Sunday evening offers a strong mix of prestige drama and genuine oddities. The Night Manager continues its slow-burn espionage, BBC Two unearths horrifying confession tapes from a double murderer, and Francis Bourgeois – yes, the trainspotter – is trying to become an astronaut. Football fans get Arsenal versus Manchester United in the day’s standout fixture.
Quick Picks: Tonight’s Best
- The Night Manager – BBC One, 9pm – Pine targets Roper’s son in the spy thriller
- Confessions of a Killer – BBC Two, 9pm – Chilling true crime with unheard tapes
- Mission to Space with Francis Bourgeois – C4, 6:50pm – The trainspotter becomes an astronaut
- Arsenal v Manchester United – Sky Sports, 4:30pm – Premier League heavyweight clash
Early Evening (6pm – 8pm)
Countryfile – BBC One, 6pm
John Craven, Charlotte Smith and Adam Henson mark the 200th anniversary of the Menai Suspension Bridge. Thomas Telford’s remarkable structure connecting Anglesey to the Welsh mainland remains one of Britain’s great engineering achievements, and the programme explores how it changed life on both sides of the water. There’s also a look at the modern maintenance challenges of keeping a two-century-old bridge safe for traffic.
Mission to Space with Francis Bourgeois – Channel 4, 6:50pm
Francis Bourgeois became famous for his unbridled excitement about trains, filmed with a head-mounted camera that captures his expressions of pure joy. Now he’s turned that enthusiasm towards space travel, undergoing astronaut training with British astronaut Tim Peake. The question the programme asks – can a trainspotter become an astronaut? – is less interesting than watching Bourgeois get distracted by handles and switches on spacecraft equipment. His genuine delight at the practical details of space technology makes this surprisingly watchable. Both episodes are available on Channel 4 streaming.
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra at 90 – BBC Four, 7pm
A celebration concert from Glasgow City Halls marking the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra’s 90th anniversary. The highlight is Sir Stephen Hough performing Grieg’s Piano Concerto – one of the most beautiful pieces in the repertoire. The evening also includes the world premiere of Ayanna Witter-Johnson’s Bacchanale and finishes with Tippett’s oratorio A Child of Our Time, written during the Second World War but still uncomfortably relevant.
The Great Pottery Throw Down – Channel 4, 7:50pm
Raku firing is not the calm, meditative process you might imagine from pottery. The technique involves removing ceramics from the kiln while they’re still red-hot – volatile and potentially dangerous. This week’s challenge has contestants creating parent-and-child animal sculptures using the method, with sculptor Nick Mackman judging. Siobhan McSweeney apparently hates the smell of burning feathers and sawdust that gives Raku pieces their distinctive patterns, while Rich Miller enjoys dressing up in silly costumes. Standard Pottery Throw Down energy, then.
Prime Time (8pm onwards)
Call the Midwife – BBC One, 8pm
The Turner children are at it again, this time inspired by a 1971 edition of Blue Peter to bury a time capsule filled with items representing their lives. The community naturally gets involved, with everyone contributing their own mementos. There’s something slightly melancholy about watching characters in a period drama seal away objects for the future, knowing that future has long since arrived. The episode leans into Call the Midwife’s particular gift for making you reflect on time passing while showing you the past.
Guy Martin: Proper Jobs – U&Dave, 8pm
Guy Martin’s enthusiasm is his defining characteristic – there’s rarely a task he doesn’t throw himself into with complete commitment. This new series puts him through work experience in various demanding professions, and the opener sees him joining a Grimsby RNLI lifeboat crew. The training involves coastguard helicopters and winch paramedics, and Martin’s verdict on the experience is predictably ecstatic. There’s also a glimpse of something more reflective – his admission that he needs to be “a bit more caring” than he currently is. All four episodes available on U from today.
The Night Manager – BBC One, 9pm ⭐
The spy thriller continues to build towards what feels like an inevitable confrontation between Jonathan Pine and Richard Roper. Tonight, Pine identifies a potential weakness in Roper’s operation: his son Teddy, who has just returned home with the arms dealer’s equivalent of a disappointing school report. Roper has always valued his dogs more than his offspring, and Pine senses an opportunity to exploit that family dysfunction. There’s a secret recording involved, some carefully deployed tension, and the manipulation of a young man’s insecurity. Tom Hiddleston remains excellent as the undercover agent walking an increasingly precarious tightrope.
Confessions of a Killer – BBC Two, 9pm
Some viewers will remember The Secret, a 2016 ITV drama starring James Nesbitt as Northern Irish dentist Colin Howell. This two-part documentary revisits the real case with previously unheard recordings.
