TV Guide UK Tonight: Tues 21 Apr 2026 – MasterChef New Era, Interior Design Masters & Brighton v Chelsea

Updated: 10 June 2026

Two of BBC One’s biggest returning formats come back on the same night. Interior Design Masters with Alan Carr starts its seventh series at 8pm. Then at 9pm, MasterChef kicks off series 22 with new judges Grace Dent and Anna Haugh, the first episode without John Torode and Gregg Wallace in 21 years. Channel 4 wraps up Suez: 24 Hours That Broke the British Empire at 9pm, and Sky History sends Vicky McClure and Jonny Owen to Glasgow for the Bible John case. Brighton v Chelsea has been moved forward to tonight on Sky Sports, kick-off 8pm. Plus BBC Three launches a gentle new dating series and Anna Maxwell Martin takes the chair on The Assembly.

Quick Picks: Tonight’s Best

• MasterChef ⭐ — BBC One, 9pm — Series 22 premiere. First episode with Grace Dent and Anna Haugh. A proper reset
• Interior Design Masters with Alan Carr — BBC One, 8pm — Series 7 launch. Ten new designers, Dorset beach huts, Jonathan Adler guest-judging
• Suez: 24 Hours That Broke the British Empire — Channel 4, 9pm — Part 2 of 2. The closing half of a genuinely sharp piece of history
• Brighton v Chelsea — Sky Sports Main Event, 8pm — Premier League, brought forward. Chelsea on a four-match losing run, Brighton unbeaten in four
• Britain’s Murder Map — Sky History, 9pm — Bible John, 1960s Glasgow, and a case that still refuses to close
• EastEnders — BBC One, 7:30pm — Suki worries, Max and Cindy get closer, the Mitchells rally

Early Evening

Springtime on the Farm – Channel 5, 7pm

Cannon Hall Farm’s live lambing week is back, and Helen Skelton is in with Jules Hudson and JB Gill for the full five nights. Tonight she delivers one of the farm’s 500 newborn lambs on camera and names him Bob. Rob and Dave Nicholson also take a detour to Jimmy Doherty’s Suffolk wildlife park to pick out a new resident. Meerkats and polar bears turn up, which shouldn’t work but does. Decent unfussy telly, and a useful antidote to everything on at nine. Catch up via 5 streaming.

EastEnders – BBC One, 7:30pm

Episode 7316. Three things at once, and none of them look like they’re going to settle quickly. Suki starts worrying about the family, which is usually the bit where the writers have already decided what’s coming. Max and Cindy grow closer, which, given the cast involved, is never a simple update. And the Mitchells rally together, the kind of plot-thread that pays off later in the week rather than tonight. A setup episode, really. Catch up via BBC iPlayer.

Prime Time

Interior Design Masters with Alan Carr – BBC One, 8pm (SERIES PREMIERE)

Series seven. Alan Carr is still hosting, Michelle Ogundehin is still the judge who actually knows what she’s talking about, and the BBC has been confident enough about all this to commission series eight and nine already. Ten new hopefuls pitch up in Dorset to redesign a row of beach huts in their own signature styles. The designers describe themselves using phrases like “modern contemporary”, “contemporary Victorian”, “botanic maximalist” and “nostalgic adventure”. Half the fun of a launch episode is watching those labels collide with actual wood, MDF and paint.

Jonathan Adler comes in as guest judge to poke around the finished huts, which is a proper get for week one. Carr flits between designers doing his thing: jokes, encouragement, the occasional sharper note when somebody’s stopped listening. Zebra prints and papier-mâché lampshades feature early and often. Eight more weeks follow, final on 2 June. If you missed last year, this is an easy place to pick it up. Catch up via BBC iPlayer.

