TV Guide UK Tonight: Thurs 26 Feb 2026 – The Apprentice, The Dunblane Tapes & Dragons’ Den

A Thursday with real weight and substance across the schedule. The Apprentice reaches a landmark moment on BBC One at 9pm — the 20th series pays tribute to where it all began by reviving the very first task from 2005, sending the candidates out to arrange and sell flowers. On Channel 4 at 9pm, The Dunblane Tapes is essential but harrowing viewing, a documentary on the 1996 school massacre and the remarkable Snowdrop campaign that changed Britain’s gun laws, arriving just a fortnight after yet another school shooting in North America. Earlier, Dragons’ Den at 8pm opens with one of the most memorable pitches in years — a coffin and a telephone box that leave the Dragons baffled. This Farming Life returns on BBC Two at 8pm with Scottish agriculture at its most absorbing and handsomely shot. Spain with Michael Portillo closes its run on Channel 5 at 8pm with a trip to the Ibiza you don’t know. The remarkable Murder Case Scottish documentary strand returns on BBC Two at 9pm with the disturbing disappearance of Arlene Fraser. And BBC Four pairs a reading of The 39 Steps with Hitchcock’s classic film. A proper Thursday.

Quick Picks: Tonight’s Best

• The Apprentice — BBC One, 9pm — 20th anniversary flower task: the very first challenge returns
• The Dunblane Tapes — Channel 4, 9pm — Essential documentary on the massacre and the Snowdrop campaign
• Dragons’ Den — BBC One, 8pm — A coffin, a telephone box and guest Dragon Jenna Meek
• This Farming Life — BBC Two, 8pm — Series 8 returns with a 4m farming gamble
• Murder Case — BBC Two, 9pm — The superlative Scottish strand investigates Arlene Fraser
• Spain with Michael Portillo — Channel 5, 8pm — LAST IN SERIES: off the beaten track in Ibiza
• The 39 Steps — BBC Four, 9pm & 10pm — Double bill: John Hannah’s reading followed by Hitchcock’s film

Early Evening (5pm — 8pm)

Football: Europa League — Stuttgart v Celtic — TNT Sports 2, 5pm (k/o 5:45pm)

The second leg, and Celtic travel to Germany knowing exactly what’s at stake. Stuttgart’s MHP Arena is a formidable venue for any visiting side, and the Bundesliga outfit will be determined to make home advantage count. Coverage from 5pm on TNT Sports 2, kick-off at 5:45pm. The first leg at Celtic Park — covered in last week’s guide — set the scene for what promises to be a tense return fixture.

EastEnders — BBC One, 7:30pm

Well, this is a first. EastEnders goes full Black Mirror tonight as Denzel unveils his bright idea to help Patrick grieve for his late son Anthony Trueman — an AI-generated version of the deceased. If your first reaction is “that’s creepy,” you’re not alone. Patrick initially finds this computer-generated creation more unsettling than comforting, which feels like the appropriate response to having a chatbot pretend to be your dead child.

The question is whether Patrick will change his mind and allow this technological revolution to ease his loss. It’s a plot twist that feels remarkably prescient, given the real-world rise-of-AI concerns from the creative industries and beyond. The idea of using artificial intelligence to simulate the dead has moved from science fiction to genuine Silicon Valley ambition in the space of a few years, and EastEnders is asking whether that ambition is a comfort or a horror. Johnathon Hughes writes this one, and it’s a brave, unusual piece of soap storytelling. Catch up via BBC iPlayer.

Rising Scams: What You Need to Know — ITV1, 7:30pm (10:45pm STV)

For Tonight. Journalist Paul Brand reveals what people need to do to avoid becoming scam victims. In an era when increasingly sophisticated fraud operations target ordinary people through every conceivable channel — phone, email, text, social media, carrier pigeon — this is the kind of practical journalism that could save someone real money and real distress. Brand’s reporting is sharp and accessible. Worth watching even if you think you’d never fall for it. Especially if you think you’d never fall for it.

