TV Guide UK Tonight: Sun 16 Aug 2026 – Van der Valk, The Piano & Sunny Nights

Sunday 16 August 2026. Van der Valk closes out its run on ITV1 at 8pm, with pathologist Hendrik confronting a health crisis of his own. The Piano’s search for a Birmingham finalist rolls on over on Channel 4 at 9pm, and ITV1 squeezes in a fresh comedy import, Sunny Nights, at 10:15pm. No EastEnders tonight, as always on a Sunday.

Quick Picks: Tonight’s Best

• Van der Valk ⭐ ITV1, 8pm. Hendrik’s diagnosis meets a case about a shelved cancer cure.
• The Piano Channel 4, 9pm. A wild-card round settles the last Birmingham finalist.
• Sunny Nights ITV1, 10:15pm. New series. Forte and Carden’s Sydney caper begins.
• The Hundred Final BBC Two, from 2pm. Free-to-air cricket from Lord’s.
• EastEnders isn’t on tonight. Sundays are always soap-free.

Early Evening

Countryfile – BBC One, 5:30pm

Adam Henson’s tour of young farmers reaches Cumbria, on BBC One, where 27-year-old Georgia Hunter runs livestock with her dad. A brutal lambing season hit their income, so they diversified into goats, and Georgia’s cheese and soap sideline has rescued the books.

Antiques Roadshow – BBC One, 6:30pm

A 2022 recording from Brodie Castle in Moray: football memorabilia tied to Robert Boyd, a Victorian curling trophy, and a war chest belonging to a First World War veteran, alongside novelty Reagan and Thatcher teapots.

Force of Nature – ITV1, 7pm

Tonight’s case study is the arctic ground squirrel, whose males need precise timing to wake from hibernation and find a mate — a warming climate keeps waking them too soon. There’s also a Himalayan snow leopard hunting a thinning cliff edge.

Over on E4, Lego Masters Australia’s new series starts at 5:50pm, and BBC Four clears its evening from 7pm for a Bill Oddie tribute.

Prime Time

Van der Valk – ITV1, 8pm ⭐

Four series in, the finale finally turns to Hendrik, the pathologist who’s spent his whole run cracking jokes at crime scenes. He’s been diagnosed with cancer and hasn’t told anyone, which Piet works out anyway. The case has bite too: a scientist is murdered after developing a working cancer treatment, only for a billionaire investor to buy the rights and quietly shelve it. Piet’s intervention doesn’t go to plan — a weighty send-off that finally proves Darrell D’Silva’s been the heart of it all along. ITVX.

Richard E Grant’s Very Modern Odyssey – Channel 4, 8pm

Grant’s trawl through Homer reaches Djerba, long claimed as home of the Lotus Eaters, before he crosses to Italy chasing Circe, the sorceress who turned Odysseus’s crew into pigs.

The Piano – Channel 4, 9pm

Just one seat is left on the Birmingham bill, so producers bring back a handful of near-misses for a last-chance wild card round, with former co-host Jon Batiste back to coach them through a hastily arranged boot camp.

Inside the Four Seasons: Park Lane – Channel 5, 9pm

A guest request for an oversized croissant becomes a kitchen project, gardeners turn the courtyard into a cottage garden overnight, and housekeeping turns around 196 rooms after surprise bookings. The priciest strand follows the refit of the £11,000-a-night flagship suite. Channel 5 streaming on My5.

BBC Proms – BBC Four, 9pm

A collection of Proms “firsts”: the Spanish National Orchestra’s belated debut last month, almost ninety years after it was founded, and the BBC Philharmonic marking composer Betsy Jolas’s hundredth birthday with her 1977 tribute to The Tempest.

Late Night

Black Watch – BBC Four, 9:55pm

Gregory Burke’s stage piece has lost none of its force since 2007. Filmed live in Dingwall, it’s built from real interviews with soldiers who served in Basra in 2004, and doesn’t flinch from how the men were treated.

Sunny Nights – ITV1, 10:15pm

New series. Will Forte plays a self-tanning salesman chasing a deal in Sydney, dragging his sister Vicki, played by D’Arcy Carden, along for the ride. A one-night stand turns into a $10,000 blackmail demand, and the pair sink into a criminal underworld built for people better at crime than they are.

25 Years in Afghanistan – ITV1, 11:15pm

This started as a seven-year-old boy filmed among the ruins of the Buddhas of Bamiyan, following Mir Hussein into adulthood as a Kabul sports cameraman, husband and father. This update tracks five years of Taliban rule and the worsening reality for Afghan women.

Sport

Cricket gets a rare free-to-air showcase, with the Hundred Final live on BBC Two from 2pm and 6pm, alongside Sky Sports Cricket, from Lord’s. The Charity Shield between Arsenal and Manchester City kicks off at 3pm on TNT Sports 1, and it’s the final day of the European Athletics Championships, on BBC One and TNT Sports 3 from 7:25am and 7:30pm.

The Viewing Schedule

What’s On Streaming

• BBC iPlayer: Countryfile, Antiques Roadshow, BBC Proms, Black Watch
• ITVX: Force of Nature, Van der Valk, Sunny Nights, 25 Years in Afghanistan
• Channel 4 streaming: Richard E Grant’s Very Modern Odyssey, The Piano, Lego Masters Australia
• My5: Inside the Four Seasons: Park Lane

Frequently Asked Questions

Is EastEnders on tonight (Sunday 16 August 2026)?

No. EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday on BBC One and takes Sundays off. Catch up on BBC iPlayer, or wait for Monday.

What time is Van der Valk’s series finale on TV tonight?

Van der Valk’s series finale airs on ITV1 at 8pm, as Hendrik’s cancer diagnosis collides with a murder case built around a shelved cure.

What live sport is on TV tonight: Sunday 16 August 2026?

The Hundred Final is live on BBC Two from 2pm and 6pm, alongside Sky Sports Cricket. The Charity Shield kicks off at 3pm on TNT Sports 1, and it’s the final day of the European Athletics Championships.

What’s on BBC Four tonight?

BBC Four clears its evening for a Bill Oddie tribute from 7pm, then BBC Proms at 9pm and Black Watch at 9:55pm.

What’s the best thing to watch on TV tonight (Sunday 16 August 2026)?

Van der Valk’s finale on ITV1 at 8pm is the pick, with The Piano and new series Sunny Nights close behind.

Final Verdict

Sunday 16 August belongs to Van der Valk ⭐, which finally gives Darrell D’Silva’s Hendrik the material he’s deserved for four series. The Piano and Sunny Nights offer a gentler and darker counterpoint, and BBC Four’s Black Watch and Proms make an unusually strong culture double bill. Sport dominates the afternoon, from a rare terrestrial cricket final to the Charity Shield. Just don’t go looking for EastEnders — Sundays are always a soap-free zone.

Related: What’s On TV Tonight Sunday | What’s On TV Tonight Saturday | What’s On TV Tonight Monday