Walsh Sisters, Inside Britain’s National Parks, Show Tunes at the BBC, Hidden Assets, Flaming Feasts, WSL Manchester derby, The Ipcress File
ITVX: Britain’s Got Talent (Auditions 5), Celebrity Sabotage
Channel 4 streaming: Chernobyl: 48 Hours to Escape, Bill Bailey’s Vietnam, Togo
Sky Sports: WSL Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur (live), Miami Open women’s final (live)
Frequently Asked Questions
What time is the Gladiators Grand Final on BBC One tonight?
The Gladiators Series 3 Grand Final is on BBC One at 5:45pm tonight (Saturday 28th March 2026). Bradley Walsh and Barney Walsh host. Female finalists are Naomi and Emily; men’s finalists are Tyler and Josh. Sabre loses her unbeaten record, the Cyclone produces the closest finish ever and Bradley Walsh races Electro in Unleash. Last in series. Catch up via BBC iPlayer.
What time is Britain’s Got Talent on ITV1 tonight?
Britain’s Got Talent is on ITV1 at approximately 6:45pm tonight (Saturday 28th March 2026). Ant and Dec host the fifth round of auditions. Catch up via ITVX.
What time is the Big Night of Musicals on BBC One tonight?
The National Lottery’s Big Night of Musicals starts at approximately 7:45pm on BBC One tonight (Saturday 28th March 2026). Jason Manford hosts from Manchester for three hours of musical theatre, including The Lion King, Miss Saigon, Oliver!, Annie and The Choir of Man. Catch up via BBC iPlayer.
Is EastEnders on TV tonight?
No, EastEnders does not air on Saturdays. The soap runs Monday to Friday on BBC One at 7:30pm. You can catch up on any missed episodes via BBC iPlayer.
Do the clocks change tonight?
Yes. The clocks go forward one hour at 1am on Sunday 29th March 2026, marking the start of British Summer Time. Set your clocks forward before bed on Easter Saturday — you’ll lose an hour of sleep but gain lighter evenings.
What’s the best thing to watch on TV tonight?
Our top pick for Easter Saturday is the Gladiators Series 3 Grand Final on BBC One at 5:45pm. Sabre losing her unbeaten record, the closest-ever Cyclone and Bradley Walsh persuaded to race a Gladiator makes this the most entertaining Saturday night television of the series. Later, The Walsh Sisters finale at 9:20pm is a satisfying close to a sharp BBC drama.
What’s on BBC One tonight?
BBC One tonight (Saturday 28th March 2026) has Flaming Feasts at 11:30am, the WSL Manchester United v Manchester City derby from 1:15pm, the Gladiators Series 3 Grand Final at 5:45pm, Britain’s Got Talent from 6:45pm, The National Lottery’s Big Night of Musicals at 7:45pm and The Walsh Sisters series finale at 9:20pm.
Final Verdict
Gladiators at 5:45pm on BBC One is the evening’s standout. The specific details from inside the Grand Final — Sabre’s record gone, the closest Cyclone ever, Bradley Walsh in the Unleash lane against Electro — make this one of the better series finales the show has produced. Saturday night television at its best.
Big Night of Musicals from 7:45pm gives you three hours of properly committed musical theatre from Manchester. The Lion King, Miss Saigon, Oliver! and two moments involving a school and a pub choir that justify the entire broadcast. Cynicism optional.
The Walsh Sisters at 9:20pm closes a good run. Marian Keyes’s world, adapted well, ends where it should.
Hidden Assets on BBC Four at 9pm is the smart pick if you want something that’ll last — two opening episodes of an Irish crime drama that earns its Bilbao detour.
And don’t forget: clocks go forward at 1am. Happy Easter.
Related: What’s On TV Tonight Saturday | What’s On TV Tonight Fri 27 Mar 2026 | What’s On TV Tonight Sun 29 Mar 2026
