TV Guide UK Tonight: Thurs 23 Jul 2026 – Who Do You Think You Are?, Commonwealth Games & Pompeii: Out of Time

Published: 15 July 2026

Thursday 23 July 2026. BBC One hands its 9pm slot to a genealogy heavyweight tonight, with Adeel Akhtar digging into his Kenyan and Indian family roots on Who Do You Think You Are?. Free-to-air sport gets a proper moment too, as Channel 5 carries the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony live from Glasgow’s OVO Hydro from 8pm. Tom Hiddleston launches a new investigation into Pompeii on National Geographic, ITV1 sends Bradley Walsh’s Chase teams to Barcelona, and EastEnders airs its usual Thursday episode on BBC One at 7:30pm.

Quick Picks: Tonight’s Best

• Who Do You Think You Are? BBC One, 9pm. Adeel Akhtar traces his Kenyan roots.
• Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony Channel 5, 8pm. Live from Glasgow’s OVO Hydro.
• Pompeii: Out of Time with Tom Hiddleston National Geographic, 8pm & 9pm. New series launches.
• Fake or Fortune? BBC One, 8pm. Philip Mould and Fiona Bruce investigate a family portrait.
• The Chase around the World ITV1, 9pm. Bradley Walsh’s teams reach Barcelona.
• EastEnders is on tonight — BBC One, 7:30pm, as usual for a Thursday.

Early Evening

Our Lives: Hunting the Giant Bluefin Tuna – BBC One, 7pm

This strand turns its attention to Ballycastle, where anglers Davy and Jonny are trying to turn the recent return of giant bluefin tuna to Irish waters into something more permanent: a working fishery built around a fish that all but vanished from these seas for a generation. It’s less about the thrill of the catch than the slow, stubborn work of proving something can actually be built on it. BBC iPlayer.

EastEnders – BBC One, 7:30pm

Albert Square’s residents are back for another Thursday instalment, continuing the storylines that have been running through the week. As ever, expect the usual mix of fallouts, favours and half-kept secrets that keep the Square ticking over. BBC iPlayer.

Tom Kerridge Cooks Italy – ITV1, 7:30pm

Tom Kerridge’s Italian road trip reaches Tuscany just as the region’s olive harvest gets under way, and he spends the episode with the growers whose knowledge of the crop stretches back generations. It’s as much about the people and the land as it is about the food that eventually lands on the plate. ITVX.

Prime Time

Who Do You Think You Are? – BBC One, 9pm ⭐

The one to build your evening around. Adeel Akhtar heads into the Kenyan branch of his mother’s family tree and turns up a story far bigger than he expected, tracing his great-great-grandfather Kassam Suleman Verjee’s journey from India to Mombasa, where he set up shops that helped establish a trading foothold long before Kenya existed in its modern form. It’s the kind of episode this series does best: a personal search that opens out into a much wider piece of history most viewers won’t have encountered before. BBC iPlayer.

Fake or Fortune? – BBC One, 8pm

Philip Mould and Fiona Bruce take on a case involving Mary-Louise Wedderburn, who believes a portrait in her family’s possession was painted by her own 18th-century relative, the Scottish artist Katherine Read. The investigation leans on the pair’s usual mix of archive digging and technical analysis, and as always the fun is in watching a hunch either survive or collapse under scrutiny. BBC iPlayer.

Pompeii: Out of Time with Tom Hiddleston – National Geographic, 8pm & 9pm

A new series opens with a double bill, and it’s a genuinely different approach to a subject that’s been covered endlessly. Tom Hiddleston works through fresh archaeological evidence about the eruption of Vesuvius while dramatised “Via Coronationis” sequences follow three real Pompeiians through their final hours, blending documentary rigour with something closer to drama. Whether that combination lands will depend on your patience for reconstruction, but the underlying research is solid. Catch up on Disney+.

Bangers & Cash – Yesterday, 8pm

Now in its 14th series, Derek Mathewson’s saleroom keeps turning up cars with more story than sense: tonight it’s a Mk1 Ford Cortina GT that’s been with the same owner since 1965, a Reliant Scimitar and a Hutson MG, each with an owner who clearly can’t quite believe they’re letting it go. Catch up via U.

The Chase around the World – ITV1, 9pm

Bradley Walsh and this week’s team take their general knowledge to Barcelona, the latest stop on the quiz’s globetrotting spin-off. The format hasn’t changed much, but the change of scenery gives it a different rhythm to the studio-bound original, and the Chasers seem to be enjoying the location shoots as much as the questions. ITVX.

CIA – Sky Witness, 9pm

A new US import lands tonight, pairing Tom Ellis as a rule-bending CIA case officer with Nick Gehlfuss as the more careful FBI agent assigned to work alongside him. It’s built on the same procedural engine as its stablemates, but the mismatch between the two leads’ instincts gives it a sharper edge early on. Catch up on Now.

The Five Star Weekend – Sky Atlantic, 9pm & 9:45pm

This Nantucket drama continues with a double bill, following influencer Hollis, played by Jennifer Garner, as a weekend designed to look effortless on camera starts quietly falling apart behind the scenes. It’s glossy on the surface but has more going on underneath than the setting suggests. Catch up on Now.

