TV Guide UK Tonight: Thu 9 Jul 2026 – Wimbledon Semis, Who Do You Think You Are? & Elvis

Updated: 9 July 2026

Thursday 9 July 2026. Sport sets tonight’s agenda. Wimbledon’s ladies’ singles semi-finals fill the afternoon on BBC Two and BBC One, settling who reaches Saturday’s final, before the World Cup’s first quarter-final kicks off on ITV1 at 9pm. BBC One counters with Who Do You Think You Are? at the same hour, then Elvis at 10:40pm. EastEnders is expected on BBC Two at 7:30pm while Wimbledon holds BBC One’s evening.

Quick Picks: Tonight’s Best

• ⭐ FIFA World Cup 2026: Quarter-Final ITV1, 9pm. One team’s summer ends tonight.
• Wimbledon 2026: Ladies’ Singles Semi-Finals BBC Two & BBC One, from 11am. Two matches decide Saturday’s final.
• Who Do You Think You Are? BBC One, 9pm. Ruth Madeley digs up a family secret.
• Elvis BBC One, 10:40pm. Austin Butler’s full-throttle turn as the King.
• The Traitors US BBC Three, 9pm & 10pm. Penultimate double bill from Ardross Castle.
• EastEnders expected on BBC Two, 7:30pm — bumped by Wimbledon.

Sport

FIFA World Cup 2026: Quarter-Final – ITV1, 9pm ⭐

The tournament reaches the last eight tonight with its opening quarter-final, played in the Boston area, kicking off at 9pm UK time. Knockout football doesn’t get more unforgiving — a draw goes to extra time and penalties, and there’s no second leg to fix things. With Who Do You Think You Are? on BBC One at the same hour, this one belongs to ITV1. Free on ITV1 and ITVX.

Wimbledon 2026: Ladies’ Singles Semi-Finals – BBC Two & BBC One, from 11am

The two semi-finals are live today, with the winners booking their places in Saturday’s final. Coverage opens on BBC Two at 11am before transferring to BBC One from 2pm. This is the point in the fortnight where the contenders stop being a draw sheet and start being a story. Free on BBC Two, BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

The Tour de France continues on TNT Sports 1 from 11am, and England’s T20 against India is on Sky Sports at 5pm.

Early Evening

EastEnders – BBC Two, 7:30pm

Take this one with a pinch of salt, but the pattern the BBC has followed through previous Wimbledon fortnights points to a move to BBC Two at 7:30pm, clearing BBC One’s evening for tennis. The episode lands on iPlayer either way.

Gods and Monsters: Homer’s Odyssey – BBC Four, 8pm

Simon Armitage sets off on the route of Homer’s epic, tracing Odysseus’ long, obstacle-strewn journey home from Troy — the sort of patient, well-read documentary BBC Four does better than most channels attempt. BBC iPlayer.

Channel 5 at 8pm has Cornwall: a Year by the Sea, following the Padstow fishing community. Tonight’s focus is Martin Murt, trialling illuminated scallop pots to cut down on unwanted catch. My5.

Prime Time

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

Away from its usual Tuesday berth, this week’s episode follows Ruth Madeley back to east London, where the investigation turns up a secret on her father’s side involving an adoption nobody had talked about. It’s a stronger episode for being built around one buried story rather than a list of relatives. BBC iPlayer.

24 Hours in Police Custody: The Home County Cartel – Channel 4, 9pm

The Eastern Region Special Operations Unit works to bring down a Class-A drug network. The format’s strength has always been patience — the slow, unglamorous grind of building a case rather than a dramatic arrest. Channel 4 streaming.

The Traitors US – BBC Three, 9pm & 10pm

A penultimate double bill, with Alan Cumming presiding over the Ardross Castle dining table as the surviving players edge closer to the final round. The US version leans harder into spectacle, though the murder-mystery mechanics still do the work. BBC iPlayer.

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

The series closes with the case of David Bryant, a former firefighter. It’s been a sober, carefully argued run, and this final instalment doesn’t reach for a tidy conclusion just because it’s the last one. Channel 4 streaming.

Late Night

Elvis – BBC One, 10:40pm

Baz Luhrmann’s 2022 biopic gets a late slot on BBC One, with Austin Butler delivering a genuinely committed performance as Presley and Tom Hanks unrecognisable as Colonel Tom Parker. It’s overstuffed and exhausting, never settling on one register, but Butler’s commitment papers over most of the cracks. Cert 12. 11:15pm in Wales, 11:40pm in Scotland. BBC iPlayer.

Blade Runner – BBC Four, 10pm

Ridley Scott’s Final Cut of the 1982 original, with Harrison Ford as the world-weary Deckard. Decades on, its production design still does more storytelling than most modern science fiction. Cert 15. BBC iPlayer.

Channel 5 follows with The Body in the Suitcase: a Murder Mystery at 10pm, a repeat covering a North Yorkshire case. ITV1 closes the night with Butcher: Invisible Wounds at 11:35pm once the football wraps up — Terry Butcher’s account of his son’s death, which he links to PTSD after Army service.

The Viewing Schedule

What’s On Streaming

• BBC iPlayer: Wimbledon 2026, EastEnders, Who Do You Think You Are?, Gods and Monsters: Homer’s Odyssey, The Traitors US, Elvis, Blade Runner
• ITVX: FIFA World Cup 2026: Quarter-Final, Butcher: Invisible Wounds
• Channel 4 streaming: 24 Hours in Police Custody: The Home County Cartel, The Accused: Beyond Reasonable Doubt?
• My5: Cornwall: a Year by the Sea, The Body in the Suitcase: a Murder Mystery

Frequently Asked Questions

Is EastEnders on tonight (Thursday 9 July 2026)?

Nothing rules it out, but with Wimbledon’s semi-finals occupying BBC One’s afternoon and evening, EastEnders is expected to move to BBC Two at 7:30pm — the pattern the BBC has tended to follow mid-Championships. Take that as a best guess and check listings nearer the time, or catch up on iPlayer.

What time does the World Cup quarter-final kick off tonight?

9pm UK time, played in the Boston area. With Who Do You Think You Are? confirmed on BBC One at the same hour, the football is on ITV1. Free on ITV1 and ITVX.

What time is Wimbledon on TV tonight?

Coverage of the semi-finals starts on BBC Two at 11am before moving to BBC One from 2pm. The two winners go through to Saturday’s final.

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

It’s on BBC One at 9pm tonight, away from its usual Tuesday slot. Ruth Madeley traces her family tree and uncovers a secret involving an adoption.

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

The World Cup’s first quarter-final on ITV1 at 9pm is the headline event, with Wimbledon’s semi-finals earlier setting up Saturday’s final. Who Do You Think You Are? at 9pm is the pick if you’d rather skip the football.

Final Verdict

Sport leads a packed Thursday. The World Cup quarter-final on ITV1 at 9pm is the must-watch, with one team’s tournament ending tonight, while the Wimbledon semi-finals settle who’s playing for the title on Saturday. Who Do You Think You Are? on BBC One is the strongest non-football option, and Elvis at 10:40pm closes things out. Keep an eye out for EastEnders, expected on BBC Two at 7:30pm.

Watch

Related: What’s On TV Tonight Thursday | What’s On TV Tonight Wed 8 Jul 2026 | What’s On TV Tonight Fri 10 Jul 2026