TV Guide UK Tonight: Tues 20 Oct 2026 – Blue Lights, Bake Off & EastEnders

Updated: 20 October 2026

Tuesday 20 October 2026. What’s on TV tonight: Blue Lights on BBC One at 9pm, The Great British Bake Off on Channel 4 at 8pm, and Emmerdale and Coronation Street on ITV1 at 8pm and 8.30pm. EastEnders is on BBC One at 7.30pm, with DIY SOS after it at 8pm. The Champions League is on tonight, but only on pay TV, so there is no free-to-air football to point you to.

Quick Picks: Tonight’s Best

• Blue Lights BBC One, 9pm. Series four, episode four.
• The Great British Bake Off Channel 4, 8pm. Dessert Week.
• Hot Fuzz Film4, 9pm. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost in the 2007 hit.
• Ben Fogle: New Lives in the Wild Channel 5, 9pm. A Norwegian forest and a former radio DJ.
• EastEnders BBC One, 7.30pm. Yes, it is on tonight.

Watch: What’s On TV Tonight

Early Evening

House of Games – BBC Two, 6pm

House of Games is on BBC Two at 6pm, with Cheryl Baker, Rick Edwards, Toby Olubi and Lou Sanders as this week’s four players in the teatime quiz. It is a light, quick-fire half hour that rewards a good memory more than clever thinking. BBC Two follows it with Strictly: It Takes Two at 6.30pm, with Ellie Taylor and Craig Revel Horwood, then the men’s team final from the Gymnastics World Championships in Rotterdam at 7pm.

Last of the Summer Wine – Drama, 6pm

Last of the Summer Wine is on Drama from 6pm, with three episodes in a row at 6pm, 6.40pm and 7.20pm. Tom is trying to turn his niece Babs into a star, while Clegg and the others drift through Yorkshire with no plan at all. It is easy, familiar comfort viewing before Anna Pigeon Mysteries at 8pm.

Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing – Dave, 7pm

Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing is on Dave at 7pm, with Bob and Paul lake fishing in Wiltshire. The early start is the joke: they are up before sunrise to give themselves any chance of a big catch. Dave fills the rest of the evening with panel shows, including two Would I Lie to You? episodes from 7.40pm and QI XL at 9pm.

Hollyoaks – E4, 7pm

Hollyoaks is on E4 at 7pm with a new episode, and confessions and secret feelings come out. Jenson turns sinister when he is rejected, and Frankie has her first day at the hospital. The channel then moves to First Dates at 8pm and Gogglebox at 9pm.

Prime Time

EastEnders – BBC One, 7.30pm

Yes, EastEnders is on tonight, on BBC One at 7.30pm. The Slaters rally round Big Mo, Cindy cannot let go of the question of who Max’s mystery woman is, and Denzel has to own up. The One Show leads in at 7pm. Our EastEnders page tracks the longer storylines.

DIY SOS – BBC One, 8pm

DIY SOS is on BBC One at 8pm, as Nick Knowles and the team head to north Wales, where Helen and Llyr have an unfinished home and two young sons. One of them, Macsen, has a rare genetic condition, so the aim is a safe, accessible space. This is the series doing what it always does, with a lot of volunteers and not many dry eyes.

Emmerdale – ITV1, 8pm

Emmerdale is on ITV1 at 8pm. Belle is in a bad way, the missing money has still not turned up, and Thea reads the situation wrongly. It is a mid-week episode that leans on fallout rather than fresh shocks. The Martin Lewis Money Show Live is on before it at 7.15pm, with mortgage rates the headline. See Emmerdale for the wider storylines.

Coronation Street – ITV1, 8.30pm

Coronation Street is on ITV1 at 8.30pm, straight after Emmerdale, so ITV1 has soaps for the whole hour from 8pm. Ronnie keeps Debbie at arm’s length, Ross thinks Tyrone is too passive, and Daniel takes up a cause for someone else. The Coronation Street page has the longer view.

The Great British Bake Off – Channel 4, 8pm

The Great British Bake Off is on Channel 4 at 8pm, and it is Dessert Week, the point where Bake Off tends to be at its most nostalgic. The signature is a self-saucing pudding, and the showstopper is a trip down memory lane built around retro dessert trolleys. Noel Fielding and Alison Hammond host, with Paul Hollywood and Nigella Lawson judging. Tempting Fortune follows at 9.15pm and Second Helpings at 10.15pm.

