Right then, Tuesday. A night that feels like it was programmed by committee, except on this occasion the committee got it spectacularly right. Great British Menu makes its return on BBC Two at 7pm with a cracking new theme — British movies — which gives four north-west chefs licence to draw inspiration from everything from Batman to Lord of the Rings. Silent Witness continues on BBC One at 9pm with Jack increasingly out of the picture and Nikki holding the fort. Over on Sky One, Danny Dyer embarks on the most ambitious career pivot since he swapped Albert Square for… well, a caravan park in Kent. MasterChef: The Professionals puts another batch of chefs through the wringer at 8pm, Coronation Street drops a bombshell involving the McDonald family at 8:30pm, and BBC Two follows Great British Menu with one of the most harrowing documentaries you’ll see all year. Plus there’s Champions League football, The Summit getting properly nasty on ITV1, and The Curfew hurtling toward its finale on Channel 5. Something for absolutely everyone.
Quick Picks: Tonight’s Best
- Great British Menu — BBC Two, 7pm — Back with a brilliant British movies theme and four new chefs
- MasterChef: The Professionals — BBC One, 8pm — Nikita Pathakji sets the skills test
- Silent Witness — BBC One, 9pm — The investigation continues without Jack
- The Zero Line: Inside Russia’s War — BBC Two, 9pm — Devastating front-line documentary
- The Dyers’ Caravan Park — Sky One, 9pm — Danny Dyer’s new venture launches
- BlackBerry — Film4, 9pm — Superb tech comedy drama (four stars)
- The Curfew — Channel 5, 10pm — Penultimate episode with a major twist
Early Evening (6:30pm — 8pm)
Football: Champions League — Newcastle Utd v FK Qarabag — TNT Sports, 6:30pm (k/o 8pm)
Newcastle welcome FK Qarabag to St James’ Park for a Champions League tie that should see the Magpies in confident mood. Coverage starts at 6:30pm with kick-off at 8pm. A decent appetiser for the evening’s entertainment if you’ve got a TNT Sports subscription — and even if you’re not bothered about the football, the atmosphere at St James’ under those European lights is always worth watching.
Great British Menu — BBC Two, 7pm ⭐
Welcome back, old friend. Great British Menu returns for another year and this time the chefs are cooking at a banquet celebrating British cinema, which is the sort of theme that could go horribly wrong — nobody wants to eat a beef wellington shaped like the Batmobile — or could produce genuine magic. Four chefs from the north-west step up first: Jack Bond, Exose Grant, Daniel Heffy and Paul Leonard, a mix of new faces and a returning competitor.
The film inspirations are deliberately varied. Batman, James Bond, Jurassic Park and Lord of the Rings are the four movies the chefs have chosen, and the challenge is to translate those very different cinematic worlds onto a plate in a way that is clever without being gimmicky. “Let’s hope there are plenty of blockbusters and no box office disasters,” says Andi Oliver, and yes, there will absolutely be a lot more puns like that as the weeks go on.
Lisa Goodwin-Allen serves as guest judge for the opening heat, bringing the exacting standards you’d expect from a chef of her calibre. The week begins in the usual fashion: amuse-bouches (only considered in the event of a tie), vegan starters and the fish course. Atul Kochhar takes over judging duties for the fish course because Lisa has a shellfish allergy — a practical detail that adds a nice human touch to proceedings. The format remains unchanged, which is exactly right. If it ain’t broke, give it a movie theme and carry on.
One thing to flag: on Thursday’s episode, regular judges Tom Kerridge and Lorna McNee will be joined by comedian and self-proclaimed food obsessive Phil Wang. The man is genuinely unrecognisable these days, apparently, so look out for that. The full week of episodes drops on iPlayer.
Football: Championship — Southampton v QPR — Sky Sports Main Event/Football, 7:30pm (k/o 8pm)
Championship action from St Mary’s as Southampton host QPR. Kick-off at 8pm. One for the fans of lower-division drama.
Prime Time (8pm onwards)
MasterChef: The Professionals — BBC One, 8pm
The decision to bring in former MasterChef champions to set the skills tests has been one of the best tweaks to the format in years — it opens the challenges up to different cuisines and styles in a way that the old approach never quite managed. Tonight it’s the turn of bubbly 2022 winner Nikita Pathakji, who sets a prawn, coconut and lemongrass broth that should give a clear indication of whether these chefs understand the delicate balance of Southeast Asian flavours or whether they’re going to drown everything in chilli and hope for the best.
