A solid Tuesday with plenty to choose from. Silent Witness kicks off its 30th anniversary run with a new case, there’s a lawnmower factory tour for Paddy McGuinness, and Arsenal host Chelsea in a League Cup semi-final that could go either way despite the Gunners’ first-leg advantage. Football not your thing? QI wraps up its current series with some Irish chaos.
Quick Picks: Tonight’s Best
- Silent Witness – BBC One, 9pm – 30th anniversary series continues
- Arsenal v Chelsea – Sky Sports/ITV1, 8pm – League Cup semi-final second leg
- Lost Grail with Alice Roberts – Sky History, 9pm – New series on Holy Grail legends
- QI XL – BBC Two, 9pm – Series finale with Irish comedians causing mayhem
Early Evening (7pm – 8pm)
EastEnders – BBC One, 7:30pm
Albert Square drama continues with the usual mix of betrayal, secrets, and uncomfortable confrontations in the Queen Vic. Available on iPlayer from 6am if you want to get ahead of the broadcast.
Rick Stein’s Australia – BBC Two, 7pm
The chef heads south to the Riverina region, exploring local ingredients and cooking traditions. Stein’s food travelogues remain reliably watchable – he’s genuinely curious about the places he visits rather than just going through the motions.
Prime Time (8pm onwards)
Inside the Factory – BBC One, 8pm
Paddy McGuinness dons what he describes as a cross between a space suit and a Teletubby costume to visit the Hayter lawnmower factory in Hertfordshire. The plant churns out around 15,000 machines annually, and Paddy gets his hands dirty helping test the finished products on actual grass – a change from the factory floor.
Cherry Healey takes a trip to Wembley Stadium to see how groundskeepers maintain that famously perfect turf, while Ruth Goodman delves into how Blenheim Palace managed to keep its enormous lawns trimmed before mechanical mowers existed. The answer involves a lot of sheep and some very sharp scythes.
Bargain Holiday Secrets – Channel 4, 8pm
New series promising to reveal how travel companies price their packages and how you can book smarter. Cruises are the focus tonight – apparently there are ways to get a decent deal even if your budget doesn’t stretch to champagne on the captain’s table. Industry insiders share tips on timing, cabin selection, and excursion discounts.
Harry Wild – U&Drama, 8pm
Jane Seymour’s retired English professor turned amateur detective is back with another Dublin-set mystery. Tonight’s case involves a locked room, a dead body, and no apparent murder weapon. The show leans heavily into the banter between Harry and the other Harry (Rohan Nedd’s Fergus), which occasionally tips into being a bit much, but there’s a solid puzzle underneath all the literary quoting.
Silent Witness – BBC One, 9pm ⭐
Your pick of the evening. The forensic drama celebrates its 30th year on air with series 29, and tonight brings the second part of the opening story. Nikki and Jack are tracking a suspected hitman, with DCI Jilly Bashir getting increasingly irritated that pathologists keep meddling in what she considers police business. Has she not watched this show before?
The team has relocated from London to the Sir William Bowman Centre of Excellence in Birmingham – a fresh setting for the new run. Emilia Fox and David Caves remain central, with their characters now romantically involved, which adds a personal dimension to the professional tension. Kit (Fran Mills) provides the outside perspective on their workplace romance.
QI XL – BBC Two, 9pm
The extended version of Sandi Toksvig’s quiz wraps up the current series in typically unruly fashion. Irish comedians Andrew Maxwell and Joanne McNally are the chaotic elements tonight, apparently going off-script with stories about talking dogs and the merits of microwaving wine. Sally Phillips brings actual knowledge to proceedings, while Alan Davies does his usual routine of stumbling into interesting digressions. Someone apparently flings cream everywhere. Standard fare, really.
Lost Grail with Alice Roberts – Sky History, 9pm
Professor Alice Roberts embarks on a three-part journey through Britain’s Holy Grail mythology. Starting with the medieval tradition that Joseph of Arimathea collected Christ’s blood in the cup from the Last Supper, Roberts traces the legend through Glastonbury Abbey, the Bodleian Library, and various other locations that claim Grail connections.
What makes this worth watching is Roberts’ approach – she’s properly interested in separating genuine historical evidence from centuries of accumulated folklore. When someone makes a claim about Joseph of Arimathea visiting the Isle of Wight because of tin trade routes, Roberts politely but firmly points out the difference between what’s plausible and what’s actually supported by archaeology.
The Good Ship Murder – Channel 5, 9pm
The cruise ship mystery series continues in Malta. This week’s victim meets their end during a scavenger hunt in Valletta, and there are a couple of fairly obvious clues in the dialogue that should help you work out the culprit before Jack and Kate do. Meanwhile, Captain Marlowe seems to be declining with each episode – presumably setting up a longer arc for the series.
Arsenal v Chelsea – Sky Sports Main Event/ITV1, 8pm kick-off
The League Cup semi-final second leg arrives with Arsenal holding a 3-2 advantage from their trip to Stamford Bridge. Viktor Gyökeres, Ben White, and Martin Zubimendi all found the net in the first leg, though Chelsea twice pulled back through Alejandro Garnacho. Mikel Arteta’s side have won eight of their last nine in all competitions and haven’t lost to Chelsea in their last eight meetings. Coverage starts at 7pm on Sky Sports and 7:30pm on ITV1.