Prime Time: 8pm

Dragons’ Den — BBC One, 8pm

The Dragons are aghast when the first entrepreneur walks in carrying a coffin and places it on a bier next to an old-fashioned telephone box. “There’s something eerie about this,” mutters Peter Jones. “I’ve not got a clue what it’s going to be about,” adds Steven Bartlett. The audience at home will be equally baffled, which is precisely the point. It’s not a new funeral plan. Nor is it a novel phone method. Watch to find out what it actually is and what happens — because the reveal is a genuine surprise, and the pitch that follows is very entertaining.

Guest Dragon this week is Jenna Meek, who brings a sharp commercial eye to proceedings. After the coffin mystery is resolved, the remaining pitches cover an admirably diverse range of products: a “glawning” offering (which may or may not be what it sounds like), a range of gut-friendly fermented foods — a category that has gone from niche health-shop curiosity to mainstream grocery staple in the space of about five years — and children’s recyclable headphones. The recyclable headphones pitch is the kind of practical, problem-solving product that tends to do well in the Den, because every parent knows the lifespan of a pair of children’s headphones is roughly equivalent to that of a mayfly. Jane Rackham writes. Catch up via BBC iPlayer.

Emmerdale — ITV1, 8pm

The devastating aftermath of Laurie’s romantic involvement with the deceased drug dealer Ray continues to unfold. Obviously Ray was a twisted criminal who deceived Laurie for months, but she also has to live with the fact she allowed him into her children’s lives, putting them all in danger. Arthur doesn’t care how charming Ray was — he blames his mother for bringing trouble, and their disagreements have already edged into violence.

Tonight, discovering that Laurie attended Ray’s burial causes Arthur’s ever-growing anger to erupt. After an intense confrontation, Laurie ends up falling down the stairs and is knocked unconscious. It’s a grim scene, and the prospect of a child-to-parent physical abuse storyline is yet another horrible legacy left behind by Ray. The show is handling this with care, but it makes for uncomfortable viewing — as it should. Johnathon Hughes writes. Catch up via ITVX.

Spain with Michael Portillo — Channel 5, 8pm (LAST IN SERIES)

Everyone knows Ibiza’s reputation — a party island full of nightclubs and millions of tourists. Well, yes and no. Michael Portillo takes us off the beaten track tonight in the final episode of this splendid travelogue, and what he finds is an Ibiza that bears almost no resemblance to the San Antonio strip.

He watches San Agustin’s traditional celebration of the village’s water supply, and the men’s high-kicking dancing is sensational — genuinely athletic, culturally specific and nothing you would expect from an island most people associate with foam parties. Portillo’s attempt at the high-kicking is, sadly, less sensational. But his willingness to try everything is what makes him such an endearing travel presenter. He also tries out a lighthouse’s foghorn (presumably to the alarm of any ships in the vicinity), makes a pottery Phoenician fertility symbol, explores the secret passageways of the capital’s old town, and finally checks out Bar Anita in San Carlos — the unlikely hub of 1960s counterculture that attracted hippies from across Europe.

A fitting end to a series that has consistently found Spain’s lesser-known gems. If you have been watching from the start, you will have seen a version of Spain that package tourism barely acknowledges exists. Jane Rackham writes. Catch up via 5 streaming.

This Farming Life — BBC Two, 8pm (not Wales)

Series 8 returns, and if Yorkshire farming is to Channel 5 schedules, Scottish agriculture is to this absorbing and handsomely shot docuseries. The production values are a cut above most agricultural programming, and the stories tonight are a proper mix of high-stakes gamble and everyday farm chaos.

The headline is Hampshire couple Adam and Lucy, who have risked it all by borrowing four million pounds to move their entire operation and 60-strong dairy herd to Dumfriesshire. Four million. To move cows from Hampshire to Scotland. It’s the kind of decision that either looks visionary in retrospect or provides a cautionary tale for the next generation of farmers. Tonight we begin to find out which.

