TV Guide UK Tonight: Tues 18 Aug 2026 – Celebrity MasterChef, The Georgians & The Great ADHD Myth?

Tuesday 18 August 2026. BBC One hands its 8pm and 9pm hours to competition telly tonight, with Kids’ week on The Great British Sewing Bee giving way to a new judge’s first proper test on Celebrity MasterChef. BBC Two counters with two brand-new series either side of Saving Lives at Sea, ITV1 pairs a hotel documentary with a harrowing true crime case, Channel 4 asks awkward questions about ADHD diagnosis, and Channel 5 heads back to George IV’s outrageous coronation. EastEnders doesn’t feature among tonight’s picks. More on that below.

Quick Picks: Tonight’s Best

• Celebrity MasterChef ⭐ BBC One, 9pm. Giorgio Locatelli’s first proper week judging, truffle gnocchi included.
• The Georgians with Rob Rinder and Ruth Goodman Channel 5, 9pm. George IV’s coronation, wine by the thousands of bottles.
• Emergency 24/7 BBC Two, 9pm. New series from Southmead Hospital’s night shift.
• Saving Lives at Sea BBC Two, 8pm. Four rescues, one gruelling episode.
• EastEnders isn’t among tonight’s featured picks. BBC One’s 8pm and 9pm slots belong to Sewing Bee and MasterChef instead.

Early Evening

Race against the Tide – BBC Two, 7:30pm

A new format import that turns a stretch of Scottish coastline into a sculpting battleground. Seven teams race the incoming water as much as each other, and Iain Stirling hosts with commentary that leans into just how pointless the whole exercise technically is, while still somehow being compelling.

Inside the Langham: Britain’s First Grand Hotel – ITV1, 7:30pm

Reception supervisor Rodrigo gets to meet a dance star he’s admired for years, while florist Ellie pulls an overnight shift assembling a lobby display large enough to stop guests mid-stride on their way to breakfast.

Prime Time

The Great British Sewing Bee – BBC One, 8pm

Kids’ week arrives with pint-sized dance costumes for the pattern challenge, a transformation task that turns old windsurfer-style fleeces into cuddly toys, and handmade superhero outfits for a lineup of tiny models with names like Rocket Boy and Zip Kid, each apparently blessed with their own unusual power.

Saving Lives at Sea – BBC Two, 8pm

Four separate emergencies test the RNLI’s volunteers across one packed episode: a fisherman overboard off Porthcawl whose identity turns the search more urgent, a capsized kayaker swept out from North Berwick, an overcrowded and disintegrating small boat found by the Dungeness crew in the Channel, and a powerless yacht drifting off Scarborough as darkness closes in.

The Great ADHD Myth? – Channel 4, 8pm

NHS psychiatrist Max Pemberton takes on the sharp rise in ADHD diagnoses, weighing up the relief a formal diagnosis brings for many families against a vocal strand of opinion that treats the condition as a social construction rather than a genuine neurodevelopmental one. Some go further, arguing the whole category has been shaped by drug company interests. Pemberton keeps his own conclusions fairly measured throughout.

Sky One’s Best Medicine takes the same slot, with Sheriff Mark’s mysterious stupor giving the returning Cornish drama its cliffhanger hook, right before a visit from a Norwegian delegation angling to twin with Port Wenn.

Celebrity MasterChef – BBC One, 9pm ⭐

Giorgio Locatelli takes his seat alongside Grace Dent, and it’s his restraint that stands out. He picks apart Joe Pasquale’s overloaded pie and Shakira Khan’s underseasoned rice without reaching for the easy laugh, offering fixes instead of punchlines. A gnocchi masterclass tests all five celebrity cooks, and whoever impresses most walks away with a pin that gives them an edge tomorrow.

The Georgians with Rob Rinder and Ruth Goodman – Channel 5, 9pm

Rinder and Goodman turn their attention to George IV’s 1821 coronation, a banquet so lavish it makes recent royal ceremonies look understated, with roughly three tons of beef and close to ten thousand bottles of wine consumed by 1,200 guests. Behind the spectacle sits a darker thread: a carpenter shot dead during riots sparked by the exclusion of George’s estranged wife from proceedings.

