TV Guide UK Tonight: Thurs 21 May 2026 – Race Across the World Finale, Marilyn Monroe Night & Taskmaster

Published: 15 May 2026

Thursday 21 May 2026. The Race Across the World series finale is on BBC One at 8pm — four pairs, 11,000km from Sicily to Hatgal, Mongolia. BBC Four follows Channel 4’s Marilyn Monroe documentary from last night with a full centenary film night from 8pm. EastEnders at 7:30pm, two series finales (Bergerac, The Hardacres), Taskmaster, and the Elon Musk documentary.

Quick Picks: Tonight’s Best

• Race Across the World ⭐ — BBC One, 8pm — SERIES FINALE. Sicily to Mongolia. Hatgal awaits
• Marilyn Monroe Night — BBC Four, from 8pm — Eve Arnold doc, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, How to Marry a Millionaire
• Taskmaster — Channel 4, 9pm — Kumail Nanjiani earns his flight costs back
• The Hardacres — Channel 5, 9pm — FINALE. Michele Dotrice vs Julie Graham at the bridge table
• Bergerac — U&Drama, 9pm — FINALE. One loose thread. You know what to watch for
• EastEnders — BBC One, 7:30pm — Grant and Mark. Thursday: last one of the week

Early Evening

EastEnders – BBC One, 7:30pm

Thursday is the last EastEnders of the week — the soap runs Monday through Thursday, with Friday off — which gives tonight’s episode a particular weight. The Grant Mitchell and Mark Fowler kidnapping storyline from Wednesday carries on; how much gets resolved before the weekend is the question. BBC iPlayer.

Rising Bills: How Can You Save Money? – Tonight – ITV1, 7:30pm

Paul Brand on what the war in Iran and continuing cost-of-living pressure are doing to household bills, with practical steps you can take. On STV at 10:45pm. ITVX.

Prime Time

Race Across the World ⭐ – BBC One, 8pm (SERIES FINALE)

Four pairs, 11,000km, final checkpoint in Hatgal, Mongolia. Budget decisions and route gambles have shaped the leaderboard at every stage, but the reason this run has worked is how much the people have shifted alongside the standings. Kush and Jo have grown into something genuinely warm. Mark, who spent the early legs radiating mild hostility, has been worn down into someone his sister-in-law Margo can actually travel with. Who wins almost feels secondary. A making-of special follows straight after at 9pm — unseen footage, casting story, what the trip actually cost the travellers. BBC iPlayer.

Marilyn Monroe Night – BBC Four, from 8pm

Channel 4 gave Monroe’s centenary the darker treatment last night with Marilyn and the Mob. BBC Four takes the cheerier approach. The short 1987 documentary Eve and Marilyn opens at 8pm — photographer Eve Arnold on the Monroe she actually knew. Then Gentlemen Prefer Blondes at 8:30pm: Howard Hawks’ Technicolor musical comedy with Monroe and Jane Russell in diamonds and sequins. A documentary on Jane Russell follows at 10pm — a corrective for a woman who spent too long being billed as “the other one”. How to Marry a Millionaire closes the night at 10:45pm with Monroe, Betty Grable and Lauren Bacall. BBC iPlayer.

Coronation Street – ITV1, 8:30pm

Summer’s account of the night Theo died has developed structural problems. She overhears George tipping off police about her movements, and what had seemed manageable begins to unravel. Book a flight to America, or be talked out of it and face the music — neither option looks good. ITVX.

9pm

Taskmaster – Channel 4, 9pm

Kumail Nanjiani has been pretty open about what Taskmaster cost him: the flights, the scheduling, the money he technically lost by being here rather than in Hollywood. Tonight he absolutely earns one of those flights back. Worth it for Greg Davies’ reaction alone. C4 streaming.

The Elon Musk Show: the Next Chapter – BBC Two, 9pm

One of Elon Musk’s children is named Techno Mechanicus. Nobody is entirely sure how many children there are in total. Musk’s positions on more procreation, colonising Mars and merging human consciousness with AI at death are all in here. The thing that lands hardest is a tweet he posted this year: “whoever said ‘money can’t buy happiness’ really knew what they were talking about.” Coming from someone potentially about to become the world’s first trillionaire, that reads differently. BBC iPlayer.

Bergerac – U&Drama, 9pm (SERIES FINALE)

Jim was left in a woozy, compromised state last week. The plot has offered some satisfying-looking answers, but something about them is a fraction too neat. Watch the character who’s been given slightly less to do than the story requires. Barney will be last to see it. Full series on U.

The Hardacres – Channel 5, 9pm

Lady Imelda Hanson (Michele Dotrice) invites Ma Hardacre (Julie Graham) to bridge intending to humiliate her. It doesn’t go as planned. Dotrice plays charm concealing hostility; Graham plays someone who sees through that trick on sight. Harry explains his problem with education to his new tutor. 5 streaming.

The Viewing Schedule

What’s On Streaming

BBC iPlayer: EastEnders, Race Across the World (finale + making-of), The Elon Musk Show: the Next Chapter, Marilyn Monroe Night (all programmes)
Channel 4 streaming: Taskmaster
5 streaming/My5: The Hardacres (full series), The Hotel Inspector
ITVX: Coronation Street, Rising Bills: How Can You Save Money? – Tonight
Now: Prisoner, The Miniature Wife, Classic Movies: Three Days of the Condor, Three Days of the Condor (film)
U: Bergerac (full series)

Frequently Asked Questions

Is EastEnders on TV tonight (Thursday 21 May 2026)?

Yes — BBC One at 7:30pm. The soap runs Mon–Thurs; tonight is the last episode of the week. The Grant Mitchell and Mark Fowler kidnapping storyline from Wednesday continues. BBC iPlayer.

What time is Race Across the World on BBC One tonight?

Series finale at 8pm on BBC One (Thursday 21 May 2026). Four teams closing in on the final checkpoint in Hatgal, Mongolia, after 11,000km from Sicily. Making-of special at 9pm. BBC iPlayer.

What is the Marilyn Monroe Night on BBC Four tonight?

BBC Four’s centenary night runs from 8pm on Thursday 21 May 2026: Eve and Marilyn doc at 8pm, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes at 8:30pm, Jane Russell documentary at 10pm, How to Marry a Millionaire at 10:45pm. All on BBC iPlayer.

What time is Taskmaster on tonight?

Channel 4 at 9pm (Thursday 21 May 2026). Greg Davies hosts. Kumail Nanjiani has his best week of the series. Channel 4 streaming.

What’s the best thing to watch on TV tonight (Thursday 21 May 2026)?

Race Across the World series finale on BBC One at 8pm is the clear pick. BBC Four’s Marilyn Monroe night from 8pm is the gentler alternative. Taskmaster at 9pm on Channel 4 is the other essential.

Final Verdict

Race Across the World on BBC One at 8pm. One of the show’s better series runs — not because the race has been tight, but because the people in it have been worth watching. The making-of special at 9pm is a genuine bonus.

BBC Four’s Marilyn Monroe night from 8pm if you want something warmer: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes at 8:30pm is exactly the film to put on after a long week. Taskmaster at 9pm on Channel 4 is the evening’s other essential.

Related: What’s On TV Tonight Thursday | What’s On TV Tonight Wed 20 May 2026 | What’s On TV Tonight Fri 22 May 2026