Sam and Ade Go Birding – Channel 5, 8pm

Episode two of three. Samuel West and Adrian Edmondson turn up at Holkham in north Norfolk, one of the best places in the country for a migration spectacle, which is why Sam is explaining why they’re out there at God-knows-what-time in the morning. It’s a brisk, cold half-hour in the way early coastal birding always is. The pair fill the gaps with stories from their acting years and more talk about mortality than you’d maybe expect. Sam shares a memory of his late mother Prunella Scales, handled lightly in a way the series is very quickly getting good at. Later, Ade (who won Celebrity MasterChef back in 2013) cooks Sam dinner. Lucky man. Catch up via 5 streaming.

Emmerdale – ITV1, 8pm

ITV’s soaps hour opens with Emmerdale, continuing its run of complicated choices in the Dales. Catch up via ITVX.

Coronation Street – ITV1, 8:30pm

The second half of the soaps hour takes the cobbles further into the current run of trouble. Catch up via ITVX.

9pm: A Busy Hour

MasterChef ⭐ – BBC One, 9pm (SERIES PREMIERE)

This is the headline. Series 22, and the first MasterChef in 21 years without John Torode and Gregg Wallace, both of whom were sacked in July 2025 after separate misconduct investigations. In come Grace Dent (food critic) and Anna Haugh (chef). Both have appeared on the show in various forms over the years. This is their first full run as the permanent pair.

The opening heat plays it straight. Six home cooks start with signature dishes: a Thai chicken curry, a Nepalese pork plate, a chocolate delice among them. Two go through on signature alone. The other four have to cook again, a poached-egg brunch this time, for the remaining places. The closing task sends two-course meals to last year’s three finalists, which is a nice touch. A decent way of planting the new era into recent memory rather than pretending the previous 21 seasons didn’t happen.

What you notice in the first ten minutes is the tone. Dent and Haugh are articulate and knowledgeable in a way the previous dynamic sometimes wasn’t. No gurning, no shouting. The food is back in the middle of the frame, which honestly is where it should have been. Whether the ratings follow is its own question. On the evidence of episode one, though, the show is quietly better. Catch up via BBC iPlayer.

Suez: 24 Hours That Broke the British Empire – Channel 4, 9pm

Part two of two, and the closing hour of Channel 4’s two-parter on the final day of the Suez Crisis. Even if you think you know the broad shape of 6 November 1956, there are details here that are hard to shake: the stitched-up tripartite plan between Britain, France and Israel, the “deceptive dance” that dressed a war with Egypt as a peacekeeping mission, and Eisenhower’s reported phone call to Anthony Eden, reproduced with a frankness that school never quite got around to.

The closer is particularly good on the slower consequences. Hubris meets reality. The madcap scheme backfires. Britain stops being a superpower and the rest of the twentieth century quietly adjusts around that. Dense without being heavy. Worth catching whether or not you saw Monday’s opener; streaming covers it. Catch up via C4 streaming.

Egypt with Dan Snow – Channel 5, 9pm

From Suez to further upriver. Dan Snow boards the SS Sudan, a century-old steamer that once carried Agatha Christie herself, who was inspired on deck to write Death on the Nile. On land there’s Ramses II’s temple at Abu Simbel and the smaller Philae Temple, the latter moved stone by stone to higher ground in the 1970s after the Aswan High Dam threatened to submerge it. Still one of the stranger feats of twentieth-century archaeology. Snow also tries, and mostly fails, to buy a camel. Leisurely, watchable hour. Catch up via 5 streaming.

Britain’s Murder Map with Vicky McClure and Jonny Owen – Sky History, 9pm

Episode three, and the strongest of the run so far. McClure and Owen head to Glasgow to work through Bible John, the late-1960s murders of three young women by an unknown killer who earned his nickname after Helen Puttock’s sister recalled him quoting Bible verses in a shared taxi. The episode spends as much time on the relationship between the press and the police as on the killer, which is the smarter angle. The media’s role in shaping the myth around Bible John is very likely part of why it remains unsolved. Owen also floats something the case files have long sidelined: that it may not have been one man at all. Family interviews anchor the hour. Careful, serious television.