After the skills test, the four chefs cook their signatures. The line-up tonight is genuinely interesting: cod with Jerusalem artichoke three ways (which is the kind of dish that either demonstrates real mastery of an ingredient or feels like a chef who couldn’t decide what to do with it), venison with a stilton crust, halibut with morels, and — the one I’d want to try — a tarte tatin that comes with Camembert crisps. Camembert crisps. On a tarte tatin. It’s either inspired or deranged, and I can’t wait to find out which.
Matt Tebbutt, Marcus Wareing and Monica Galetti judge. There’s another helping tomorrow.
Emmerdale — ITV1, 8pm
The Dales drama rolls on. Catch up via ITVX.
The Yorkshire Vet — Channel 5, 8pm (New Series)
A new run kicks off with Shona Searson handling an emergency calving — the sort of no-nonsense, sleeves-rolled-up veterinary drama that has made this show a reliable fixture on Channel 5 for years. Peter Wright, meanwhile, is attending to a samoyed dog at the practice. If you’ve had a long day and need something warm, competent and entirely free of murder, this is your show. Catch up on My5.
Coronation Street — ITV1, 8:30pm
Now this is a storyline with real weight to it. Word reaches Steve McDonald that his estranged father Jim is in hospital and hasn’t got long left. Jim McDonald — the gruff, complicated patriarch played by Charlie Lawson — has been absent from our screens since 2018, when a truly awful betrayal tore the family apart. The question now is whether Steve will swallow enough pride and hurt to visit his dad one final time.
It’s a genuinely emotional prospect, and the fact that Jim appears to be getting an off-screen death feels like a shame. The McDonalds have been part of Weatherfield for over 35 years. If this really is the end for Jim, there’s a strong argument that both Steve and the audience deserve to see that farewell rather than simply hear about it. Whether you’ve followed the McDonalds from the start or only know Jim as “that one with the moustache who used to shout a lot,” tonight’s episode carries real soap gravitas. Catch up via ITVX.
Silent Witness — BBC One, 9pm
Things have taken a decidedly grim turn for Jack. Without giving too much away — and genuinely trying to tiptoe around the specifics here — his life has contracted to a very small, very grey world, and the usual swagger is nowhere to be seen. It’s a marked shift from the Jack we’re used to, and it gives the episode a different kind of tension.
Meanwhile, Nikki and the remaining members of the team are pressing ahead with the investigation regardless. Kit draws the short straw and heads out on to the streets to track down a person of interest, a mission that involves her — unexpectedly — demonstrating some football skills at an all-male kickaround. It’s the kind of scene that could feel forced in lesser hands, but it works as a way of showing Kit operating outside the lab, building rapport in environments where a forensic scientist isn’t exactly a natural fit.
Emilia Fox anchors the episode with the quiet determination that has defined her run on the show. The case continues to develop, and there’s enough here to keep you invested through to the conclusion. Catch up on BBC iPlayer.
The Summit — ITV1, 9pm
Last week’s race to the helicopter produced a moment of genuine selflessness that briefly made you think these people might actually pull together. Briefly. That warm glow dissipates fast tonight as somebody is forced into a difficult decision that leaves at least one climber seething with resentment. And if that isn’t enough interpersonal drama, the increasingly ruthless Dockers is busy making enemies of anyone he considers a genuine threat to his chances of reaching the summit.
Dockers has become the kind of reality TV villain who’s either playing a very clever game or simply isn’t aware how badly he’s coming across — and at this point it doesn’t especially matter which, because the other climbers clearly can’t stand him. The mountain challenge continues to be a compelling watch. More tomorrow. Catch up on ITVX.
The Zero Line: Inside Russia’s War — BBC Two, 9pm
This is difficult, important television. While much of the journalism around the Ukraine conflict has rightly focused on the Ukrainian experience, this documentary turns its attention to the Russian front lines — and what it reveals is deeply disturbing. Russian soldiers, filming in secret at enormous personal risk, explain how their commanders maintain discipline through torture and summary executions. The accounts are stark and unflinching.
