TV Guide UK Tonight: Sun 17 May 2026 – Believe Me, Death Valley & The Cage

Updated: 15 May 2026

Sunday 17 May. Timothy Spall turns up on BBC One at 8.15pm as a pompous retired actor playing detective in Death Valley, alongside a DI who’d rather not have him near her case. Over on ITV1 at 9pm, Believe Me hits its penultimate episode: Worboys is in prison, his victims are wondering if the Met itself should be next. The Cage is also down to its last two. Plenty to argue about.

Quick Picks: Tonight’s Best

• Believe Me ⭐ — ITV1, 9pm — Jeff Pope’s Worboys drama. Victims consider taking on the Met
• Death Valley — BBC One, 8.15pm — Timothy Spall, litter-picker, suspicious castle death
• The Cage — BBC One, 9pm — Penultimate ep. Gary shows his hand
• Later… with Jools Holland — BBC Two, 10pm — New series. Squeeze, Tomora, Getdown Services
• Women’s Six Nations: France v England — BBC One, 4.25pm — Final match of the season

Sport

Rugby Union: Women’s Six Nations – Wales v Italy – BBC Two, noon (BBC One in Wales)

Kick-off 12.15pm.

Rugby Union: Women’s Six Nations – France v England – BBC One, 4.25pm (not N Ireland)

Final Women’s Six Nations match of the season. Kick-off 4.45pm.

Golf: PGA Championship – Sky Sports Golf, 4pm

Final day of the second Major. Moves to Sky Sports Main Event at 8pm. Subscription.

Cycling: Giro d’Italia – TNT Sports 3, 11am

Stage nine — 184km, Cervia to Corno alle Scale. Hilly. Subscription.

Early Evening

Murdoch Mysteries – U&Alibi, 7pm

Murdoch is convinced he’s spotted James Gillies in a crowd — a man who was hanged on screen nearly a decade ago. The episode asks a fair amount of the viewer’s goodwill from there. Catch up via Now.

Expedition with Steve Backshall – BBC Two, 7.15pm

Kamchatka’s Kronotsky river. Brown bears, continuous white water, and Backshall going backwards at some point. Full series on BBC iPlayer.

Prime Time

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? – ITV1, 8pm

A Cardiff master’s student can’t place a slogan for a snack that’s been in every supermarket for thirty years. Clarkson gets a fashion question and declines. ITVX.

Countdown to RHS Chelsea Flower Show – BBC Two, 8pm

Sophie Raworth and Adam Frost preview Chelsea. BBC iPlayer.

Hudson and Rex – U&Alibi, 8pm

A child witness to a kidnapping communicates through drawings. Rex builds the trust that makes the evidence usable. The episode doesn’t treat neurodivergence as an obstacle to be resolved. Catch up via Now.

Death Valley – BBC One, 8.15pm

John Chapel (Timothy Spall) is a retired actor who treats every crime scene as though it was written for him. He turns up with a litter-picker held like a prop sword. When a man on community payback is found dead at the foot of a 12th-century castle parapet, DI Janie Mallowan (Gwyneth Keyworth) is told to bring him back in. Not what she wants — she’s still not over the fact he was sleeping with her mum Yvonne (Melanie Walters). Spall and Keyworth together make the actual mystery feel almost incidental. Full series on BBC iPlayer.

9pm

The Cage – BBC One, 9pm

Penultimate episode. Gary (Barry Sloane) sets up a high-roller casino night with Matty and Leanne. What actually happens drops any last pretence about who Gary is. Nancy (Geraldine James) sees it too. Schumacher has kept his cards close all series; tonight he stops. Concludes Monday. BBC iPlayer.

Believe Me ⭐ – ITV1, 9pm

A media appeal brings forward women who’d been dismissed first time round. Worboys (Daniel Mays) is jailed, but Pope makes clear that’s where the real argument starts. The victims know what the investigation actually looked like, and tonight’s hour builds toward whether they take the Met to court. Pope keeps the camera on the women throughout. Mays underplays Worboys to the point of near-blankness, which is the right call. Concludes Monday. ITVX.

Your Song – The Grand Final – Channel 4, 9pm

Sam Ryder and Paloma Faith at the Hackney Empire with five finalists and one winner to find. C4 streaming.

Late Night

Later… with Jools Holland – BBC Two, 10pm

New series. Squeeze play from a concept album about a fictional club, written in 1974 — sounds like classic Squeeze, because it is. Tomora (Aurora and Tom Rowlands of the Chemical Brothers) is the interesting pairing. Aja Monet and Getdown Services also on the bill. BBC iPlayer.

The Family Next Door – ITV1, 10.20pm and 11.20pm (NEW SERIES)

Australian thriller from Sally Hepworth’s novel. Isabelle moves into a seaside cul-de-sac and unsettles everyone. Episode 1 — estate agent Ange doesn’t believe a word she says. Double bills over three nights. ITVX.

Brother – BBC Two, 10.50pm (11.20pm N Ireland) ★★★★ (15)

Clement Virgo’s 2022 film. Two Black Canadian brothers, a single mother, a difficult neighbourhood. Time-switching structure, adapted from David Chariandy’s novel. Rated 15. BBC iPlayer.

The Viewing Schedule

What’s On Streaming

BBC iPlayer: Death Valley (full series), The Cage (full series), Expedition with Steve Backshall, Later with Jools Holland, Brother
ITVX: Believe Me (full series), Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, The Family Next Door
Channel 4 streaming: Your Song – The Grand Final
Now: Murdoch Mysteries, Hudson and Rex
Sky Sports / TNT Sports: PGA Championship, Giro d’Italia (subscriptions required)

Frequently Asked Questions

Is EastEnders on tonight (Sunday 17 May 2026)?

No. EastEnders doesn’t air on Sundays. It runs Monday to Friday on BBC One and returns on Monday 18 May. Catch up via BBC iPlayer.

What time is Believe Me on ITV1 tonight (Sunday 17 May 2026)?

Believe Me is on ITV1 at 9pm (Sunday 17 May 2026) — penultimate episode of Jeff Pope’s Worboys drama. Daniel Mays. Worboys is jailed; the question now is whether victims take the Met to court. Concludes Monday. Full series on ITVX.

What time is Death Valley on BBC One tonight?

Death Valley is on BBC One at 8.15pm (Sunday 17 May 2026). Timothy Spall as retired actor John Chapel; Gwyneth Keyworth as DI Janie Mallowan. Full series on BBC iPlayer.

What time is The Cage on BBC One tonight (Sunday 17 May 2026)?

BBC One at 9pm (Sunday 17 May 2026), penultimate episode. Gary’s high-roller casino night reveals more than Leanne bargained for. Concludes Monday. Full series on BBC iPlayer.

What’s the best thing to watch on TV tonight (Sunday 17 May 2026)?

Believe Me on ITV1 at 9pm. Pope’s Worboys drama hits the episode it’s been heading to all series. Death Valley on BBC One at 8.15pm is the best new thing to start this week. And Later… with Jools Holland is back on BBC Two at 10pm.

Final Verdict

Believe Me at 9pm on ITV1. The Worboys series gets to the hour it’s been heading toward all run. Death Valley at 8.15pm is worth starting from episode one — Spall and Keyworth are a properly funny pairing. At 9pm it’s BBC One or ITV1, and you can’t really go wrong either way. Later with Jools Holland at 10pm sees you out.

Related: What’s On TV Tonight Sunday | What’s On TV Tonight Sat 16 May 2026 | What’s On TV Tonight Mon 18 May 2026