TV Guide UK Tonight: Thurs 11 Jun 2026 – World Cup Opening on ITV1, Taskmaster Final & Film4 Films

Updated: 10 June 2026

Thursday 11 June 2026. The big one: the World Cup is here, and ITV1 clears its evening for it. The opening ceremony from Mexico City starts at 6:15pm, with the first match, hosts Mexico against South Africa, kicking off at 8pm. If football isn’t your thing, BBC One has EastEnders at 7:30pm and a documentary at 9pm, Channel 4 has the Taskmaster final, BBC Two has a Britney Spears profile, and Film4 has two cracking films later on.

Quick Picks: Tonight’s Best

• World Cup 2026: Mexico v South Africa ⭐ ITV1, 7:50pm. The tournament opener at the Azteca. Kick-off 8pm.
• Taskmaster: the Final Channel 4, 9pm. The series final. Armando Iannucci among those chasing the trophy.
• Britney: in Ten Pictures BBC Two, 9pm. Britney Spears’ life told through ten photographs.
• EastEnders BBC One, 7:30pm. Bad news for Chelsea, and a boxing session that gets out of hand for George.
• Alice, Darling Film4, 9pm. Anna Kendrick excellent in a tense drama about coercive control.
• Ex Machina Film4, 10:45pm. Alex Garland’s brilliant, unsettling AI thriller.

Sport

World Cup 2026: Opening Ceremony – ITV1, 6:15pm

It’s finally here. ITV1 gets the night going with the opening ceremony from the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, one of three ceremonies across the co-hosts, with a line-up that includes Shakira, Burna Boy and Tyla. It’s a chance to soak up the build-up before a ball is kicked. ITVX.

World Cup 2026: Mexico v South Africa ⭐ – ITV1, 7:50pm

This is the one. The 2026 World Cup begins on ITV1 with hosts Mexico taking on South Africa at the Azteca, kick-off 8pm, the first of 104 matches over the next few weeks. There’s a nice bit of history to it, too: these sides also met to open the 2010 tournament, a 1-1 draw, so Mexico will want a better start this time in front of their own fans. Roy Keane, Gary Neville and Ian Wright are on punditry. Openers are often tense rather than thrilling, but the occasion makes it essential. ITVX.

Early Evening

The Simpsons – E4, from 6pm

If you want something easy before the football, E4 has a run of three back-to-back Simpsons episodes from 6pm, including the one where the Kwik-E-Mart reinvents itself as a health-food store. Comfort telly that asks nothing of you. Channel 4 streaming.

EastEnders – BBC One, 7:30pm

Yes, EastEnders is on tonight, slotted into its usual 7:30pm spot on BBC One before ITV hands the evening over to the World Cup. It’s a heavy episode. Chelsea Fox is dealt another blow, with doctors warning her that Jordan’s recovery may not go the way she’s hoping. George Knight, meanwhile, is still seething with Nicola, and a training session at the boxing gym with Mark turns physical when he loses his focus. Gina, for her part, is edging ever closer to a truth that several people would rather she didn’t find. BBC iPlayer.

The Future with Hannah Fry – BBC Two, 7:30pm

Hannah Fry’s BBC Two series signs off tonight by going back to nature, visiting rewilding projects from Fukushima to California to ask whether we can actually help the natural world repair itself. After a run that’s mostly looked at shiny new technology, ending on something greener feels like the right note. BBC iPlayer.

Prime Time

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

Before the Taskmaster final, Channel 4 has George Clarke heading to Worsley in Greater Manchester, where he and landscaper Luke Millard try to rescue a house let down by an awkward extension and a layout that hides its best feature, the views. As ever, it’s the practical, doable ideas that make it worth watching. Channel 4 streaming.

Springwatch – BBC Two, 8pm

BBC Two’s live nature series reaches its final episode, with Chris Packham and Michaela Strachan rounding up the stories they’ve been following and taking one last look at the hidden cameras around the Crom estate in Fermanagh. A lovely, calming hour either side of the football. BBC iPlayer.

Taskmaster: the Final – Channel 4, 9pm

If you’d rather laugh than watch football, this is the pick of the night. The series reaches its final on Channel 4, and it’s been a strong one, with Armando Iannucci, Amy Gledhill, Kumail Nanjiani, Joanna Page and Joel Dommett all having a go at Alex Horne’s gloriously silly challenges. Watching someone as sharp as Iannucci undone by a watermelon and a tape measure never stops being funny, and the race for the trophy is genuinely close. Greg Davies hands out the final points and insults. Channel 4 streaming.

Britney: in Ten Pictures – BBC Two, 9pm

BBC Two’s documentary strand, which did Beckham last week, turns to Britney Spears, telling her story through ten photographs. It runs from the …Baby One More Time kid who became the biggest pop star on the planet in 1998 to the long, grim years of the conservatorship and the way the media treated her throughout. It’s sympathetic without being soft, and it’s followed at 10pm by Britney at the BBC, a collection of her performances from the archive. BBC iPlayer.

