TV Guide UK Tonight: Thurs 25 Jun 2026 – Ecuador v Germany, EastEnders & The Traitors US

Published: 21 June 2026

Thursday 25 June 2026. Germany arrive at the World Cup with intent tonight — Ecuador v Germany kicks off at 9pm on BBC One, free on Freeview, and it is comfortably the match of the day. Before the football, EastEnders does something gloriously strange with a half-Christmas episode at 7:30pm, and afterwards The Traitors US serves up a double bill that will keep the night going until well past midnight. A full evening, all told.

Quick Picks: Tonight’s Best

• Ecuador v Germany BBC One, 8:30pm (kick-off 9pm). World Cup group stage. Germany. Free. ⭐
• EastEnders BBC One, 7:30pm. Half-Christmas. Turkey in the oven. Heavier stuff underneath.
• The Traitors US BBC Three, 9:10pm and 10:10pm. Alan Cumming, a double bill, a banishment vote that matters.
• Rik Mayall: Magnificent B’stard Sky Documentaries, 9pm. Adrian Edmondson remembers. Honest and warm.
• The Producers BBC Four, 10pm. Mel Brooks’s centenary. Zero Mostel. Still brilliant.
• Would I Lie to You? BBC One, 8pm. Stephen Mulhern claims to have been Mr Blobby. It is exactly as good as that sounds.

Sport

Cricket: Men’s Test – England v New Zealand – Sky Sports, 11am

Day one at Trent Bridge, Nottingham. England open the Test series against New Zealand from 11am on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Cricket. Subscription required.

FIFA World Cup 2026: Ecuador v Germany – BBC One, 8:30pm (kick-off 9pm) ⭐

The marquee fixture of the evening and, given it is free on BBC One at a prime-time hour, one of the most accessible World Cup matches of the tournament so far. Germany are among the genuine contenders — the kind of side that arrives at a World Cup with a plan and the players to execute it. Ecuador will not simply concede the match, but the weight of expectation sits firmly in one direction. Coverage from 8:30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. No subscription needed.

FIFA World Cup 2026: Curaçao v Ivory Coast – BBC Two, 9pm

Simultaneous group stage action on BBC Two at 9pm. Free on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.

Early Evening

EastEnders – BBC One, 7:30pm

Half-Christmas in Albert Square tonight. Nicola has gone full festive — decorations up, turkey in the oven — exactly six months to the day before Christmas. It is exactly the sort of thing EastEnders does well, using lightness as cover for what is actually happening underneath. George is trying to decide whether to attend the funeral of Eddie, the adoptive father he became estranged from. Harry, Nicola’s eldest, admits quietly that he is afraid he might relapse. The comedy and the grief exist in the same room, as they tend to in real life. BBC iPlayer. (8pm in Scotland.)

Would I Lie to You? – BBC One, 8pm

Rob Brydon hosts with David Mitchell and Lee Mack as team captains for another round of the panel comedy that has lasted because it is genuinely funny, not because it has ever tried too hard. Tonight’s guests include Stephen Mulhern, who arrives with a story about having worn the Mr Blobby costume on Noel’s House Party back in 2022. Antiques expert Raj Bisram also appears. Not shown in Scotland or Wales. BBC iPlayer.

Prime Time

George Clarke’s Beautiful Builds – Channel 4, 8pm

Bedfordshire couple Charlene and Matt have moved house three times in five years — which tells you something about either very bad luck or a failure to agree on what they actually want. George Clarke meets them where they are and sets about transforming a ground floor that doesn’t work and a back garden that goes straight up a slope. Channel 4 streaming.

Cornwall: A Year by the Sea – Channel 5, 8pm

Summer comes to St Michael’s Mount after a hard winter. The island’s castle — owned by the St Aubyn family, part stately home and part tourist attraction — opens up for the season, and tour guide Anna takes centre stage. The Padstow May Day festival draws thousands to the town. Good-natured, unhurried documentary television. 5 streaming.

The Traitors US – BBC Three, 9:10pm and 10:10pm

Alan Cumming presides over the American edition in a double bill that lands at the competition’s midway point. A tense Round Table and a banishment vote that goes closer than anyone expected — the Traitors are under real pressure from a player who has worked out more than they should have. If you have been watching the series, this is the evening it starts to tighten. BBC iPlayer.