On the Isle of Arran, Callum and Zara’s pregnant cows get a hillside haircut — which is exactly what it sounds like and considerably more entertaining than it has any right to be. But the real drama comes when a vital trip to sell lambs at a mainland market is threatened by storms that cause ferry chaos. If you’ve ever tried to get livestock on a ferry in bad weather, you will know this is a situation that tests both patience and vocabulary.

Over in Dornoch, Emma and Rob need to sell off livestock to pay their winter bills, but one particularly feisty bullock has his own ideas about cooperating. Just don’t show him a red rag. Michael Hogan writes. Catch up via BBC iPlayer.

George Clarke’s Building Home — Channel 4, 8pm

Couple Joel and Nicola set their sights on repairing Joel’s grandparents’ cottage — the kind of family restoration project that carries emotional weight beyond the bricks and mortar. George Clarke brings his customary blend of enthusiasm and practical insight to what promises to be a renovation with proper sentimental value. Catch up via Channel 4 streaming.

Coronation Street — ITV1, 8:30pm

The Weatherfield drama continues in its standard Thursday slot. Catch up via ITVX.

Prime Time: 9pm

The Apprentice — BBC One, 9pm

Some of us may have had bad dreams of going to school unprepared, or even unclothed. But this week, the candidates are gifted an entirely new nightmare scenario. They open the door to their accommodation and discover a grinning Lord Sugar waiting for them. At their door. In the morning. Grinning. If that doesn’t make your blood run cold, you’ve never been on a reality show.

Soon they’re dragged down to the garden, where Lord Sugar has a new challenge — arranging and selling flowers. This is not just any task. Viewers with long memories may recall that flower-selling was the very first task set back in 2005, when a younger, slightly less fearsome Lord Sugar first uttered the words “You’re fired.” It’s a deliberate nod to this being the 20th series, and it carries a nice sense of occasion.

As for how the candidates perform, the editors try their hardest to make it look close. But it’s pretty obvious from relatively early on when one team sows the seeds of their own defeat. The losing project manager has that familiar haunted look in the boardroom — the one that says “I know exactly what’s coming and there is absolutely nothing I can do about it.” The flower task proves once again that The Apprentice is at its best when it sends its candidates out to sell things to real people in real places. The formula is 20 years old, and it still works. Huw Fullerton writes. Catch up via BBC iPlayer.

The Dunblane Tapes — Channel 4, 9pm

Just a fortnight after yet another school shooting in North America comes a documentary on the tragedy that made similar horrors far less likely over here. Not that the journey was easy. Not that it was certain. Not that it didn’t require extraordinary courage from people living through the worst thing that had ever happened to them.

On 13 March 1996 at Dunblane Primary School, as Ann Pearson later stated to the Labour Party conference with chilling clarity, one pistol fired 105 bullets, killing 17 and injuring 14 in just three minutes. Will Stone’s documentary spends enough time on the massacre itself to establish beyond doubt the trauma it imprinted on the community. But the focal point is what happened next — the Snowdrop campaign, launched by Pearson and others, including the grieving parents, to secure legislation banning all handguns before the return of snowdrops the following year.

That campaign, in retrospect, looks like an inevitability. It proved anything but. A noisy and well-funded pro-gun lobby capitalised on a Conservative government nervously facing the prospect of electoral defeat. The political manoeuvring is infuriating to watch, knowing what we know now about how many lives may have been saved by the eventual legislation.

The raw grief of the parents is still apparent in powerfully effective home videos. But they also recall their perseverance with no little pride. They took their worst moment and turned it into something that would protect other people’s children. Who knows how many lives they may have saved? Gabriel Tate writes. Catch up via Channel 4 streaming.

Murder Case: the Hunt for Arlene Fraser’s Killer — BBC Two, 9pm (not Wales)

The superlative Scottish documentary strand returns with a new, deeply disturbing case. After waving her children off to school one morning in 1998, Arlene Fraser vanished. She was reported missing, the family house was searched, and officers found an eerily humdrum scene of domesticity — likened to the Mary Celeste. Washing had been recently hung out. The hoover was still plugged in. Had Arlene suddenly upped and left, or were there more sinister circumstances at play? Given this is Murder Case, it’s sadly the latter.