Better Date than Never – BBC Three, 9pm (NEW SERIES)

A spin-off of Australia’s Love on the Spectrum, this one broadens things out beyond autism to a wider group of autistic, neurodivergent and learning-disabled contestants going on their first dates. The opener runs as a double bill, second half at 9:30pm, and the format is as gentle as that sounds. 22-year-old Olivia, who has Down’s syndrome and is an accomplished swimmer, poet and dancer, is hoping things go well with Trent, a Mr Bean impersonator. The most memorable bit comes from Nirvali, a 20-year-old who finds it hard to leave the house and whose ideal date is “a couple of awkward interactions and then after that we go home”. Honest, funny, and a genuinely well-made opener. Full series on iPlayer. Catch up via BBC iPlayer.

Spymasters: the Great Spy Writers – Sky Arts, 9pm (LAST EPISODE)

Last in the run of Sky Arts’ series on fiction writers who drew from (and fed back into) the real world of espionage. Len Deighton’s death earlier this year aged 97 adds obvious weight. The episode threads his sardonic Harry Palmer books alongside Mick Herron’s Slough House crew in Slow Horses. For real-world material, it takes in the 1985 defection of Oleg Gordievsky and, more briefly, the operation that killed Osama bin Laden. Tidier and more reflective than some earlier episodes. Catch up via Now.

Late Night

To Think like a Killer – BBC Two, 9:45pm and 11pm (LAST EPISODE)

The closing double bill takes the docuseries back to Louisiana in 1981. The subject is Jon Barry Simonis, the Ski Mask Rapist, who committed at least 81 rapes across 12 states and became one of America’s most wanted sex offenders before being caught and given 21 life terms. Most of the hour-plus focuses on Dr Ann Burgess, whose psychiatric work on serial offenders essentially invented the modern understanding of how their domestic lives shape their crimes. Tough stuff, but handled carefully. The double bill ends the series. Catch up via BBC iPlayer.

Storyville: Speechless – BBC Four, 10pm

The closing part of the Ric Esther Bienstock and Alex Gibney two-parter on the free-speech debates on US and UK campuses. Episode one built up a slow, deliberate portrait of a university environment shaped by fear and threats, filmed over eight years. Tonight’s closer draws its lines and reaches its conclusions. Catch up via BBC iPlayer.

The Assembly – ITV1, 10:05pm

Series two, episode five. Anna Maxwell Martin takes the chair opposite the autistic, neurodivergent and learning-disabled panel. The Assembly works because the interviewers don’t bother with celebrity etiquette: they ask whatever they want, in whatever order, and the answers come back uncommonly honest. Maxwell Martin said beforehand that nobody wants to come across as a bad person. Knowing her work, that seems unlikely. Catch up via ITVX.

The Murder Line – ITV1, 11:15pm

Episode five of six. Erica’s team makes a grim discovery as the investigation approaches its endgame. Some regions may carry this episode the following evening, so check your local listings. Catch up via ITVX.

Sport

Football: Brighton v Chelsea – Sky Sports Main Event, 8pm (k/o 8pm)

A Premier League fixture brought forward from 26 April, and one that matters for both clubs. Chelsea turn up at the Amex on a four-match Premier League losing streak, having failed to score in any of them. Brighton are unbeaten in four and grabbed a stoppage-time point against Spurs at the weekend. Brighton have also won their last three against Chelsea in all competitions, including a 3-1 earlier in the season. The table is tight, Brighton ninth and Chelsea sixth, one point between them. The form is anything but. Kaoru Mitoma is back in the Brighton squad and Lewis Dunk returns from suspension. For Chelsea, Estevao Willian is ruled out and Enzo Fernandez is cleared to play. Live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League, kick-off 8pm.

Snooker: World Snooker Championship – BBC Two, TNT Sports

Day four at the Crucible. First-round matches continue on BBC Two from 10am and 2:15pm, with TNT Sports 3 picking up from 6:30pm and TNT Sports 1 and 3 sharing coverage from 7pm. BBC Four and TNT Sports 1 run evening sessions. Chris Wakelin plays Liam Pullen and Judd Trump plays Gary Wilson today. Every frame is also on BBC iPlayer.