It takes real courage to film under those conditions. The soldiers who contributed to this documentary did so knowing the potential consequences, and the footage they captured provides a vital counterpoint to the official Russian narrative. There’s a companion piece on BBC Four at 10pm — Storyville: Rebuilding Bucha — which visits the Ukrainian town four years after its brutal occupation by Russian forces. Together, the two documentaries paint a devastating picture of a conflict that continues to exact a terrible human cost on both sides. Yet amid the devastation in Bucha, the filmmakers find something remarkable: life going on, hope enduring. Catch up on BBC iPlayer.
The Dyers’ Caravan Park — Sky One, 9pm (New Series)
Jeremy Clarkson has a farm. Jamie Oliver had school dinners. And now Danny Dyer has… a caravan park in Kent. The former EastEnders hardman and his daughter Dani are attempting to transform a holiday park into the kind of destination he remembers from childhood holidays — all candy floss, communal spirit and the faint smell of butane, presumably.
The premise sounds straightforward enough, but running a caravan park turns out to be considerably harder than running the Queen Vic. Danny’s first problem is that he’s not actually there for the opening of the holiday season, having swanned off to the Brit Awards instead. This goes down about as well as you’d expect with the residents, who are a bit miffed that the man supposed to be revitalising their park can’t even be bothered to show up for day one.
It’s the sort of show that lives or dies on its central personality, and Dyer has never lacked for that. Whether the format has legs beyond the initial novelty remains to be seen, but as a relaunch vehicle for Sky One, it’s an entertaining enough start. Catch up via Now.
Ben Fogle: New Lives in the Wild — Channel 5, 9pm
Series 21 rolls on and Ben Fogle continues his remarkable career of meeting people who live in places that would make a health and safety officer weep. Tonight he’s in the USA, encountering Randilyn, a nomad who spends her life on a perpetual walk across the country accompanied by an entire menagerie of animals. Think Doctor Dolittle meets Forrest Gump, except with more fur and fewer running scenes.
The twist this week is a brush with the police, which threatens to derail the entire adventure. Fogle’s gift has always been his genuine curiosity about alternative ways of living — he rarely judges, he just asks questions and follows along. Whether that curiosity extends to spending a night in a roadside ditch with a collection of rescue animals is another matter entirely. Catch up on My5.
BlackBerry — Film4, 9pm (Film) ★★★★
Here’s your film pick of the night, and it’s a good one. BlackBerry is a 2023 Canadian comedy drama that tells the rise-and-fall story of the mobile device that changed everything — and then got absolutely steamrollered by the iPhone. Writer-director Matt Johnson also stars, alongside Jay Baruchel as one of the nerdy inventors and Glenn Howerton as the aggressive business partner brought in to make it all work.
Johnson has said the UK version of The Office was a major influence, and that mockumentary sensibility is all over the film. It’s a sharply observed portrait of three very different men who created something revolutionary and then watched helplessly as the world moved on without them. “They had no idea,” Johnson said, “what the impact of this was going to be.” The humour is cringe-inducing in the best possible way, and there’s a genuine tension to the corporate scenes that keeps the drama ticking along beneath the laughs.
Low-budget but high on wit, this is one of those films that sneaks up on you. Well worth your Tuesday evening. Catch up via Channel 4 streaming.
The Heat — ITV2, 9pm (New Series)
Olivia Attwood hosts this new cooking competition where a group of ambitious young chefs decamp to Barcelona. It’s got the reality-show trappings you’d expect — dramatic music, talking heads, competitive tension — but the cooking element lifts it above the pack. Also airing later at 10:45pm on ITV1 (not available in STV, UTV or Wales regions).
Britain’s X Files — Sky History, 9pm (New Series)
Tim Tate lifts the lid on government investigations into the paranormal. Whether you’re a true believer or a committed sceptic, there’s always something entertaining about watching officials try to write classified reports about things that go bump in the night. Also airs at 1pm. Available via Now.
Late Night
The Curfew — Channel 5, 10pm
Episode 5, and we’re hurtling toward the finish line. CCTV footage reveals an unknown woman dumping Helen’s dead body outside the Women’s Safety Centre, which rather upends the assumption that the killer was a man violating the curfew. Except nothing in this show is ever that straightforward.
The suspect list narrows and widens in equal measure tonight. Teenager Cass — furious with her teacher and a known law-breaker who stole a tag coder — is the prime suspect, but she’s been missing for days. Meanwhile, detective Pamela, absent since episode three, is still nowhere to be seen, though her sidekick Eddie (whom she persists in calling Freddie, a running gag that somehow hasn’t got old) rides to the rescue.