What makes this strand consistently excellent is its refusal to sensationalise. The story is methodically unpicked, with contributions from family members, journalists and the police officers who worked the case. Dots are slowly joined. Months pass without tangible leads. The investigation appears to stall. And then a chance overheard conversation in a pub proves a turning point — the kind of detail that would feel contrived in fiction but is simply the way real investigations sometimes break open.

Frances Taylor writes. Both episodes are available on BBC iPlayer for those who prefer to watch the full story in one sitting.

The Hotel Inspector — Channel 5, 9pm

Toni, 74, has turned her four-bedroomed farmhouse in Devon into a homely B&B. It should be a going concern — Devon is hardly short of tourists wanting a comfortable base — but bookings have dwindled. Partly this is because her rooms are very traditional in an era when most guests expect a certain contemporary standard. But mainly it’s because Toni is reluctant to use an online booking agency, which in 2026 is roughly equivalent to opening a shop and refusing to put up a sign.

However, that’s not all. Toni is a delightful, intelligent woman, but her ADHD means most of the rooms are packed with stuff. The house has been her family’s home for 40 years and holds too many memories. Every item represents something — a holiday, a birthday, a moment with someone who may no longer be here. Asking Toni to declutter is not just a business decision; it’s asking her to let go of parts of her past.

Alex Polizzi treats Toni gently tonight, and the result is an episode that is emotional rather than confrontational. Polizzi helps her declutter with genuine sensitivity and holds her hand through the process of getting online, so there are no rows — just a quiet, affecting story about a woman learning to let go of some things in order to hold on to others. Jane Rackham writes. Catch up via 5 streaming.

Murder on a Knife’s Edge — ITV1, 9pm

A grisly true crime story told in compelling detail. The true crime genre continues to deliver on ITV1, and tonight’s documentary does not stint on the disturbing specifics of its case. If you’re a true crime viewer, this delivers. Catch up on ITVX.

Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps — BBC Three, from 9pm

The Sheridan Smith and Ralf Little sitcom marks its 25th birthday with a slew of repeats. Twenty-five years since Two Pints first graced our screens. Feel old yet? The show that launched Sheridan Smith’s career and gave Ralf Little something to do before The Royle Family remains a guilty pleasure for a generation of viewers who were probably slightly too young to be watching it at the time. Available on BBC iPlayer.

The 39 Steps: The Read with John Hannah — BBC Four, 9pm

Richard Hannay winds up with a dead journalist in his London flat. Can he continue the deceased’s investigation and clear his own name? Only Connect fans may remember a round wittily based on the various meanings of the “39 steps” in successive adaptations of John Buchan’s classic 1915 thriller novel. If you want a reminder of what the steps originally were, John Hannah is on hand with a new take on the story as part of The Read series.

Hannah brings a Scots authority to Buchan’s prose that feels entirely right — this is, after all, one of the great Scottish adventure novels, even if it’s set largely in London and the English countryside. The reading is atmospheric and well-paced, serving as both a standalone piece of entertainment and the perfect appetiser for what follows at 10pm. Calum Baker writes. Catch up via BBC iPlayer.

Late Night

The 39 Steps (PG) — BBC Four, 10pm (Film, 1935)

Alfred Hitchcock’s near-perfect film version of John Buchan’s classic thriller, and the ideal companion piece to The Read at 9pm. Robert Donat plays a dashing Richard Hannay with the kind of effortless charm and dry wit that makes you wonder why more actors don’t try this approach. The film moves with an urgency and invention that belies its 90 years — Hitchcock was already a master of suspense, and the set pieces here remain as gripping as anything in his later, more celebrated work.

And yes, the titular 39 steps mean something entirely different in this version compared to Buchan’s original novel — which is part of the fun of pairing the two together. If you watched John Hannah’s reading at 9pm, you’ll be primed for the differences. A delightful BBC Four double bill. Catch up via BBC iPlayer.