Anna Pigeon Mysteries – Drama, 8pm

Anna Pigeon Mysteries is on Drama at 8pm with The Preacher, which opens with one of Anna’s own colleagues in custody over a string of robberies near the park. Anna and her colleagues look for guidance in a place they would not normally turn. Tracy Spiridakos stars, and Father Brown is on at 9pm.

Vera – ITV3, 8pm

Vera is on ITV3 at 8pm in a two-hour slot, with the episode called As the Crow Flies. Vera looks into the death of a teacher who died on a path by the coast, and into the secrets that died with the victim. Downton Abbey follows at 10pm.

Blue Lights – BBC One, 9pm ⭐

Blue Lights is on BBC One at 9pm, and it is the one to watch tonight. This is episode four of six, and Sandra, played by Andi Osho, thinks back to a secret Gerry once confided in her. She realises that she is sitting on information that could do a lot of damage. Expect strong language.

Blue Lights never treats Belfast policing as scenery. The officers are tired, funny and scared in about equal measure, and a bad shift follows them home. Siân Brooke gives Grace a stubbornness that is both her best quality and her biggest risk. Few dramas hold this much tension without sneering at anyone. Put the phone in another room.

Ben Fogle: New Lives in the Wild – Channel 5, 9pm

Ben Fogle: New Lives in the Wild is on Channel 5 at 9pm, and Ben goes to the forests of Norway to meet Marit Karlsen, who left a music-industry career in Oslo for a remote life. The series tends to begin with an awkward arrival and end with Ben understanding what self-reliance costs. Channel 5 opens at 8pm with a new Motorway Cops and closes with Surgeons: A Matter of Life or Death at 10pm.

Matt Baker: Our Barn in the Dales – More4, 9pm

Matt Baker: Our Barn in the Dales is on More4 at 9pm with episode two of the new series. Work on the old barn picks up speed, though groundwork and rebuilt walls make it a slog, and the flock gets a new ram. More4 has 24 Hours in A&E at 10pm.

John le Carré: A New Life – Sky Arts, 9pm

John le Carré: A New Life is on Sky Arts at 9pm, a new documentary on the writer, whose real name was David Cornwell. It looks at how his own experience of espionage and deception shaped his spy fiction. It runs for two hours, and Sky Arts is on Freeview as well as Sky.

Hot Fuzz – Film4, 9pm

Hot Fuzz is on Film4 at 9pm, running until 11.25pm. Simon Pegg plays a top Met officer who is posted to a sleepy village, where a string of grisly deaths is waved off as accidents. Edgar Wright’s 2007 comedy is as funny on a fifth viewing as it was on the first.

Only Fools and Horses: The Lost Archive – U&Gold, 9pm

Only Fools and Horses: The Lost Archive is on U&Gold at 9pm, a documentary built from unseen material from the sitcom’s archive, with Sir David Jason and members of the cast. U&Gold is a pay-TV channel, and the documentary marks the sitcom’s 45th anniversary. It is a likely hit for anyone who knows the Trotters by heart.

Saving Lives at Sea – BBC Two, 9.30pm

Saving Lives at Sea is on BBC Two at 9.30pm with the final episode of the series. A teenager goes to the aid of a paralysed surfer in difficulty in the water, and Appledore’s lifeboat crew launch on a 999 call. Volunteers, real emergencies, and not much commentary.

Elsewhere, ITV2 has Big Brother at 9pm, and ITV4 has World Superbike Highlights at 8pm followed by Rocky Balboa at 9pm. Legend shows the 1973 western Showdown with Rock Hudson at 9pm, GREAT! Action has The Gunman at 9pm, and GREAT! Movies has The Double at 9.10pm. Talking Pictures TV screens the 1953 drama Inferno at 8pm. Quest has Vinnie Jones in the Country, Really has Who Do You Think You Are?, 5USA has NCIS from 6pm and a new Law & Order: SVU at 9pm, 5Star has Casualty 24/7 at 8pm, Yesterday has Bangers & Cash and 4seven has a signed repeat of Bake Off at 8pm.

Late Night

A Want in Her – BBC Four, 10pm

A Want in Her is on BBC Four at 10pm, Myrid Carten’s debut feature documentary, shown under the Storyville banner. It starts as a portrait of the director’s mother, Nuala, and grows into a wider look at family, addiction and unconditional love. BBC Four has The Normans at 9pm if you want a history hour first. It is on iPlayer too.

Stacey Dooley: Down the K Hole – BBC One, 10.40pm

Stacey Dooley: Down the K Hole is on BBC One at 10.40pm, and on BBC Three earlier at 9pm if you would rather not stay up. Ketamine addiction is on the rise among the young, and Stacey Dooley spends time in a Stockport rehab unit to see what recovery looks like. It is a hard-going watch. Clickbait Clinic with Stacey Dooley follows at 11.40pm.

