TV Guide UK Tonight: Tues 4 Aug 2026 – The Victorians, Murder 24/7 & EastEnders
EastEnders
SoapInside The Langham: Britain's First Grand Hotel
Documentary Must WatchThe Victorians with Rob Rinder and Ruth Goodman
DocumentaryMurder 24/7
DocumentaryJoe and David's Magical Sitcom Tour
ComedyCold Case Forensics: A Death on the Nile
DocumentaryOti and Richard's South African Odyssey
TravelThe Vampire Lestat: Interview with the Vampire
DramaTuesday 4 August 2026. Channel 5 launches a new Victorian-era history series at 9pm, BBC One runs EastEnders into a fresh Murder 24/7 case, ITV1 has Emmerdale’s Cain Dingle facing a hard decision ahead of a new Cold Case Forensics, and More4 follows Oti Mabuse and Richard Coles into Cape Town. Quest sends Johnny Vegas hunting for antiques, and BBC Two keeps The Vampire Lestat going at 9:30pm.
Quick Picks: Tonight’s Best
- The Victorians with Rob Rinder and Ruth Goodman ⭐ Channel 5, 9pm. New series on how the railway boom reshaped Victorian Britain.
- Murder 24/7 BBC One, 9pm. A Hereford death investigation that continues tomorrow.
- Joe and David’s Magical Sitcom Tour U&Gold, 9pm. David Earl tries to make Joe Wilkinson well up over Porridge.
- Cold Case Forensics: A Death on the Nile ITV1, 9pm. Angela Gallop investigates a solicitor’s death in Egypt.
- EastEnders BBC One, 7:30pm. Ravi presses Priya for the truth about her mystery man.
Early Evening
EastEnders – BBC One, 7:30pm
Ravi keeps pushing Priya for answers about the man she’s been keeping quiet about, and by the end of the episode a run of confessions start spilling out. Walford rarely lets a secret stay buried for long.
Inside The Langham: Britain’s First Grand Hotel – ITV1, 7:30pm
The CEO inspects a new terrace on one of the hotel’s most exclusive suites, while the head bartender and executive chef clash over the bar menu.
Prime Time
The Victorians with Rob Rinder and Ruth Goodman – Channel 5, 9pm ⭐
New series, and a good one to build the evening around. Rob Rinder and Ruth Goodman go back to the 1840s, when the railways were spreading fast enough to make and break fortunes overnight. Rinder traces how Yorkshire draper George Hudson turned a modest rail investment into one of the era’s largest fortunes, ending up with several estates and a nine-bedroom house with only two toilets. Goodman takes the other side: navvy Thomas Eaton, who helped dig the Woodhead Tunnel through the Pennines for poor pay while his family scraped together shelter on the moors nearby. There’s room too for Mary Arguile, who worked her way up to running a station.
Murder 24/7 – BBC One, 9pm
Tonight’s case takes the team to Hereford, where 54-year-old Jamie Gawler was found dead in his flat. DCI Gareth Lougher and his team spend the episode retracing his final days, and a breakthrough comes from an unexpected place: a suspect’s phone. It’s a two-parter, so this one carries over into tomorrow night.
Joe and David’s Magical Sitcom Tour – U&Gold, 9pm
David Earl’s stated goal is to get his mate Joe Wilkinson misty-eyed, given how many of the Porridge cast are no longer around. He rebuilds Fletcher and Godber’s cell, sits Wilkinson next to a Ronnie Barker lookalike, and it turns into something warmer than a standard clip show — Wilkinson ends up explaining why the sitcom means so much to his own family.
Cold Case Forensics: A Death on the Nile – ITV1, 9pm
A new case for forensic scientist Angela Gallop, who looks into the sudden death of solicitor Cheryl Lewis during a holiday in Egypt. Last week’s episode reopened the Roberto Calvi mystery beneath Blackfriars Bridge; this one swaps the Thames for the Nile.
Oti and Richard’s South African Odyssey – More4, 9pm
Oti Mabuse and Richard Coles reach Cape Town this week, and the best moments are still just the two of them messing about in the car between stops. There’s a minstrel band waiting for them, plus enough rich food to test Coles’s stamina.
Elsewhere, Emmerdale (ITV1, 8pm) has Cain Dingle facing up to how ill his dog Monty has become, a storyline that lands harder given Cain’s own cancer diagnosis, while Coronation Street (8:30pm) leaves Dylan unconscious after a run-in with Brody. Sky Documentaries revisits the 2018 Salisbury poisonings, and Johnny Vegas hunts for vintage gems in Johnny Vegas’s Little Shop of Antiques.