Sport

Europa League — Play-Off Second Leg: Stuttgart v Celtic on TNT Sports 2 from 5pm (kick-off 5:45pm). The return fixture after last week’s first leg at Celtic Park.

Europa League — Play-Off Second Leg: Nottingham Forest v Fenerbahce on TNT Sports 1 from 7:30pm (kick-off 8pm). Forest host the Turkish side at the City Ground.

Conference League — Play-Off Second Leg: Crystal Palace v Zrinjski Mostar on TNT Sports 3 from 7:30pm (kick-off 8pm). Palace look to progress at Selhurst Park.

Cricket — Men’s T20 World Cup: Super Eight match on Sky Sports Main Event/Cricket from 1pm.

The Viewing Schedule

What’s On Streaming

BBC iPlayer: The Apprentice, Dragons’ Den, EastEnders, Murder Case: the Hunt for Arlene Fraser’s Killer (both episodes), This Farming Life, The 39 Steps: The Read with John Hannah, The 39 Steps (1935), Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps
ITVX: Emmerdale, Coronation Street, Murder on a Knife’s Edge
Channel 4 streaming: The Dunblane Tapes, George Clarke’s Building Home
Channel 5 streaming/My5: Spain with Michael Portillo (full series), The Hotel Inspector
TNT Sports: Stuttgart v Celtic, Nottingham Forest v Fenerbahce, Crystal Palace v Zrinjski Mostar

Frequently Asked Questions

What time is The Apprentice on TV tonight?

The Apprentice is on BBC One at 9pm tonight (Thursday 26th February 2026). Series 20 continues with a flower-arranging and selling task that pays tribute to the very first task from 2005, marking the show’s 20th anniversary. Lord Sugar ambushes the candidates at their accommodation before sending them out to sell flowers. Catch up via BBC iPlayer.

What time is The Dunblane Tapes on Channel 4 tonight?

The Dunblane Tapes is on Channel 4 at 9pm tonight (Thursday 26th February 2026). Will Stone’s documentary examines the 1996 Dunblane Primary School massacre and the Snowdrop campaign that secured legislation banning all handguns in the UK. Ann Pearson and the grieving parents are the focal point. Catch up via Channel 4 streaming.

What time is Dragons’ Den on TV tonight?

Dragons’ Den is on BBC One at 8pm tonight (Thursday 26th February 2026). Guest Dragon Jenna Meek joins the panel. The episode opens with a genuinely baffling pitch involving a coffin and a telephone box that leaves Peter Jones and Steven Bartlett utterly stumped. Also features a “glawning” product, fermented foods and children’s recyclable headphones. Catch up via BBC iPlayer.

What time is Murder Case on BBC Two tonight?

Murder Case: the Hunt for Arlene Fraser’s Killer is on BBC Two at 9pm tonight (Thursday 26th February 2026). The Scottish documentary strand investigates the 1998 disappearance and murder of Arlene Fraser, whose house was likened to the Mary Celeste. Both episodes are available on BBC iPlayer. Not available in Wales.

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

Our top picks for Thursday 26th February 2026 are The Apprentice on BBC One at 9pm — the 20th anniversary flower task brings genuine occasion to series 20. The Dunblane Tapes on Channel 4 at 9pm is essential but harrowing viewing about the 1996 massacre and the campaign that changed Britain’s gun laws. Dragons’ Den at 8pm on BBC One opens with one of the most memorable pitches in years. This Farming Life returns on BBC Two at 8pm with stunning Scottish agriculture, and Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps on BBC Four at 10pm is a near-perfect thriller.

What’s on BBC One tonight?

BBC One tonight (Thursday 26th February 2026) includes EastEnders at 7:30pm — with a remarkable AI grief storyline — Dragons’ Den at 8pm with guest Dragon Jenna Meek and a baffling coffin pitch, and The Apprentice at 9pm with the 20th anniversary flower task.

Is EastEnders on TV tonight?