The twists come thick and fast tonight, and there’s a genuine sense of momentum as the series builds toward its conclusion tomorrow at 10pm. Sarah Parish continues to anchor the whole thing with real authority. If you’ve been following from the start, tonight rewards your investment handsomely. Full series on My5.
Storyville: Rebuilding Bucha — BBC Four, 10pm
The companion piece to The Zero Line on BBC Two at 9pm. This documentary visits Bucha, the Ukrainian town that became synonymous with the horrors of Russian occupation, four years on from those terrible events. What the filmmakers find is a community that refuses to be defined solely by its worst chapter. Life goes on. Buildings are rebuilt. Children play. And hope — fragile, stubborn, defiant hope — endures.
It’s profoundly moving television, and watching it after The Zero Line creates a devastating double bill that shows this conflict from both sides with unflinching honesty. Essential viewing. Catch up on BBC iPlayer.
Snooker: Welsh Open — TNT Sports 4, 7pm
Evening session from the ICC Wales in Newport. Earlier coverage from 10am on BBC red button and BBC Two Wales, with TNT Sports 1 picking up from 1pm. One for the baize enthusiasts.
Sport
Champions League: Newcastle Utd v FK Qarabag on TNT Sports from 6:30pm (kick-off 8pm). European football under the St James’ Park lights.
Championship: Southampton v QPR on Sky Sports Main Event/Football at 7:30pm (kick-off 8pm).
Cricket — Men’s T20 World Cup: Super Eight match from Kandy on Sky Sports ME/Cricket at 1pm.
Snooker — Welsh Open: Coverage on BBC red button/BBC Two Wales from 10am, TNT Sports 1 from 1pm, TNT Sports 4 from 7pm.
The Viewing Schedule
| Time | Channel | Programme |
|---|---|---|
| 10:00am | BBC red button/BBC Two Wales | Snooker: Welsh Open |
| 1:00pm | Sky Sports ME/Cricket | Cricket: Men’s T20 World Cup (Super Eight) |
| 1:00pm | TNT Sports 1 | Snooker: Welsh Open |
| 6:30pm | TNT Sports | Football: Newcastle Utd v FK Qarabag (k/o 8pm) |
| 7:00pm | BBC Two | Great British Menu |
| 7:00pm | TNT Sports 4 | Snooker: Welsh Open (evening session) |
| 7:30pm | Sky Sports ME/Football | Football: Southampton v QPR (k/o 8pm) |
| 8:00pm | BBC One | MasterChef: The Professionals |
| 8:00pm | ITV1 | Emmerdale |
| 8:00pm | Channel 5 | The Yorkshire Vet (New Series) |
| 8:30pm | ITV1 | Coronation Street |
| 9:00pm | BBC One | Silent Witness |
| 9:00pm | BBC Two | The Zero Line: Inside Russia’s War |
| 9:00pm | ITV1 | The Summit |
| 9:00pm | ITV2 | The Heat (New Series) |
| 9:00pm | Channel 5 | Ben Fogle: New Lives in the Wild |
| 9:00pm | Film4 | BlackBerry (2023, ★★★★) |
| 9:00pm | Sky One | The Dyers’ Caravan Park (New Series) |
| 9:00pm | Sky History | Britain’s X Files (New Series) |
| 10:00pm | Channel 5 | The Curfew (Episode 5) |
| 10:00pm | BBC Four | Storyville: Rebuilding Bucha |
What’s On Streaming
BBC iPlayer: Great British Menu (full week), MasterChef: The Professionals, Silent Witness (full series), The Zero Line: Inside Russia’s War, Storyville: Rebuilding Bucha
ITVX: The Summit, Emmerdale, Coronation Street
My5: The Curfew (full series), Ben Fogle: New Lives in the Wild, The Yorkshire Vet
Channel 4 streaming: BlackBerry (Film4)
Now: The Dyers’ Caravan Park (Sky One), Britain’s X Files (Sky History)
Frequently Asked Questions
What time is Great British Menu on TV tonight?
Great British Menu is on BBC Two at 7pm tonight (Tuesday 24th February 2026). It’s 8pm in Wales. Four north-west chefs compete with dishes inspired by classic British films — Batman, James Bond, Jurassic Park and Lord of the Rings. Lisa Goodwin-Allen is guest judge. The week’s episodes are also available on BBC iPlayer.
What time is Silent Witness on TV tonight?