Riders – Rewind TV, 9pm
While everyone awaits the second series of Rivals on Disney+, here’s a chance to revisit an earlier Jilly Cooper adaptation. This 1993 version of her showjumping saga features Marcus Gilbert as the original screen Rupert Campbell-Black, with Michael Praed as his rival Jake Lovell. It’s gloriously of its era.
Saving Country Houses with Penelope Keith – More4, 9pm
A neglected pond in the Cotswolds gets a much-needed rescue. These restoration projects are oddly satisfying viewing – there’s something about watching derelict garden features being brought back to life.
Late Night
Sin City: the Real Las Vegas – BBC Three, 10:15pm
A double bill exploring the contrast between Vegas glamour and its darker underside. Tir Dhondy moves between the Strip’s excess and the city’s struggles with homelessness, fentanyl addiction, and street-level crime. The second episode includes an interview with a man living in one of the storm drains beneath the casinos. Properly sobering stuff.
Trying – BBC One, 10:40pm
BBC One’s late-night repeats of Andy Wolton’s comedy drama reach series two. Rafe Spall and Esther Smith play Jason and Nikki, a London couple navigating the adoption process. Tonight they’re preparing to be godparents to their recently-separated best friends’ baby, which goes about as smoothly as you’d expect. Imelda Staunton returns in the second episode as the adoption officer who holds their future in her hands.
Live at the Apollo – BBC Two, 9:45pm
Series 20 reaches its finale with stand-up from the Hammersmith Apollo. The Christmas special launched this run back in December, and we’ve had a decent variety of acts throughout.
Sport
Football: Arsenal v Chelsea League Cup semi-final second leg at 8pm – coverage from 7pm on Sky Sports Main Event and 7:30pm on ITV1. Scottish Premiership: St Mirren v Hearts at 8pm on Sky Sports Football. Cricket: Sri Lanka v England T20 at 2pm on TNT Sports 1 – the third and final match from Kandy. Under-19s World Cup from 7am on Sky Sports.
The Viewing Schedule
| Time | Channel | Programme |
|---|---|---|
| 7:00pm | BBC Two | Rick Stein’s Australia |
| 7:30pm | BBC One | EastEnders |
| 8:00pm | BBC One | Inside the Factory |
| 8:00pm | Channel 4 | Bargain Holiday Secrets |
| 8:00pm | U&Drama | Harry Wild |
| 8:00pm | Sky Sports/ITV1 | Arsenal v Chelsea |
| 9:00pm | BBC One | Silent Witness |
| 9:00pm | BBC Two | QI XL |
| 9:00pm | Sky History | Lost Grail with Alice Roberts |
| 9:00pm | Channel 5 | The Good Ship Murder |
| 9:00pm | Rewind TV | Riders |
| 9:00pm | More4 | Saving Country Houses |
| 9:45pm | BBC Two | Live at the Apollo |
| 10:15pm | BBC Three | Sin City: the Real Las Vegas |
| 10:40pm | BBC One | Trying |
What’s On Streaming
BBC iPlayer: Silent Witness (full series), Inside the Factory, EastEnders, QI XL, Trying (series 1-2), Live at the Apollo, Sin City: the Real Las Vegas
ITVX: Arsenal v Chelsea coverage
Channel 4 streaming: Bargain Holiday Secrets
Channel 5 streaming: The Good Ship Murder
Now: Lost Grail with Alice Roberts (Sky History)
Frequently Asked Questions
What time is Silent Witness on TV tonight?
Silent Witness is on BBC One at 9pm tonight (Tuesday 3rd February 2026). This is episode two of series 29, celebrating the show’s 30th anniversary.
What’s the best thing to watch on TV tonight?
Our top pick is Silent Witness on BBC One at 9pm – the forensic drama’s 30th anniversary series continues with Emilia Fox and David Caves pursuing a suspected hitman.
Is EastEnders on TV tonight?
Yes, EastEnders is on BBC One at 7:30pm tonight (Tuesday 3rd February 2026). Episodes are also available on BBC iPlayer from 6am.
What time is Arsenal v Chelsea on TV tonight?
Arsenal v Chelsea kicks off at 8pm in the League Cup semi-final second leg. Coverage starts at 7pm on Sky Sports Main Event and 7:30pm on ITV1. Arsenal lead 3-2 on aggregate.
What channel is QI XL on tonight?
QI XL is on BBC Two at 9pm tonight. This is the series finale with Irish comedians Andrew Maxwell and Joanne McNally alongside Sally Phillips and Alan Davies.
Final Verdict
Silent Witness takes tonight’s top spot – the 30th anniversary series is off to a strong start and there’s something satisfying about a show that’s been running this long still delivering decent mysteries. If football’s your preference, Arsenal v Chelsea promises tension given the first-leg result. And for something lighter, QI XL wraps up its series with the kind of chaotic energy that makes it consistently entertaining.