Emergency 24/7 – BBC Two, 9pm

From the team behind Murder 24/7, this new series drops into a night shift at Southmead Hospital’s emergency department in Bristol, where nurse in charge Becky juggles a motorbike crash victim with a possible spinal injury and a woman kicked in the face by a horse, all while the queue outside keeps growing.

True Crime Presents – ITV1, 9pm

Tonight’s case follows Raneem Oudeh, who discovered her husband was already married to someone else, and the escalating threats that followed once she tried to leave him.

Elsewhere at 9pm, Sky Atlantic launches Little Bird, a new Canadian drama following a woman reconnecting with the First Nations family she was taken from as a child, and U&Gold’s Joe and David’s Magical Sitcom Tour wraps its run with David Earl’s reunion with Ricky Gervais.

Late Night

The Vampire Lestat: Interview with the Vampire – BBC Two, 11:05pm & 11:55pm

A flashback double bill closes out BBC Two’s night, dragging Lestat back into the orbit of the Queen of the Damned before a later reunion with former lover Louis, played by Jacob Anderson, stirs up old feelings neither of them has fully dealt with.

Sport

Super League action sees Hull Kingston Rovers host Warrington Wolves from 8pm on Sky Sports Main Event. The Cincinnati Open runs across the day, with sessions at 4pm and 10:15pm on Sky Sports Tennis and Sky Sports Main Event, while the Tour of Limousin cycling gets going at 1:30pm on TNT Sports 1. Baseball fans staying up late can catch the Chicago Cubs against the Chicago White Sox from 1am on TNT Sports 1.

The Viewing Schedule

What’s On Streaming

• BBC iPlayer: Race against the Tide, The Great British Sewing Bee, Saving Lives at Sea, Celebrity MasterChef, Emergency 24/7, The Vampire Lestat: Interview with the Vampire
• ITVX: Inside the Langham: Britain’s First Grand Hotel, True Crime Presents
• Channel 4 streaming: The Great ADHD Myth?
• 5 streaming: The Georgians with Rob Rinder and Ruth Goodman
• Now: Best Medicine, Little Bird
• U: Joe and David’s Magical Sitcom Tour

Frequently Asked Questions

Is EastEnders on tonight (Tuesday 18 August 2026)?

EastEnders isn’t among tonight’s featured highlights. BBC One’s 8pm and 9pm hours belong to The Great British Sewing Bee and Celebrity MasterChef instead. EastEnders usually airs Monday to Thursday, so check BBC One’s own schedule or BBC iPlayer for tonight’s listing.

What time is Celebrity MasterChef on, and who’s the new judge?

Celebrity MasterChef is on BBC One at 9pm. Italian chef Giorgio Locatelli joins Grace Dent as judge, taking his first proper look at the celebrity cooks through a truffle gnocchi challenge.

What’s new about Emergency 24/7?

Emergency 24/7 is a brand new series on BBC Two at 9pm, made by the team behind Murder 24/7, following a night shift at Southmead Hospital’s emergency department in Bristol.

What live sport is on TV tonight: Tuesday 18 August 2026?

Hull Kingston Rovers host Warrington Wolves in Super League from 8pm on Sky Sports Main Event, the Cincinnati Open runs across the afternoon and evening on Sky Sports Tennis, the Tour of Limousin cycling is on TNT Sports 1 from 1:30pm, and the Chicago Cubs play the Chicago White Sox at 1am on TNT Sports 1.

What’s the best thing to watch on TV tonight (Tuesday 18 August 2026)?

Celebrity MasterChef on BBC One at 9pm is the pick, with Giorgio Locatelli’s first week as judge. The Georgians with Rob Rinder and Ruth Goodman on Channel 5 and Emergency 24/7 on BBC Two are close behind.

Final Verdict

Tuesday 18 August belongs to Celebrity MasterChef ⭐, where Giorgio Locatelli’s arrival gives a familiar format a genuinely fresh edge. The Georgians with Rob Rinder and Ruth Goodman and Emergency 24/7 both make strong second-screen options, and Saving Lives at Sea is worth the emotional toll if you’re in the mood for it. Sport fills in the gaps with Super League and the Cincinnati Open, and film and drama fans get a late reward with the Vampire Lestat double bill. One thing missing tonight: EastEnders, which sits out of the featured lineup for once.

Related: What’s On TV Tonight Tuesday | What’s On TV Tonight Wednesday | What’s On TV Tonight Monday