Reported Missing – BBC One, 9pm

A tense, sobering hour on BBC One following Edinburgh police as they search for two missing teenagers. Taylor, 18, hasn’t been seen for nearly two days, while 13-year-old Ava has worryingly made contact with a much older man. As ever with this series, what stays with you is the sheer effort the officers put into finding people. BBC iPlayer.

The Hardacres – Channel 5, 9pm

Channel 5’s warm period drama carries on, with Ma agreeing to help organise the village harvest festival and hoping that getting her nervous literacy pupils reading might soften the pompous Bartholomew Balfour, who’s been branding her classes a hotbed of immorality. Lady Imelda Hansen, meanwhile, keeps stirring. Comfort-blanket Sunday-teatime telly that happens to land on a Thursday. 5 streaming.

Alice, Darling – Film4, 9pm (15)

If you want a film on Film4 tonight, start here. Anna Kendrick gives one of her best performances as a woman slowly being worn down by a controlling partner, with her friends trying to get through to her before it’s too late. It’s quiet and tense rather than showy, and all the more affecting for it. Rated 15. Channel 4 streaming.

Late Night

Rivals: Messi v Ronaldo – BBC One, 10:40pm

Perfectly timed for a World Cup night, this BBC One documentary digs into the argument football fans have been having for the best part of two decades: Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo? With contributions from the likes of Sergio Busquets, Xavi and Rio Ferdinand, it revisits the years when the pair dragged each other to ever greater heights. BBC iPlayer.

Ex Machina – Film4, 10:45pm (15)

The second of Film4’s films tonight, and a brilliant late watch. Alex Garland’s 2014 directorial debut sends a young programmer (Domhnall Gleeson) to a remote estate to test a humanlike AI (Alicia Vikander) built by a reclusive tech billionaire (Oscar Isaac). It’s a tight, unsettling thriller about what consciousness actually is, and it’s only got more relevant with time. Rated 15. Channel 4 streaming.

The Viewing Schedule

What’s On Streaming

• ITVX: World Cup 2026 opening ceremony and Mexico v South Africa
• Channel 4 streaming: Taskmaster: the Final, George Clarke’s Beautiful Builds, plus the Film4 films Alice, Darling and Ex Machina, and The Simpsons (E4)
• BBC iPlayer: Britney: in Ten Pictures, EastEnders, Reported Missing, Springwatch, Rivals: Messi v Ronaldo
• 5 streaming: The Hardacres, Cornwall: a Year by the Sea

Frequently Asked Questions

What time is EastEnders on tonight?

EastEnders is on BBC One at 7:30pm tonight (Thursday 11 June 2026), before the World Cup coverage gets going on ITV1. Chelsea Fox faces another setback over Jordan’s recovery, George Knight’s temper boils over at the boxing gym, and Gina edges closer to the truth. Catch up via BBC iPlayer.

What’s on ITV1 tonight?

ITV1 is given over to the 2026 World Cup tonight. The opening ceremony from Mexico City is on from 6:15pm, followed by the first match, hosts Mexico v South Africa, with kick-off at 8pm. Coverage runs through the evening and is available to stream on ITVX.

What films are on Film4 tonight?

Film4 has two strong films tonight. At 9pm there’s Alice, Darling (2022), with Anna Kendrick as a woman in a controlling relationship, and at 10:45pm Alex Garland’s sci-fi thriller Ex Machina (2014). Both are rated 15 and are available on Channel 4 streaming.

What’s on BBC One tonight?

BBC One has EastEnders at 7:30pm, Sort Your Life Out at 8pm, the documentary Reported Missing at 9pm, and Rivals: Messi v Ronaldo at 10:40pm, which is well timed for World Cup night. Everything is available on BBC iPlayer.

What’s the best thing to watch on TV tonight (Thursday 11 June 2026)?

The 2026 World Cup gets under way, so the opening ceremony and Mexico v South Africa on ITV1 from 6:15pm is the main event. Away from the football, the Taskmaster final is on Channel 4 at 9pm, Britney: in Ten Pictures is on BBC Two at 9pm, Film4 has Alice, Darling and Ex Machina, and EastEnders is on BBC One at 7:30pm.

Final Verdict

There’s really only one show in town tonight: the World Cup is here, and ITV1’s coverage of the opening ceremony and Mexico v South Africa from 6:15pm is the event of the night, whatever happens on the pitch. If you’re not in for the football, you’re well served. Channel 4 has the Taskmaster final at 9pm, the funniest thing on; BBC Two has the smart, sympathetic Britney: in Ten Pictures; and Film4 is the place to be later, with Alice, Darling at 9pm and Ex Machina at 10:45pm. EastEnders gets in early on BBC One at 7:30pm with a strong episode.

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