Tennis: Madrid Open – Sky ME/Tennis, 10am

Day one of the clay-court tournament in Madrid. Early-round matches run through the day on Sky Sports Tennis.

The Viewing Schedule

What’s On Streaming

BBC iPlayer: MasterChef, Interior Design Masters, EastEnders, Better Date than Never (full series), To Think like a Killer, Storyville: Speechless
ITVX: Emmerdale, Coronation Street, The Assembly, The Murder Line
Channel 4 streaming: Suez: 24 Hours That Broke the British Empire
5 streaming: Springtime on the Farm, Sam and Ade Go Birding, Egypt with Dan Snow
Sky Sports / Now: Brighton v Chelsea (subscription required)

Frequently Asked Questions

Is EastEnders on tonight (Tuesday 21 April 2026)?

Yes, EastEnders is on BBC One at 7:30pm tonight. In episode 7316, Suki begins to worry about the family, Max and Cindy grow closer, and the Mitchells rally together. Catch up via BBC iPlayer.

What time is MasterChef on BBC One tonight?

MasterChef is on BBC One at 9pm tonight (Tuesday 21 April 2026). It’s the series 22 premiere, the first episode with new judges Grace Dent and Anna Haugh, who have replaced John Torode and Gregg Wallace. Six home cooks start with signature dishes, two go through, and four cook again for the remaining places. Catch up via BBC iPlayer.

What time is Interior Design Masters on BBC One tonight?

Interior Design Masters with Alan Carr is on BBC One at 8pm tonight (Tuesday 21 April 2026). It’s the series 7 premiere, with ten new designers reimagining Dorset beach huts and Jonathan Adler joining Michelle Ogundehin as guest judge. Catch up via BBC iPlayer.

Is Brighton v Chelsea on TV tonight?

Yes. Brighton v Chelsea is live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League tonight (Tuesday 21 April 2026) at 8pm from the Amex Stadium. The match was brought forward from 26 April. Sky Sports subscription or NOW Sports pass required.

What time is The Assembly with Anna Maxwell Martin on ITV1 tonight?

The Assembly is on ITV1 at 10:05pm tonight (Tuesday 21 April 2026). Anna Maxwell Martin is the guest opposite the autistic, neurodivergent and learning-disabled panel of interviewers. Catch up via ITVX.

What’s the best thing to watch on TV tonight (Tuesday 21 April 2026)?

MasterChef on BBC One at 9pm is the night’s must-watch: the series 22 launch with Grace Dent and Anna Haugh taking over after 21 years of Torode and Wallace. Interior Design Masters returns at 8pm on BBC One for series 7, and Suez: 24 Hours That Broke the British Empire reaches its concluding part on Channel 4 at 9pm. For football, Brighton v Chelsea kicks off at 8pm on Sky Sports Main Event.

Final Verdict

MasterChef is the pick of the night, and it earns its star on its own terms. The first episode with Grace Dent and Anna Haugh quietly makes the case that the show has wanted a reset for longer than it was willing to admit. Less shouting, more cooking, two judges who can explain why a dish works or doesn’t. Whether it holds across seven weeks is another question. The opener gets the benefit of the doubt.

Interior Design Masters at 8pm is reliable comfort viewing. The seventh-series opener does what all the best first episodes do: recognisable format, enough new personalities to keep things interesting. “Botanic maximalist” and “nostalgic adventure” alone are worth an hour.

Suez: 24 Hours That Broke the British Empire wraps up on Channel 4 at 9pm and is the best serious factual on tonight. Sharply edited, properly argued, quietly devastating in the final quarter.

And if football is your thing, Brighton v Chelsea is a proper Premier League occasion pulled forward to a Tuesday. Chelsea are desperate, Brighton are in form, and recent meetings suggest this one isn’t going to follow the form guide.

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