TV Guide UK Tonight: Sun 3 May 2026 – Attenborough’s Greatest Adventure, The Cage & Snooker World Final

Published: 28 April 2026

Sunday 3 May. Making Life on Earth: Attenborough’s Greatest Adventure at 8pm on BBC One tells the story behind the 1979 Life on Earth and the fifteen million who watched it. The Cage follows at 9pm, episode 3. Secret Service is into its penultimate episode on ITV1. And the Snooker World Championship Final opens at the Crucible from 1pm.

Quick Picks: Tonight’s Best

• Making Life on Earth: Attenborough’s Greatest Adventure ⭐ — BBC One, 8pm — Behind Life on Earth 1979. 100 locations, 15 million viewers
• The Cage — BBC One, 9pm — Ep 3. Nancy says stop. They’re not stopping
• Secret Service — ITV1, 9pm — Ep 3 of 4. Malta done. The leak is in the UK
• Snooker: World Championship Final — BBC One, from 1pm — Day one at the Crucible
• Man United v Liverpool — Sky Sports, k/o 3pm — Old Trafford
• Your Song — Channel 4, 9pm — Birmingham. Alison Hammond on home ground

Sport

Snooker: World Championship Final – BBC One, from 1pm

Day one at the Crucible. 35 frames to win. BBC One from 1pm, TNT Sports 3 from 12:45pm, BBC Two from 7pm.

Football: Premier League – Manchester United v Liverpool – Sky Sports, k/o 3pm

Coverage from 2pm Sky Sports Main Event.

Football: Premier League – Aston Villa v Tottenham – TNT Sports 1, k/o 7pm

Coverage from 6pm.

Formula One: Miami Grand Prix – Sky Sports, race start 9pm

Coverage from 7pm. Race 9pm UK time.

Early Evening

Countryfile – BBC One, 5:15pm

Vick Hope and Matt Baker in the Chilterns. A new pig breed on Adam Henson’s farm. BBC iPlayer.

Secret Garden – BBC One, 6:15pm (LAST IN SERIES)

Series finale. Simon King’s pine marten sequences from the Scottish Highlands are finally revealed, plus sand martins nesting in riverbank burrows. A Secrets Revealed segment rounds it off. The barn owls have been the quiet stars all along. BBC iPlayer.

Murdoch Mysteries – U&Alibi, 7pm

Brackenreid and fellow inspectors at a remote hunting lodge. Someone starts picking them off. They turn on each other. Catch up via Now.

Prime Time

Antiques Roadshow – BBC One, 7:15pm

Fiona Bruce at Belmont House in Kent, home to 340 clocks. Raj Bisram handles a brick — a first for him, and not just any brick: it’s from the Vatican. Also seen: a piece of wood from HMS Bounty, a silver honey pot, and Anton Du Beke foxtrotting with Fiona. Originally 2023. BBC iPlayer.

Making Life on Earth: Attenborough’s Greatest Adventure ⭐ – BBC One, 8pm

The original Life on Earth pulled fifteen million viewers in 1979. Pubs reportedly fell quiet. This documentary tells how it was made: a hundred locations, three years, the full thirteen-part script written before a foot of film was shot. Attenborough had a senior BBC desk job on the table at the time. He turned it down and called it a turning point in his life. New crew interviews. BBC iPlayer.

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

Jeremy Clarkson, six contestants, the familiar dread of someone deliberating too long. The current series has been eventful. ITVX.

Harry Wild – U&Drama, 8pm

A famous detective is pushed to her death at a true-crime convention. Twist arrives early: the victim is a cosplaying lookalike. Harry and Fergus go looking for someone whose admiration crossed a line. Catch up via U.

Cruising to the Ends of the Earth – Channel 4, 8pm

The Diamond Princess in Busan, South Korea. Gamcheon Culture Village’s painted hillside lanes. Passengers on the Royal Princess reach the Mendenhall Glacier by rowing boat. C4 streaming.

9pm

The Cage – BBC One, 9pm

Episode 3. Casino boss Nancy, played by Geraldine James with cold precision, tells Matty and Leanne it has to stop. The world they’ve stumbled into is bigger than either of them reckoned. Leanne discovers Matty has a teenage daughter. Hard man Paul tries to convince a nosy neighbour the truncheon he’s carrying is for undercover work. He is not convincing. Full series on BBC iPlayer.

Secret Service – ITV1, 9pm

Episode 3 of 4. The team extracts asset Lena from the streets of Valletta. The bigger problem is at home: someone in the UK is feeding information out, and Kate has to work out who. Gemma Arterton carries the uncertainty without spelling it out. Former ITV deputy political editor Anushka Asthana cameos. Full series on ITVX.

Your Song – Channel 4, 9pm

Alison Hammond brings the contest to Birmingham. A former footballer sings Nessun Dorma for his Royal Navy grandfather. A pregnant woman performs the song that carried her through the worst months. Bob, 72, gets the crowd dancing. An Iranian refugee for whom singing was once defiance. C4 streaming.

The Viewing Schedule

What’s On Streaming

BBC iPlayer: Making Life on Earth, The Cage (full series), Antiques Roadshow, Secret Garden, Snooker World Final
ITVX: Secret Service (full series), Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
Channel 4 streaming: Your Song, Cruising to the Ends of the Earth
Sky Sports: Man United v Liverpool, Miami Grand Prix (subscription)
TNT Sports: Snooker Final (12:45pm), Aston Villa v Tottenham (subscription)
Disney+: Inside the CIA – Secrets and Spies

Frequently Asked Questions

Is EastEnders on tonight (Sunday 3 May 2026)?

No. EastEnders doesn’t air on Sundays. The soap runs Monday to Friday on BBC One. Catch up via iPlayer. EastEnders returns on Monday.

What time is Making Life on Earth: Attenborough’s Greatest Adventure on BBC One?

BBC One at 8pm (Sunday 3 May 2026). The story behind the 1979 Life on Earth: 100 locations, three years of filming, 15 million viewers at peak. BBC iPlayer.

What time is The Cage on BBC One tonight?

BBC One at 9pm (Sunday 3 May 2026). Episode 3 with Sheridan Smith and Michael Socha. Full series on BBC iPlayer.

What time is the Snooker World Championship Final on today?

BBC One and BBC Scotland from 1pm. TNT Sports 3 from 12:45pm. Evening session BBC Two from 7pm. 35 frames to win over two days.

What football is on TV today (Sunday 3 May 2026)?

Man United v Liverpool, Sky Sports Main Event, k/o 3pm. Aston Villa v Tottenham, TNT Sports 1, k/o 7pm. Subscriptions required.

What time is Secret Service on ITV1 tonight?

ITV1 at 9pm (Sunday 3 May 2026). Episode 3 of 4. Gemma Arterton. Malta done; the mole hunt begins. Full series on ITVX.

What’s the best thing to watch on TV tonight (Sunday 3 May 2026)?

Making Life on Earth: Attenborough’s Greatest Adventure BBC One, 8pm. The Cage BBC One, 9pm. For sport: Snooker World Final BBC One from 1pm, Man United v Liverpool Sky Sports, k/o 3pm.

Final Verdict

Making Life on Earth: Attenborough’s Greatest Adventure at 8pm on BBC One. Easy decision.

The Cage at 9pm is the strongest continuing BBC One drama right now, and episode 3 sharpens the threat. Secret Service on ITV1 at 9pm is one episode from the finish. Snooker World Final runs all day from 1pm on BBC One; Man United v Liverpool kicks off at 3pm.

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