Silent Witness is on BBC One at 9pm tonight (Tuesday 24th February 2026). The investigation continues with Nikki and the team pressing on after Jack’s situation worsens, while Kit tracks down a person of interest on the streets.
What time is MasterChef The Professionals on TV tonight?
MasterChef: The Professionals is on BBC One at 8pm tonight (Tuesday 24th February 2026). 2022 winner Nikita Pathakji sets the skills test with a prawn, coconut and lemongrass broth. Matt Tebbutt judges alongside Marcus Wareing and Monica Galetti.
Is EastEnders on TV tonight?
No, EastEnders is not on tonight (Tuesday 24th February 2026). The BBC One schedule goes straight from The One Show into MasterChef: The Professionals at 8pm. EastEnders episodes are available on BBC iPlayer and the soap returns later in the week.
What’s the best thing to watch on TV tonight?
Our top pick is Silent Witness on BBC One at 9pm — the investigation takes a new direction with Jack sidelined and Kit heading out on to the streets. Great British Menu returns on BBC Two at 7pm with its playful new British movies theme and four talented chefs from the north-west. For a powerful documentary, The Zero Line: Inside Russia’s War on BBC Two at 9pm is essential but harrowing viewing. BlackBerry on Film4 at 9pm is a sharp, funny tech story well worth your time.
What’s on BBC One tonight?
BBC One tonight (Tuesday 24th February 2026) includes MasterChef: The Professionals at 8pm and Silent Witness at 9pm. EastEnders is not airing tonight.
Is The Curfew on Channel 5 tonight?
Yes, The Curfew continues on Channel 5 at 10pm tonight (Tuesday 24th February 2026) with episode 5. CCTV footage reveals a major twist as the killer’s identity is called into question. The series concludes tomorrow (Wednesday) at 10pm. The full series is also available on My5.
What time is The Summit on ITV tonight?
The Summit is on ITV1 at 9pm tonight (Tuesday 24th February 2026). The climbers deal with the fallout from last week’s selfless helicopter race act, and ruthless contestant Dockers continues to stir trouble. More tomorrow.
Final Verdict
Great British Menu makes a thoroughly welcome return on BBC Two at 7pm. The British movies theme gives the chefs a wonderfully broad canvas to work with, and the opening heat from the north-west promises dishes inspired by everything from Batman to Lord of the Rings. Andi Oliver’s hosting remains a joy, Lisa Goodwin-Allen is a sharp guest judge, and the format is exactly where it should be: unchanged but refreshed. This week’s episodes are all on iPlayer.
At 8pm, MasterChef: The Professionals continues to impress. Nikita Pathakji’s prawn, coconut and lemongrass broth is the kind of precise, flavour-driven skills test that reveals genuine technique, and the signature dishes — particularly that bold tarte tatin with Camembert crisps — promise real talking points. Matt Tebbutt’s judging eye grows sharper by the week.
The 9pm slot is ferociously competitive tonight. Silent Witness on BBC One delivers a different kind of episode with Jack out of the picture and Kit stepping up in the field. The Zero Line: Inside Russia’s War on BBC Two is harrowing but vital — the secret footage from Russian soldiers on the front lines is some of the most disturbing war journalism you’ll see, and the companion piece Storyville: Rebuilding Bucha on BBC Four at 10pm provides the other side of the same devastating story.
Over on ITV1, The Summit gets properly nasty as Dockers targets his rivals, and on Channel 5, Ben Fogle takes a walk on the wild side with a nomad and her animals in the USA. The Dyers’ Caravan Park on Sky One makes for an entertaining debut as Danny Dyer discovers that running a holiday park is harder than pulling pints in Walford.
On Coronation Street at 8:30pm, the Jim McDonald storyline carries real emotional weight for long-term viewers — whether the show gives this heritage character the farewell he deserves remains to be seen.
The film pick is excellent: BlackBerry on Film4 at 9pm is a sharp, funny, Office-influenced comedy drama about the mobile device that changed the world and then got left behind. Four stars.
And The Curfew on Channel 5 at 10pm reaches its penultimate episode with the kind of twist that makes you grateful you started watching from the beginning. The series finale airs tomorrow. A properly strong Tuesday — enjoy it.
Related: What’s On TV Tonight Tuesday | What’s On TV Tonight Tues 17 Feb 2026 | What’s On TV Tonight Mon 23 Feb 2026 | What’s On TV Tonight Wed 25 Feb 2026
