Tuesday evening brings a proper treat for nature lovers as Winterwatch returns to BBC Two from a brand new location. There’s also a television milestone to celebrate: it’s almost exactly 100 years since John Logie Baird showed off his invention to a roomful of scientists, and BBC Four marks the occasion with two documentaries. Elsewhere, Waterloo Road tackles some difficult subject matter in a double bill, and there’s Champions League football if Spurs versus Dortmund sounds more appealing than wildlife.
Quick Picks: Tonight’s Best
- Winterwatch – BBC Two, 7pm – Chris Packham and team return from Northern Ireland
- JLB: the Man Who Saw the Future – BBC Four, 9pm – 100 years of television
- Waterloo Road – BBC One, 9pm – Double bill with grooming storyline coming to a head
- Tottenham v Borussia Dortmund – TNT Sports 1, 8pm – Champions League action
Early Evening (6pm – 8pm)
Winterwatch – BBC Two, 7pm ⭐
Tonight’s pick. Chris Packham, Michaela Strachan and Iolo Williams are back for the next four evenings, and this year they’ve set up camp somewhere genuinely new: Mount Stewart estate in County Down, Northern Ireland. It’s the first time the show has broadcast live from there, and the location sounds promising – Strangford Lough provides a home for wading birds and wildfowl (including whooper swans), while the ancient woodland shelters everything from badgers and otters to pine martens and red squirrels.
The format remains comfortingly familiar: live segments from the base, wildlife camera feeds, mindfulness moments for those who need a breather, and reports from around the UK covering everything from stoats in Yorkshire to something called biofluorescence in south Wales. There’s also the underlying message about climate change and what we can do to help, though the show always manages to be uplifting rather than preachy.
The Martin Lewis Money Show Live – ITV1, 7:15pm
The money saving expert returns with tips for stretching your January budget and the latest consumer news. If your bank balance is still recovering from Christmas, this might be more useful than wildlife right now.
EastEnders – BBC One, 7:30pm
Yes, EastEnders is on tonight. The soap airs Monday through Thursday at 7:30pm, so Tuesday viewers get their regular fix of Albert Square drama. As always, you can catch it early on iPlayer from 6am if you’d rather not wait.
Prime Time (8pm onwards)
Inside the Factory – BBC One, 8pm
It’s cold and flu season, so Paddy McGuinness heads to a Nottingham factory that churns out 36 million medicated throat lozenges every single day. The production line is genuinely impressive, involving the sort of industrial-scale operation that makes you appreciate how much effort goes into those little sweets you pick up at the chemist without a second thought.
Cherry Healey’s off learning about honey production – the stuff that goes into those soothing lozenges – while Ruth Goodman takes us back to Victorian times, when you could apparently buy arsenic over the counter without anyone asking awkward questions. The regulations have tightened up a bit since then.
Harry Wild – U&Drama, 8pm
Jane Seymour’s retired English professor finds herself investigating another suspicious death in the second episode of series three. This time, warring restaurateurs are at the centre of a mystery that takes a gruesome turn when a severed head turns up on a serving platter. The culinary rivalry angle is entertaining enough, but the real fun comes from watching Harry clash with another detective who shares her name and has apparently been bugging her office and stealing her leads. Competition brings out her best qualities.
Waterloo Road – BBC One, 9pm
Double bill tonight, and it’s heavy going. The storyline that’s been building around coach Tony finally reaches its devastating conclusion when Nicky discovers a bracelet she assumed was a gift for their daughter was actually bought for student Portia. What follows is exactly what you’d expect – Nicky realising with horror what her ex-husband has been doing, her judgment shattered along with everything she thought she knew about him. Kym Marsh handles the material with real empathy. It’s uncomfortable viewing, but that’s rather the point.
Killer in the House: the Murder of Nicholas Billingham – ITV1, 9pm
True crime documentary about primary school teacher Fiona Beal, who was found in a Cumbrian holiday lodge in March 2022 after attempting to take her own life. Police became suspicious of her journal entries and eventually discovered she’d killed her boyfriend Nick five months earlier, burying him in their Northampton garden. She’d then spent months sending texts from his phone to family and colleagues, creating the impression he was alive but had left her for another woman.
What makes this case remarkable is how close she came to getting away with it. The whole elaborate deception only unravelled because a community police officer happened to visit the house, which apparently spooked her enough to flee. It’s the sort of story that sounds like crime fiction until you remember it actually happened.
JLB: the Man Who Saw the Future – BBC Four, 9pm
Almost exactly a century ago, John Logie Baird gathered a group of scientists and showed them something that would change the world: working television. This documentary marks that anniversary with contributions from Baird’s son Malcolm, offering personal insight into the man behind the invention.
If you’re in the mood for more television history, stick around for The Birth of Television at 10:15pm – a 1976 documentary where broadcaster Leslie Mitchell (the first voice heard on BBC TV back in 1936) traces the medium’s origins alongside various familiar faces from the era.
The Good Ship Murder – Channel 5, 9pm
The cruise ship mystery series delivers a Holby City reunion of sorts, with John Michie playing a once-famous photographer who turns up dead in Crete shortly after meeting his former muse, played by Amanda Mealing. Meanwhile, Jack has to contend with a woman from head office whose smile is wider than her warmth, and whose resistance to his usual charm should probably worry him.
QI XL – BBC Two, 9pm
Sandi Toksvig hosts Josh Widdicombe, Catherine Bohart and Nabil Abdulrashid for another round of the quiz where points barely matter but the tangents are everything. Standard Tuesday comfort viewing.
