TV Guide UK Tonight: Thurs 30 Jul 2026 – Benidorm Is Murder, Who Do You Think You Are & EastEnders

Published: 24 July 2026

Thursday 30 July 2026. EastEnders opens the evening at its usual 7:30pm slot on BBC One, and the channel then goes factual for the rest of the night: Fake or Fortune? investigates a possible Andre Derain painting at 8pm, then Who Do You Think You Are? follows at 9pm, with Harriet Walter uncovering wartime secrets and Italian aristocracy in her family tree. Channel 5 launches new detective drama Benidorm Is Murder at 9pm, John Hannah’s burnt-out former copper turning amateur sleuth on the Costa Blanca. Over on Channel 4, Vogue Williams and Luke Mabbott take over Renovation Rescue at 8pm, and a new true-crime documentary, Don’t Date Brandon, starts at 10pm. Add day seven of the Commonwealth Games and the first round of the Women’s Open golf, and Thursday’s sorted.

Quick Picks: Tonight’s Best

• Benidorm Is Murder Channel 5, 9pm. John Hannah’s new detective drama launches.
• EastEnders BBC One, 7:30pm. The soap airs in its usual Thursday slot.
• Who Do You Think You Are? BBC One, 9pm. Harriet Walter traces her family history.
• Fake or Fortune? BBC One, 8pm. A possible Andre Derain painting under investigation.
• Don’t Date Brandon Channel 4, 10pm. New true-crime documentary series begins.
• Commonwealth Games TNT Sports / BBC Alba / S4C. Day seven of competition from Glasgow.

Early Evening

EastEnders – BBC One, 7:30pm

Walford’s residents get their usual Thursday outing, closing out the week’s storylines before the weekend gap. As ever, the episode drops on BBC One‘s iPlayer shortly after broadcast for anyone catching up later.

Fake or Fortune? – BBC One, 8pm

Philip Mould and Fiona Bruce turn their attention to a modest street scene with a signature in the corner that appears to belong to Fauvist painter Andre Derain. The picture was left to charity by a couple who had come to Britain as children on the Kindertransport, and a six-figure valuation rests entirely on whether the brushwork holds up under scrutiny. Bruce even puts her questions to Derain’s own family, in French. BBC iPlayer.

Renovation Rescue – Channel 4, 8pm

Stacey Solomon hands over the reins, with Vogue Williams and former Love Island contestant Luke Mabbott stepping in to help homeowners left out of pocket by cowboy builders. Their opening case takes them to Northamptonshire, where engaged couple Wendy and Garreth have sunk their savings into a garage conversion that’s stalled halfway through, leaving them without a working kitchen while raising two small children. Channel 4 streaming.

Talking Pictures: Seventies Legends Part II – BBC Four, 8pm

Celia Imrie narrates this second helping of archive footage tracing how directors like Coppola, Altman and De Palma seized creative control of Hollywood in the 1970s, with clips ranging from The Exorcist and The Jerk to Dirty Harry and The French Connection. It runs straight into Scorsese’s Taxi Driver at 9pm, which turns fifty this year. BBC Four iPlayer.

Prime Time

Benidorm Is Murder – Channel 5, 9pm ⭐

Channel 5’s new detective drama opens with a Robbie Williams tribute act found dead beneath a hotel balcony. John Hannah plays Dennis, a burnt-out former detective who traded the job for an English-speaking pub on the strip, opposite Carolina Becquer’s Rosa, his true-crime-obsessed barmaid. Convinced the police have arrested the wrong man, the pair launch their own investigation among mobility scooters and Take That impersonators, much to the annoyance of DS Hernandez, played by Ariadna Cabrol. It knows exactly how daft it is and never overplays that, which is most of the charm. 5 streaming.

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

Actor Harriet Walter goes digging into her family this week, starting with her mother Xandra’s wartime job at the Admiralty, which proves to be a good deal more consequential than the office chatter Walter had always assumed it was. A branch of Italian nobility on her father’s side turns up its own surprises too, with debt and prison visits standing in for the glamour she’d expected from aristocratic ancestors.

The Five-Star Weekend – Sky Atlantic, 9pm & 9:55pm

Jennifer Garner leads this glossy eight-part adaptation of Elin Hilderbrand’s novel, playing Hollis, who invites four near-strangers to Nantucket hoping to recapture a happier chapter of her life. Nobody seems particularly thrilled to be there tonight, through a stilted dinner out and an even more awkward round of drinks afterwards, though a subplot involving a nosy dog earns some genuine laughs. Streaming on Now.