Yes, EastEnders is on BBC One at 7:30pm tonight (Thursday 26th February 2026). Denzel unveils an AI version of the late Anthony Trueman to help Patrick grieve for his son, in a Black Mirror-ish plot twist that feels remarkably prescient. Catch up on BBC iPlayer.

Is there Europa League football on TV tonight?

Yes, there are Europa League and Conference League matches tonight on TNT Sports. Stuttgart v Celtic kicks off at 5:45pm on TNT Sports 2 (play-off second leg). At 8pm, Nottingham Forest host Fenerbahce on TNT Sports 1 and Crystal Palace host Zrinjski Mostar on TNT Sports 3. Cricket fans also have the Men’s T20 World Cup Super Eight match on Sky Sports from 1pm.

Final Verdict

The Apprentice on BBC One at 9pm is the centrepiece of the evening. The decision to revive the very first task from 2005 — flower-arranging and selling — gives series 20 a genuine sense of occasion, and Lord Sugar’s dawn ambush on the unsuspecting candidates is the kind of opening that reminds you why this show has endured for two decades. The flower-selling itself delivers the market-stall chaos that The Apprentice has always done best, and one team’s inevitable defeat is entertaining enough to carry the hour. Twenty years on, the formula still works.

Opposite on Channel 4, The Dunblane Tapes at 9pm is the most important programme of the night. Will Stone’s documentary about the 1996 massacre and the Snowdrop campaign that changed Britain’s gun laws is harrowing, necessary viewing that arrives with painful timeliness. Ann Pearson’s testimony is devastating in its clarity. The grieving parents’ determination to secure legislation before the return of snowdrops the following year — and the obstacles they faced from a well-funded pro-gun lobby — makes for television that is by turns infuriating and profoundly moving. Who knows how many lives they may have saved? This is the programme that will stay with you longest.

At 8pm, Dragons’ Den opens with a pitch that will have the nation talking. The coffin and telephone box mystery is one of the most memorable Den entrances in recent memory, and guest Dragon Jenna Meek brings a welcome sharpness to proceedings. Peter Jones’s muttered “there’s something eerie about this” speaks for the entire viewing audience.

This Farming Life returns on BBC Two at 8pm, and the series premiere does not disappoint. Adam and Lucy’s four-million-pound gamble to move their dairy herd from Hampshire to Dumfriesshire is genuinely nail-biting, the Isle of Arran’s storm-disrupted ferry to market provides proper drama, and the feisty Dornoch bullock provides the comic relief. Handsomely shot, warmly told, and a welcome return. Michael Hogan writes.

At 9pm on BBC Two, Murder Case delivers another superlative Scottish true crime documentary. The Arlene Fraser case — the Mary Celeste house, the months without leads, the chance pub conversation — unfolds with the methodical patience that distinguishes this strand from lesser true crime offerings.

Spain with Michael Portillo closes its run on Channel 5 at 8pm with an Ibiza episode that takes you far from the nightclubs. The men’s high-kicking dancing at San Agustin is a genuine highlight. Portillo’s attempt at it is not. A fitting farewell to a series that has found Spain’s hidden corners with characteristic charm.

The Hotel Inspector on Channel 5 at 9pm is quieter than usual — Alex Polizzi at her most gentle with a woman whose ADHD and 40 years of memories make decluttering an emotional rather than a practical challenge. And on BBC Four, the double bill of The 39 Steps: The Read at 9pm and Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps at 10pm is a delightful way to end the evening — two completely different takes on John Buchan’s classic, each illuminating the other.

Emmerdale at 8pm tackles child-to-parent abuse with care, Coronation Street continues at 8:30pm, and EastEnders at 7:30pm goes full AI in a storyline that feels eerily of the moment. Football fans have Europa League and Conference League action across TNT Sports. A Thursday of genuine range and quality.

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Related: What’s On TV Tonight Thursday | What’s On TV Tonight Thurs 19 Feb 2026 | What’s On TV Tonight Wed 25 Feb 2026 | What’s On TV Tonight Fri 27 Feb 2026

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.