Dark Winds – U&Alibi, 9pm
Penultimate episode of the Navajo detective drama, and things are reaching crisis point. Chee finds Joe bleeding out in the desert after last week’s poisoning but still determined to follow up their new evidence. Joe’s estranged wife Emma has a tense encounter with an FBI agent that cuts right to her core, while Manuelito realises the criminal operation she’s investigating is far more dangerous than she’d anticipated.
Late Night
The Secret of Me – Channel 4, 10pm
A documentary that exposes a medical scandal affecting thousands of children worldwide. Jim was raised as Kristi in 1980s Louisiana, a tomboyish girl who discovered aged 19 – through a textbook in a feminist studies class – that something fundamental about his identity had been kept from him. Born with XY chromosomes but atypical anatomy, doctors had performed surgery to make his body appear more typically female, without his knowledge or consent.
The film follows Jim’s emotional journey toward confronting the surgeon who shaped his life, while revealing how this practice – based on flawed research and outdated assumptions – was far more common than most people realise. It’s difficult viewing, but important.
Things You Should Have Done – BBC Three, 10pm (BBC One, 11:40pm)
Lucia Keskin’s wonderfully odd sitcom returns for a second series. Chi’s parents died leaving behind a list of things she needs to accomplish (learn to drive, learn to cook, get a job), and this opening triple bill kicks off with more family tragedy prompting her to tick off another item: get therapy. The plots are almost beside the point – what matters is luxuriating in Keskin’s unique comedic voice. There’s usually at least one line per episode that catches you off guard with a genuine laugh.
Sport
Football: Champions League – Bodo/Glimt v Manchester City, TNT Sports 2, 5:45pm kick-off. City travel to Norway’s frozen north. Tottenham v Borussia Dortmund, TNT Sports 1, 8pm kick-off (coverage from 7pm). The main event of the evening for football fans.
Football: Championship – Wrexham v Leicester, Sky Sports Main Event/Football, 8pm kick-off (coverage from 7:30pm). Action from the Racecourse Ground.
Tennis: Australian Open – Day three and four coverage from Melbourne. TNT Sports 3 from 7am, TNT Sports 1 from 10am, overnight coverage from 12:30am.
The Viewing Schedule
| Time | Channel | Programme |
|---|---|---|
| 5:45pm | TNT Sports 2 | Champions League: Bodo/Glimt v Man City |
| 7:00pm | BBC Two | Winterwatch |
| 7:15pm | ITV1 | The Martin Lewis Money Show Live |
| 7:30pm | BBC One | EastEnders |
| 8:00pm | BBC One | Inside the Factory |
| 8:00pm | TNT Sports 1 | Champions League: Tottenham v Dortmund |
| 8:00pm | Sky Sports | Championship: Wrexham v Leicester |
| 8:00pm | U&Drama | Harry Wild |
| 9:00pm | BBC Two | QI XL |
| 9:00pm | BBC One | Waterloo Road |
| 9:00pm | ITV1 | Killer in the House |
| 9:00pm | BBC Four | JLB: the Man Who Saw the Future |
| 9:00pm | Channel 5 | The Good Ship Murder |
| 9:00pm | U&Alibi | Dark Winds |
| 9:00pm | More4 | Saving Country Houses with Penelope Keith |
| 10:00pm | Channel 4 | The Secret of Me |
| 10:00pm | BBC Three | Things You Should Have Done |
| 10:15pm | BBC Four | The Birth of Television |
What’s On Streaming
BBC iPlayer: EastEnders (from 6am), Winterwatch, Inside the Factory, Waterloo Road, QI XL, Things You Should Have Done
ITVX: Killer in the House: the Murder of Nicholas Billingham
Channel 4 streaming: The Secret of Me
My5: The Good Ship Murder
Now: Dark Winds
Frequently Asked Questions
What time is Winterwatch on tonight?
Winterwatch is on BBC Two at 7pm tonight (Tuesday 20th January 2026). Chris Packham, Michaela Strachan and Iolo Williams are broadcasting from Northern Ireland’s Mount Stewart estate for the first time.
What’s the best thing to watch on TV tonight?
Our top pick is Winterwatch on BBC Two at 7pm – the beloved nature show returns from a brand new base in Northern Ireland, promising live encounters with badgers, otters, pine martens and red squirrels over the next four evenings.
What time is EastEnders on tonight?
EastEnders is on BBC One at 7:30pm tonight (Tuesday 20th January 2026). You can also watch early on iPlayer from 6am.
What time is the Champions League on TV tonight?
Tottenham v Borussia Dortmund kicks off at 8pm on TNT Sports 1 tonight (Tuesday 20th January 2026). Manchester City play Bodo/Glimt earlier at 5:45pm on TNT Sports 2.
What’s on BBC Four tonight?
BBC Four marks the centenary of television’s invention with JLB: the Man Who Saw the Future at 9pm, featuring testimony from John Logie Baird’s son. This is followed by the 1976 documentary The Birth of Television at 10:15pm.
What time is Waterloo Road on tonight?
Waterloo Road is on BBC One at 9pm tonight with a double bill. The storyline reaches a devastating climax as Nicky discovers Tony’s grooming of student Portia.
Final Verdict
Winterwatch gets the star tonight – there’s something genuinely special about the show returning with a brand new Northern Ireland base, and four consecutive evenings of live wildlife is always welcome in January. Television history buffs should head to BBC Four for the Baird centenary documentaries, while Waterloo Road handles difficult subject matter with care in its double bill. Football fans have Spurs versus Dortmund in the Champions League, and late-night viewers should make time for The Secret of Me – a necessary documentary about a medical scandal that deserves wider attention. And yes, EastEnders is on at 7:30pm for your Tuesday Walford fix.