The Devil in the Family: the Fall of Ruby Franke – BBC Two, 9pm

A new three-part documentary opens tonight, tracing how family-vlogging YouTuber Ruby Franke came under the influence of counsellor Jodi Hildebrandt and the abuse that followed within her own household. It’s a difficult watch by design, more interested in how the warning signs were missed than in the shock value of the case itself. 9:30pm in Wales. BBC iPlayer.

Murder Case: the Digital Detectives – Channel 4, 9pm

This documentary strand returns to a gang-related killing from 2020, tracking how investigators pieced the case together and, improbably, how a single fake £20 note ended up being the detail that cracked it open. Channel 4 streaming.

The Reclaimers: Made in Suffolk – More4, 9pm

Stained-glass specialist Barry and up-and-coming talent Jonah take on a fresh batch of commissions, including an ambitious run of seven Hutson MG replicas built almost entirely from salvaged parts. It’s unhurried, craft-focused television that trusts the work itself to hold your attention. Channel 4 streaming.

Late Night

The Showjumper Murder – Channel 4, 10pm

This two-part documentary opens with the death of showjumper Katie Simpson, found at her home in Londonderry in 2020, and the investigation that followed involving her sister’s partner, Jonathan Cresswell. It’s a careful, methodical account rather than a sensationalised one, and it earns its two-part length by taking the time the case actually needs. Channel 4 streaming.

Sport

Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony – Channel 5, 8pm

This is the sporting event of the night for anyone without a subscription. The scaled-back 2026 Commonwealth Games officially get under way live from the OVO Hydro in Glasgow, with Channel 5 carrying the ceremony from 8pm and TNT Sports 2 starting its coverage earlier at 6:30pm for subscribers. Expect a proudly Scottish send-off, with KT Tunstall headlining a performance line-up that also includes Nathan Evans and Callum Beattie. It’s a smaller, more compact Games than previous editions, but the opening night still has genuine occasion to it.

Away from Glasgow, the Tour de France reaches stage 18, its first day in the Alps, with a 185km ride from Voiron that finishes on the brutal climb to Orcières-Merlette. Live coverage runs on TNT Sports 1 from 11:15am, with highlights on Channel 5 at 7pm for anyone who’d rather catch the mountain drama in half the time. In golf, the Women’s Scottish Open gets under way at Dundonald Links in Irvine, Ayrshire, with coverage on Sky Sports/Golf from 9:30am.

The Viewing Schedule

What’s On Streaming

• BBC iPlayer: Our Lives: Hunting the Giant Bluefin Tuna, EastEnders, Fake or Fortune?, Who Do You Think You Are?, The Devil in the Family: the Fall of Ruby Franke
• ITVX: Tom Kerridge Cooks Italy, The Chase around the World
• Channel 4 streaming: Murder Case: the Digital Detectives, The Reclaimers: Made in Suffolk, The Showjumper Murder
• Disney+: Pompeii: Out of Time with Tom Hiddleston
• Now: CIA, The Five Star Weekend
• U: Bangers & Cash

Frequently Asked Questions

Is EastEnders on tonight (Thursday 23 July 2026)?

Yes. EastEnders airs on BBC One at 7:30pm tonight as part of its usual Monday-to-Thursday run, with the episode also available on BBC iPlayer shortly after broadcast.

What time is Who Do You Think You Are? on BBC One tonight?

Who Do You Think You Are? is on BBC One at 9pm tonight. Actor Adeel Akhtar traces his mother’s Kenyan ancestry, uncovering his great-great-grandfather’s move from India to Mombasa. It streams on BBC iPlayer straight after broadcast.

What time is the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony on TV?

The Commonwealth Games opening ceremony is live on Channel 5 from 8pm, broadcasting from the OVO Hydro in Glasgow. TNT Sports 2 also carries coverage from 6:30pm for subscribers.

Is Pompeii with Tom Hiddleston new tonight?

Yes. Pompeii: Out of Time with Tom Hiddleston launches its new series on National Geographic tonight with a double bill at 8pm and 9pm, and it’s also available to catch up on Disney+.

What’s the best thing to watch on TV tonight (Thursday 23 July 2026)?

Who Do You Think You Are? on BBC One at 9pm is the pick of the night, with Adeel Akhtar’s Kenyan family story making for one of the series’ most surprising episodes. The Commonwealth Games opening ceremony on Channel 5 from 8pm is the other unmissable moment, live from Glasgow.

Final Verdict

Thursday 23 July splits neatly into two unmissable strands. Who Do You Think You Are? on BBC One at 9pm is the pick for anyone after a proper story, with Adeel Akhtar’s Kenyan family history genuinely earning its billing. For live occasion, nothing beats the Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony on Channel 5 from 8pm, a scaled-back but spirited start to Glasgow’s Games. Pompeii: Out of Time and Fake or Fortune? both make strong cases earlier in the evening, and EastEnders is on as usual at 7:30pm if you’re just after the regular fix.

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