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

This second instalment goes deeper into how the once hugely popular parenting vlogger fell under the sway of self-styled life coach Jodi Hildebrandt, who presented her guidance as messages sent direct from God. Some of what’s shown here, including Hildebrandt’s claims of possession, is genuinely uncomfortable, but the documentary keeps its focus on the real harm done to Franke’s children rather than the stranger details. BBC Two iPlayer.

Cruising Paradise: Above and Below Deck – E4, 9pm

This new series joins the Star Princess as it sets sail from Florida on a month-long loop of the Caribbean, with around 1,500 crew keeping the whole operation running for its passengers. Essex-born cruise director Dan is disarmingly honest about the chaos of staging several entertainment shows a night, and the format leans into how quickly close quarters push crew and guests together. E4 streaming.

The Hunting Party – U&Alibi, 9pm

Into its second and, it turns out, final run, this unsettling procedural continues to give its guest stars licence to go somewhere darker than expected. Eric McCormack makes good use of that freedom here, cast well against his usual likeable image as a predator targeting women searching for connection online. Streaming on Now.

Late Night

Don’t Date Brandon – Channel 4, 10pm, 11pm & 12:05am

This new true-crime documentary follows Amber, who moved across the country to marry a man who seemed to have everything sorted, only for his stories about being stalked by obsessive ex-girlfriends to start falling apart under scrutiny. It later emerges he had spent months posing as his own former wife while texting her. Two further episodes run back to back straight after the opener, so it’s one for staying up late or catching in full tomorrow. Channel 4 streaming.

Sport

The Commonwealth Games reach day seven in Glasgow, with coverage spread across TNT Sports 2 from 8:30am and TNT Sports 3 from 1:45pm, plus BBC Alba from 5:30pm and S4C from 8pm for Welsh and Gaelic-language viewers. Freeview households without a sports subscription can catch highlights on Channel 5 at 10pm. Golf’s Women’s Open tees off at Royal Lytham and St Annes in Lancashire, live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Golf from 9am, with defending champion Miyu Yamashita among those chasing the opening-round lead. Tennis fans get day four of the Washington DC Open, live on Sky Sports Tennis from 4pm and again on Sky Sports Main Event from 11pm.

The Viewing Schedule

What’s On Streaming

• BBC iPlayer: EastEnders, Fake or Fortune?, Talking Pictures: Seventies Legends Part II, Taxi Driver, Who Do You Think You Are?, Devil in the Family
• 5 streaming: Benidorm Is Murder, Commonwealth Games highlights
• Channel 4 streaming: Renovation Rescue, Cruising Paradise: Above and Below Deck, Don’t Date Brandon
• Now: The Five-Star Weekend, The Hunting Party

Frequently Asked Questions

Is EastEnders on tonight (Thursday 30 July 2026)?

Yes. EastEnders airs at its usual time of 7:30pm on BBC One tonight, as it does every Monday to Thursday. The episode is also available afterwards on BBC iPlayer.

What time is Benidorm Is Murder on Channel 5 tonight?

Benidorm Is Murder launches on Channel 5 at 9pm tonight. The new detective drama stars John Hannah as a former detective drawn into investigating a death on a hotel balcony, and it’s available afterwards via 5 streaming.

What’s on BBC One tonight (Thursday 30 July 2026)?

BBC One runs a factual double bill after EastEnders, with Fake or Fortune? at 8pm investigating a possible Andre Derain painting, followed by Who Do You Think You Are? at 9pm, in which Harriet Walter traces her wartime and Italian family history.

What live sport is on TV tonight: Thursday 30 July 2026?

Day seven of the Commonwealth Games continues from Glasgow across TNT Sports 2 and 3, BBC Alba and S4C, with highlights on Channel 5 at 10pm. The Women’s Open golf begins its opening round at Royal Lytham and St Annes, and the Washington DC Open tennis reaches day four on Sky Sports Tennis.

What’s the best thing to watch on TV tonight (Thursday 30 July 2026)?

Benidorm Is Murder on Channel 5 at 9pm is the pick of the night, with John Hannah’s burnt-out detective giving the new series real personality from the off. Who Do You Think You Are? on BBC One at 9pm is a close second for anyone after something more reflective.

Final Verdict

Channel 5’s new arrival is the one to catch tonight. Benidorm Is Murder ⭐ at 9pm gives a daft premise real heart, mostly down to John Hannah’s grizzled ex-detective. BBC One backs up EastEnders with a solid factual pairing: Fake or Fortune’s Derain hunt at 8pm, then Harriet Walter’s family surprises on Who Do You Think You Are? at 9pm. If you want something with more edge, Devil in the Family on BBC Two and The Five-Star Weekend on Sky Atlantic both have their moments, and Don’t Date Brandon rounds off the night on Channel 4 for true-crime fans happy to stay up. And EastEnders regulars can relax: the soap is where it should be, 7:30pm on BBC One.

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