Late Night
The Vampire Lestat: Interview with the Vampire – BBC Two, 9:30pm
Episode two of seven, and an old ally from the band’s past turns up on the tour bus just as familiar faces wait for their arrival. BBC One closes out with Russell Crowe’s 2010 Robin Hood at 10:40pm, for anyone still up.
Sport
Cycling’s Women’s Tour de France reaches its fourth stage, a 21km time trial from Gevrey-Chambertin to Dijon, live on TNT Sports 1 from 2:30pm. The Canadian Open tennis runs through the afternoon on Sky Sports Tennis from 4pm, then moves to Sky Sports Main Event from 9:30pm. And in Trinidad, the second Test between the West Indies and Pakistan reaches its third day on TNT Sports 2 from 2:30pm.
The Viewing Schedule
| Time | Channel | Programme |
|---|---|---|
| 2:30pm | TNT Sports 1 | Women’s Tour de France |
| 2:30pm | TNT Sports 2 | Test Cricket: West Indies v Pakistan |
| 4:00pm | Sky Sports Tennis | Canadian Open |
| 7:30pm | BBC One | EastEnders |
| 7:30pm | ITV1 | Inside The Langham: Britain’s First Grand Hotel |
| 8:00pm | BBC One | The Great British Sewing Bee |
| 8:00pm | ITV1 | Emmerdale |
| 8:00pm | Channel 4 | Hotel Chocolat Unwrapped |
| 8:30pm | ITV1 | Coronation Street |
| 9:00pm | BBC One | Murder 24/7 |
| 9:00pm | ITV1 | Cold Case Forensics: A Death on the Nile |
| 9:00pm | Channel 4 | Celebrity Hunted |
| 9:00pm | Channel 5 | The Victorians with Rob Rinder and Ruth Goodman |
| 9:00pm | More4 | Oti and Richard’s South African Odyssey |
| 9:00pm | U&Gold | Joe and David’s Magical Sitcom Tour |
| 9:00pm | Quest | Johnny Vegas’s Little Shop of Antiques |
| 9:30pm | BBC Two | The Vampire Lestat: Interview with the Vampire |
| 9:30pm | Sky Sports Main Event | Canadian Open |
| 10:40pm | BBC One | Robin Hood (2010) |
What’s On Streaming
- BBC iPlayer: EastEnders, The Great British Sewing Bee, Murder 24/7, The Vampire Lestat: Interview with the Vampire
- ITVX: Inside The Langham, Emmerdale, Coronation Street, Cold Case Forensics: A Death on the Nile
- Channel 4 streaming: Hotel Chocolat Unwrapped, Celebrity Hunted, Oti and Richard’s South African Odyssey
- 5 streaming: The Victorians with Rob Rinder and Ruth Goodman
Frequently Asked Questions
Is EastEnders on tonight (Tuesday 4 August 2026)?
Yes. EastEnders airs on BBC One at 7:30pm, with Ravi pushing Priya for answers about her mystery man and a run of confessions coming to light. Catch up on BBC iPlayer.
What time is The Victorians with Rob Rinder and Ruth Goodman on?
It’s on Channel 5 at 9pm tonight, a new series looking at how the 1840s railway boom reshaped fortunes across Victorian Britain. Also available on 5 streaming.
Is Murder 24/7 a two-parter tonight?
Yes. Tonight’s Hereford case, the death of 54-year-old Jamie Gawler, continues into Wednesday’s episode.
What live sport is on TV tonight: Tuesday 4 August 2026?
The Women’s Tour de France holds its fourth stage on TNT Sports 1 from 2:30pm. The Canadian Open tennis runs through the afternoon on Sky Sports Tennis and into the evening on Sky Sports Main Event, and the second West Indies v Pakistan Test reaches day three on TNT Sports 2.
What’s the best thing to watch on TV tonight (Tuesday 4 August 2026)?
The Victorians with Rob Rinder and Ruth Goodman on Channel 5 at 9pm is the pick, a new series with real substance behind it. Murder 24/7 and Joe and David’s Magical Sitcom Tour are close behind.
Final Verdict
Channel 5 has the strongest hour tonight. The Victorians with Rob Rinder and Ruth Goodman ⭐ is where to start, then it’s a toss-up between Murder 24/7, Cold Case Forensics: A Death on the Nile and Joe and David’s Magical Sitcom Tour. EastEnders and Emmerdale keep the soap regulars happy either side of 8pm, and The Vampire Lestat rolls on for anyone already hooked.
Related: What’s On TV Tonight Tuesday | What’s On TV Tonight Mon 3 Aug 2026 | What’s On TV Tonight Wednesday