In May 1991, the bodies of Lesley Howell and Trevor Buchanan were discovered in a fume-filled car in the seaside village of Castlerock. The inquest recorded suicide verdicts, and for nearly two decades the truth stayed buried. Then in 2009, Colin Howell – a respected pillar of his local Baptist church – walked into a police station and confessed to murdering both his wife and his lover’s husband before staging their deaths to look like a suicide pact. The tapes feature Howell implicating his accomplice Hazel Stewart and explaining his twisted reasoning. Genuinely disturbing viewing.
After the Flood – ITV1, 9pm
The second series of the flooding disaster drama continues. Graffiti reading “murderers” has appeared on the Benson family home, but the investigation is far from settled. It’s probably worth paying attention to the fact that patriarch Alan Benson (Alun Armstrong) owns a chemical plant in the area – and given how often such facilities make headlines for contamination, the presence of a chemicals manufacturer alongside characters who swim in local rivers feels pointed. More revelations tomorrow night. The full series is available on ITVX.
Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins – Channel 4, 9pm
The five surviving celebrities face what’s described as a test of “warrior spirit” – which in practice means trekking up steep rocky hills in extreme heat while carrying full packs and heavy chains around their necks. Several are literally brought to their knees. Video calls from family members prompt unexpected reactions, but the escape-and-evasion challenge proves most chaotic. One team gets hopelessly lost while the other forgets they’re supposed to be covert. The finale is tomorrow.
Late Night
Four Kings – Channel 4, 10:05pm
The documentary series about British boxing legends Chris Eubank, Nigel Benn, Frank Bruno and Lennox Lewis reaches its conclusion. The four fighters dominated the heavyweight and middleweight divisions during British boxing’s golden era in the late 1980s and 1990s. A second episode follows at 11pm.
Sport
Football: Arsenal v Manchester United – Sky Sports, 4:30pm
The marquee fixture on a busy Premier League Sunday. Arsenal host United at the Emirates in what’s traditionally one of English football’s biggest matches, even if both clubs’ recent histories have been somewhat uneven. Earlier matches include Crystal Palace v Chelsea, Newcastle v Aston Villa, and Brentford v Nottingham Forest, all kicking off at 2pm across various Sky Sports channels.
Golf: Dubai Desert Classic – Sky Sports Golf, 7am
Final round coverage from the UAE.
Tennis: Australian Open – TNT Sports, 7am onwards
Day nine coverage from Melbourne as the tournament reaches the business end.
The Viewing Schedule
| Time | Channel | Programme |
|---|---|---|
| 7:00am | Sky Sports Golf | Golf: Dubai Desert Classic |
| 7:00am | TNT Sports | Tennis: Australian Open |
| 2:00pm | Sky Sports | Crystal Palace v Chelsea |
| 2:00pm | Sky Sports Main Event | Newcastle v Aston Villa |
| 4:30pm | Sky Sports | Arsenal v Manchester United |
| 6:00pm | BBC One | Countryfile |
| 6:50pm | Channel 4 | Mission to Space with Francis Bourgeois |
| 7:00pm | BBC One | Antiques Roadshow |
| 7:00pm | BBC Four | BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra at 90 |
| 7:50pm | Channel 4 | The Great Pottery Throw Down |
| 8:00pm | BBC One | Call the Midwife |
| 8:00pm | U&Dave | Guy Martin: Proper Jobs |
| 9:00pm | BBC One | The Night Manager |
| 9:00pm | BBC Two | Confessions of a Killer |
| 9:00pm | ITV1 | After the Flood |
| 9:00pm | Channel 4 | Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins |
| 10:05pm | Channel 4 | Four Kings |
What’s On Streaming
BBC iPlayer: The Night Manager, Call the Midwife, Confessions of a Killer, Countryfile
ITVX: After the Flood (full series)
Channel 4 streaming: Mission to Space with Francis Bourgeois (both episodes), The Great Pottery Throw Down, Celebrity SAS
U: Guy Martin: Proper Jobs (all four episodes)
Frequently Asked Questions
What time is The Night Manager on tonight?
The Night Manager is on BBC One at 9pm tonight (Sunday 25th January 2026).
What’s the best thing to watch on TV tonight?
Our top pick is The Night Manager on BBC One at 9pm – the spy thriller builds towards a confrontation as Jonathan Pine targets Roper’s son.
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 Arsenal v Manchester United?
Arsenal v Manchester United kicks off at 4:30pm on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League.
What channel is Confessions of a Killer on?
Confessions of a Killer is on BBC Two at 9pm tonight, revealing unheard tapes from double murderer Colin Howell.
Final Verdict
A packed Sunday evening with something for most tastes. The Night Manager remains the headline act – Tom Hiddleston’s spy thriller is building nicely towards its endgame. Confessions of a Killer on BBC Two is proper true crime with genuinely chilling tapes, while Francis Bourgeois on Channel 4 offers something completely different if you fancy watching a trainspotter try to become an astronaut. Football fans have the substantial treat of Arsenal versus Manchester United at 4:30pm. No EastEnders tonight – that’s Monday to Thursday on BBC One.
