What’s On TV Tonight: Thursday 1st January 2026

Happy New Year. If you’re feeling slightly fragile and need some gentle telly to ease into 2026, you’re in luck. David Attenborough’s pottering around London looking at foxes, The Traitors is back for more backstabbing, and there’s a genuine classic film hiding on Film4 this morning that you really shouldn’t miss.

Quick Picks: Today’s Best

• The Lady Eve – Film4, 11am – Rare screwball classic, first free TV showing in decades
• Wild London – BBC One, 6:30pm – Attenborough at his most charming
• The Traitors – BBC One, 8pm – Claudia’s back with fresh treachery
• The Night Manager – BBC One, 9:05pm – Tom Hiddleston returns as Jonathan Pine

Daytime Viewing (10am – 6pm)

New Year’s Day Concert from Vienna – BBC Two, 10:15am

The traditional hangover cure for the cultured. The Vienna Philharmonic swirls through Strauss waltzes in the gilded splendour of the Musikverein, conducted this year by Canadian Yannick Nézet-Séguin. The orchestra noted his booking reflects their goal of “working more with the younger generation of conductors” – he’s 50. Highlights at 7pm on BBC Four if you’re not ready for three hours of polkas.

The Lady Eve – Film4, 11am ⭐

Here’s your New Year’s Day gem. Preston Sturges’s 1941 screwball comedy hasn’t aired on free TV for decades, and it’s as good as romantic comedies get. Barbara Stanwyck plays a con artist who makes wealthy snake researcher Henry Fonda her mark. Sturges wrote it while awaiting his third divorce, but the results are surprisingly sweet. Fonda’s pratfalls are a joy – rare comedy work from him. Genuinely unmissable.

Raya and the Last Dragon – Channel 4, 2:15pm

Solid family viewing if you’ve got restless kids. Disney’s South East Asian-inspired adventure follows princess Raya seeking the last dragon to unite five warring tribes. The landscapes are gorgeous, shaped by a dedicated cultural trust to ensure authenticity. Not peak Disney, but far better than most.

Early Evening (6pm – 8pm)

Wild London – BBC One, 6:30pm

This is lovely. Attenborough, who’s lived in London for most of his 99 years, guides us through the wildlife on his doorstep. There’s a wonderful scene of him on a camping chair meeting fox cubs in a Tottenham allotment, and him handling a peregrine falcon chick at Parliament (“Oh what a lovely thing!” he purrs). Drunken bees, horny hedgehogs, and a Bambi-like fawn in a park. Pure comfort telly.

The Great New Year Bake Off – Channel 4, 6:40pm

Former winners and finalists return for relaxed festive baking. Rahul, Selasi, Nelly, Andy and Briony pair up with nothing to prove and no bread to botch. The relay technical is chaotic, the Christmas film-inspired showstoppers are spectacular. Best enjoyed with whatever’s left of the Christmas cake.

EastEnders – BBC One, 7:30pm

Don’t adjust your sets – it really is 2027 in Albert Square. This flash-forward special jumps ahead a year to next New Year’s Day, where Max is in serious trouble. We’ll spend the next 52 weeks piecing together how we got there. Bold idea, though they’ve done similar before. Intriguing if you’re invested.

Prime Time (8pm onwards)

The Traitors – BBC One, 8pm

There’s barely been time to steam-clean the cloaks and we’re back in Scotland. Series four of Claudia Winkleman’s treacherous parlour game arrives with 22 new players and heightened expectations after Alan Carr and co made the celebrity edition so entertaining.

There are changes this series, though Claudia says she’d be in “enormous trouble” if she revealed them. What we do know: episodes now air at 8pm (thank goodness), and The Traitors: Uncloaked moves to BBC One from tomorrow. For the treacherous warm-up, The Traitors at the Proms is on BBC One at 2pm.

The Night Manager – BBC One, 9:05pm

Tom Hiddleston’s Jonathan Pine returns, still scarred from infiltrating Richard Roper’s arms dealing operation all those years ago. He’s now in a low-risk surveillance job in London, but a glimpse of a former Roper collaborator drags him back in.

On this opening episode, it’s engaging enough spy thriller stuff. But it does feel like a brass rubbing of the original, and with Slow Horses having raised the bar for British espionage drama, there’s a sense it lacks wit and flavourful characterisation. Glossy, but comes with reservations.

Red Eye – ITV1, 9pm

Room for some hamminess? Red Eye’s back for series two. Jing Lusi’s DS Hana Li has a new case involving the US Embassy and Martin Compston brooding as head of security Clay Brody. They have history. Meanwhile, Lesley Sharp’s MI5 chief faces mid-air mayhem. Slick and silly in equal measure.

Late Night

Mrs Brown’s Boys – BBC One, 10:05pm

The second festive visit to Finglas finds Mammy preparing for a storm. Surely not the weather for a parachute jump? Followed at 10:35pm by Shedites, a new sitcom from Paddy Houlihan (Dermot) about a gang of lads in a village shed. Brendan O’Carroll turns up.

What’s On Streaming

BBC iPlayer: Wild London, The Traitors, The Night Manager, EastEnders
Channel 4 streaming: The Lady Eve, Raya and the Last Dragon, The Great New Year Bake Off
ITVX: Red Eye (full series available)

The Viewing Schedule

Frequently Asked Questions

What time is The Traitors on tonight?

The Traitors is on BBC One at 8pm tonight (Thursday 1st January 2026).

What’s the best thing to watch on TV tonight?

Our top pick is Wild London on BBC One at 6:30pm – David Attenborough at his most charming, exploring the wildlife on his doorstep. For film lovers, The Lady Eve on Film4 at 11am is unmissable.

What channel is The Night Manager on?

The Night Manager series 2 is on BBC One at 9:05pm tonight.

What’s on BBC One tonight?

BBC One’s highlights include Wild London at 6:30pm, The Traitors at 8pm, and The Night Manager at 9:05pm.

Is The Lady Eve worth watching?

Absolutely. It’s one of the greatest romantic comedies ever made – sharp, funny, and featuring two stars at the top of their game. It hasn’t aired on free TV for decades, so do try to catch it.

Final Verdict

Start 2026 properly: catch The Lady Eve this morning if you can (genuinely one of the best romantic comedies ever made), then ease into the evening with Attenborough’s lovely Wild London. The Traitors will deliver the backstabbing you’ve been missing, though The Night Manager might leave you wishing you were watching Slow Horses instead.

Clint Edgar

Clint is a writer and self-proclaimed professional binge-watcher who treats the "Skip Intro" button with the suspicion it deserves. When he isn't dissecting plot holes or getting emotionally invested in fictional characters, you can find him scrolling through streaming queues or arguing about why The Office is a masterpiece. Clint lives in London with a dangerously comfortable couch and a remote control that he guards with his life.