Rik Mayall: Magnificent B’stard – Sky Documentaries, 9pm

Adrian Edmondson was there for most of it — the early years, The Young Ones, the peak of Rik Mayall’s fame, the quad-bike accident in 1998 that caused a serious brain injury — and he is the best possible witness to a career that was unlike anybody else’s. Family members contribute too, and the result is a portrait that earns its affection rather than simply assuming it. Catch up via Now. Followed at 11pm on Sky Arts by Rik Mayall’s Sketches: Rare and Unseen.

Late Night

The Producers – BBC Four, 10pm

BBC Four marks Mel Brooks’s 100th birthday — 28 June — with the 1968 film that won him the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. Zero Mostel plays Max Bialystock, a desperate Broadway producer; Gene Wilder is Leo Bloom, the nervous accountant who points out that a guaranteed flop could make them rich. It is as funny now as it ever was. BBC iPlayer. Followed by two Alan Yentob documentaries about Brooks.

The Accused: Beyond Reasonable Doubt? – Channel 4, 10pm

The documentary series examining potential miscarriages of justice turns to the case of Stacey Hyde, who was 17 in 2009 when she stabbed her friend’s boyfriend and claimed she was acting out of fear for her own safety. She was convicted of murder. The charity Justice for Women later supported her case. Laws have since changed to allow self-defence arguments based on a genuine fear of serious violence. Channel 4 streaming.

The Viewing Schedule

What’s On Streaming

• BBC iPlayer: Ecuador v Germany, Curaçao v Ivory Coast, EastEnders, Would I Lie to You?, Double Cross, Saving Lives at Sea, The Producers, overnight World Cup fixtures
• Channel 4 streaming: George Clarke’s Beautiful Builds, The Accused: Beyond Reasonable Doubt?, Poisoned: Killer in the Post
• 5 streaming: Cornwall: A Year by the Sea
• Now: Rik Mayall: Magnificent B’stard, Rik Mayall’s Sketches: Rare and Unseen (Sky Arts, 11pm)

Frequently Asked Questions

Is EastEnders on Thursday 25 June 2026?

Yes — EastEnders is on BBC One at 7:30pm (8pm in Scotland) tonight. It is a notable episode: Nicola has decorated the Albert Square house for half-Christmas — six months to the day before Christmas — with a turkey in the oven. Beneath the seasonal silliness, George is wrestling with whether to attend the funeral of his estranged adoptive father Eddie, and Harry, Nicola’s eldest, admits he is afraid of relapsing. Catch up on BBC iPlayer.

What time is Ecuador v Germany and what channel?

Ecuador v Germany is on BBC One with coverage from 8:30pm and kick-off at 9pm UK time. It is free to watch on BBC One and available to stream on BBC iPlayer. No subscription required.

What’s the best thing to watch on TV tonight (Thursday 25 June 2026)?

Ecuador v Germany on BBC One (coverage 8:30pm, kick-off 9pm) is the pick of the night — free on the Freeview TV guide, World Cup group stage, Germany in full force. If football is not your thing: The Traitors US double bill on BBC Three from 9:10pm is the best reality television on right now, and The Producers on BBC Four at 10pm is an actual comedy classic. The Rik Mayall tribute on Sky Documentaries at 9pm is the pay-TV highlight.

What is The Traitors US and where can I watch it?

The Traitors US is the American version of the reality competition hosted by Alan Cumming, in which players attempt to identify and banish the hidden Traitors from among the group. Tonight’s BBC Three double bill (9:10pm and 10:10pm) arrives at the contest’s midway point, with a Round Table and banishment vote that go down to the wire. The full series is on BBC iPlayer.

Is there a Rik Mayall documentary on tonight?

Yes — Rik Mayall: Magnificent B’stard airs on Sky Documentaries at 9pm. Adrian Edmondson and members of Mayall’s family discuss his career, the 1998 quad-bike accident, and his death in 2014. It is followed at 11pm on Sky Arts by Rik Mayall’s Sketches: Rare and Unseen. Catch up via Now.

Final Verdict

Ecuador v Germany on BBC One (coverage 8:30pm, kick-off 9pm) is the night’s main event — free on Freeview, Germany at a World Cup, and no good reason not to watch. EastEnders at 7:30pm does what it does best: something funny on top, something real underneath. The Traitors US double bill on BBC Three from 9:10pm is the alternative if you want something that requires more shouting at the screen. And if you stay up past 10pm: The Producers on BBC Four is a comedy masterpiece that holds up completely. What’s on TV tonight? Quite a lot, as it happens.

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