Sport

There is no free-to-air football on tonight. Three of tonight’s Champions League games, all with an 8pm kick-off, are: Manchester City v AEK Athens is on TNT Sports 1 from 7pm (see Manchester City on TV), Liverpool v Villarreal is on Prime Video (see Liverpool on TV), and PSG v Barcelona is on TNT Sports 2 from 7.45pm. The only free sport is the gymnastics on BBC Two at 7pm, plus ITV4’s motorbike highlights. For the full list of today’s matches see football on TV today.

What’s On Streaming

BBC iPlayer — Blue Lights, EastEnders, DIY SOS, A Want in Her, Stacey Dooley: Down the K Hole.

ITVX — Emmerdale, Coronation Street, Vera, Big Brother.

Channel 4 streaming — The Great British Bake Off, Tempting Fortune.

U — Anna Pigeon Mysteries, Father Brown.

Tonight by Channel

A channel-by-channel breakdown of Tuesday 20 October 2026, so you can jump straight to the one you actually watch.

BBC One

• 7.30pm — EastEnders
• 8pm — DIY SOS
• 9pm — Blue Lights
• 10.40pm — Stacey Dooley: Down the K Hole

BBC Two

• 6pm — House of Games
• 9.30pm — Saving Lives at Sea

ITV1

• 8pm — Emmerdale
• 8.30pm — Coronation Street

Channel 4

• 8pm — The Great British Bake Off

Channel 5

• 9pm — Ben Fogle: New Lives in the Wild

Drama

• 6pm — Last of the Summer Wine
• 8pm — Anna Pigeon Mysteries

The Viewing Schedule

Frequently Asked Questions

Is EastEnders on tonight (Tuesday 20 October 2026)?

Yes. EastEnders is on BBC One at 7.30pm tonight. The Slaters rally round Big Mo, Cindy becomes fixated on working out who Max’s mystery woman is, and Denzel has to own up.

Is Coronation Street on tonight?

Yes. Coronation Street is on ITV1 at 8.30pm tonight, straight after Emmerdale at 8pm. Ronnie keeps Debbie at arm’s length, and Ross thinks Tyrone is being too passive.

What time is Emmerdale on tonight?

Emmerdale is on ITV1 at 8pm tonight, followed by Coronation Street at 8.30pm. Belle is in a bad way and the missing money has still not turned up.

What time is The Great British Bake Off on tonight?

The Great British Bake Off is on Channel 4 at 8pm tonight. It is Dessert Week, with a self-saucing pudding signature and a retro dessert trolley showstopper.

What time is Blue Lights on tonight?

Blue Lights is on BBC One at 9pm tonight. It is episode four of six in series four, and it contains strong language.

Is there football on TV tonight?

Yes, but only on pay TV. Three Champions League games kick off at 8pm: Manchester City v AEK Athens on TNT Sports 1, PSG v Barcelona on TNT Sports 2 and Liverpool v Villarreal on Prime Video. None of them is on a free-to-air channel.

What films are on TV tonight?

Hot Fuzz is on Film4 at 9pm, the 2007 action comedy with Simon Pegg. ITV4 has Rocky Balboa at 9pm, Legend has the 1973 western Showdown at 9pm, and Talking Pictures TV has Inferno at 8pm.

What’s on ITV1 tonight?

ITV1 has The Martin Lewis Money Show Live at 7.15pm, Emmerdale at 8pm, Coronation Street at 8.30pm, Unbelievable Moments: Caught on Camera at 9pm and ITV News at Ten at 10pm.

What time is Big Brother on tonight?

Big Brother is on ITV2 at 9pm tonight, and you can also watch it on ITVX.

What’s the best thing to watch on TV tonight (Tuesday 20 October 2026)?

Blue Lights on BBC One at 9pm. For something lighter, Bake Off does Dessert Week on Channel 4 at 8pm, and Hot Fuzz is on Film4 at 9pm.

Final Verdict

Blue Lights at 9pm is the pick, and a strong one. If you want something gentler, Bake Off does puddings at 8pm, and Hot Fuzz is a good late-evening rewatch on Film4.

Football fans will need a subscription tonight, because the Champions League is all on TNT Sports and Prime Video. Both soaps are on, so see when the soaps and big shows are on for the week ahead.

Related: What’s On TV Tonight | Films on TV Tonight | Freeview Channel Guide