TV Guide UK Tonight: Wed 1 Jul 2026 – Wimbledon Day 3, World Cup R32 & The Light in the Hall Finale

Published: 27 June 2026

Wednesday 1 July 2026. Wimbledon Day 3 is on BBC One through the afternoon and into the evening. ITV1 carries a World Cup Round of 32 knockout tie tonight, with coverage from around 8:15pm. Channel 4’s Welsh thriller The Light in the Hall: Still Waters reaches its series finale at 9pm. And EastEnders is on BBC Two at 7:30pm while BBC One stays at the All England Club.

Quick Picks: Tonight’s Best

• ⭐ Wimbledon 2026 – Day 3 BBC One, from 1pm. The draw is thinning — the good matches are starting to emerge.
• The Light in the Hall: Still Waters – Finale Channel 4, 9pm. Series two ends tonight. One of the more patient British thrillers of recent years.
• FIFA World Cup Round of 32 ITV1, from 8:15pm (k/o ~9pm). One knockout tie — lose and you’re going home.
• Saving Lives at Sea BBC Two, 9pm. Series 10 opens. RNLI rescue a teenager off Dover.
• Celebrity Antiques Road Trip BBC Two, 8pm. Dean Sullivan, one of his final filmed appearances.
• EastEnders BBC Two, 7:30pm. Still moved from BBC One while Wimbledon runs.

Sport

Wimbledon 2026 – BBC One, from 1pm ⭐

Day 3 of the 139th Championships, and by Wednesday the patterns of the fortnight are becoming visible. Which seeds are looking comfortable on the grass, which first-rounders are making hard work of it, where the outsiders are circling. BBC One carries the afternoon and evening coverage — the bigger matches are directed to Centre Court and Court One, while the outer courts continue to throw up the kind of results that the later rounds rarely match for surprise value. Free on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

FIFA World Cup 2026: Round of 32 – ITV1, from 8:15pm (k/o ~9pm)

Another knockout tie tonight on ITV1, with coverage from around 8:15pm and kick-off scheduled for approximately 9pm. At this stage of the tournament the stakes are at their sharpest — 32 teams in, half go home, no replays, no second legs. Free on ITV1 and ITVX.

Early Evening

Villages by the Sea – BBC Two, 7pm

Series two, episode five. The coastal documentary series continues its unhurried progress around Britain’s smaller seaside settlements. A good half-hour to ease into the evening before the schedule fills up. BBC iPlayer.

EastEnders – BBC Two, 7:30pm

S2026E104 — and still on BBC Two rather than its usual home on BBC One. EastEnders remains on its temporary channel for the duration of Wimbledon. If you’ve been keeping up this week, tonight follows on directly from Tuesday’s episode. Also on BBC iPlayer from 6am.

GPs: Behind Closed Doors – Channel 5, 7pm (NEW EPISODE)

Series nine, episode nine. The long-running observational series heads back inside a GP surgery — ten-minute appointments, complex cases, and a calendar that doesn’t leave much room for anything to run over. The format has staying power because the material doesn’t run dry. My5.

Emmerdale (ITV1, 7:15pm, S2026E128) and Coronation Street (ITV1, 7:45pm, S2026E129) air on their usual slots before ITV1 clears the decks for the football.

Prime Time

Celebrity Antiques Road Trip – BBC Two, 8pm

Series 12, episode 14. Brookside’s Dean Sullivan and Tricia Penrose are on an antiques hunt in the Liverpool area — a fitting location for two actors whose careers are closely tied to the city. This is one of Sullivan’s final filmed appearances, and that gives the episode a weight that goes well beyond whatever the pair manage to pick up at auction. Worth watching for reasons beyond the bargain-hunting. BBC iPlayer.

Location, Location, Location – Channel 4, 8pm (NEW EPISODE)

Series 45, episode nine. Kirstie Allsopp and Phil Spencer step back from the search itself for a retrospective episode — catching up with buyers from previous series to see how their property decisions have aged. Given how volatile the market has been, these revisits tend to be more revealing than anyone expects. Channel 4 streaming.

Ambulance: Code Red – Channel 5, 8pm (NEW EPISODE)

Series four, episode ten. Blue-light crews, real calls, real pressure — the series earns its title most nights. My5.

Saving Lives at Sea – BBC Two, 9pm (NEW SERIES)

Series 10 opens with a rescue that immediately establishes the tone: a teenager in difficulty on a dinghy off Dover, brought to safety by an RNLI crew that makes the whole operation look close to routine. The show has always been good at capturing that gap between what’s actually at stake and the calm professionalism of a lifeboat crew under pressure — and it’s that contrast that keeps the series working a decade in. A strong opener. BBC iPlayer.

The Light in the Hall: Still Waters – Channel 4, 9pm (SERIES FINALE)

Series two, episode six — and that’s the end of the Welsh thriller. Sian Reese-Williams leads a finale that has the full weight of two series behind it. The show has been quietly excellent: a crime drama built with more patience and restraint than most British thrillers allow themselves. If you haven’t caught up yet, the complete run is on Channel 4 streaming — worth doing before the ending gets talked about. Channel 4 streaming.

Riptide – Channel 5, 9pm

Episode three of four for Jo Joyner’s thriller. By now the investigation into Sean’s disappearance has moved past the setup — this is where the series needs to start delivering on its promises. If you’ve been watching, it’s been one of the more consistent Channel 5 dramas of the year. My5.

Late Night

Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing – BBC Two, 10pm

Series four, episode four. The Norfolk Broads this week — flat water, wide skies, and two old friends who stopped needing to fill the silence some time ago. The fishing is beside the point. BBC iPlayer.

Aces of Tennis: The ATP No.1 Club – Channel 5, 10pm (NEW EPISODE)

Series one, episode three. The docuseries continues its look at the men who held the ATP world number-one ranking through the 1970s and 80s — good archive footage and a subject that sits naturally alongside a week of Wimbledon. My5.

Me Before You – BBC One, 10:40pm

The 2016 Emilia Clarke and Sam Claflin romantic drama. It knows exactly what kind of film it is and doesn’t pretend otherwise. If you want a tearjerker to close out a day of grass-court tennis, this is your film. BBC iPlayer.

Also worth knowing: Our Friends in the North arrives on BBC Four at 10:10pm — the 1996 BBC drama starring Christopher Eccleston, Mark Strong, Daniel Craig, and Gina McKee. It holds up better than almost anything else from that era.

The Viewing Schedule

What’s On Streaming

• BBC iPlayer: Wimbledon 2026, EastEnders, Villages by the Sea, Celebrity Antiques Road Trip, Saving Lives at Sea, Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing, Me Before You
• ITVX: FIFA World Cup Round of 32, Emmerdale, Coronation Street
• Channel 4 streaming: The Light in the Hall: Still Waters, Location Location Location, Night Coppers
• My5: GPs: Behind Closed Doors, Ambulance: Code Red, Riptide, Aces of Tennis: The ATP No.1 Club

Frequently Asked Questions

Is EastEnders on Wednesday 1 July 2026?

Yes — EastEnders is on BBC Two tonight at 7:30pm. Tonight is S2026E104, and the soap remains on its temporary home channel while Wimbledon occupies BBC One for the duration of the Championships. You can also catch it on BBC iPlayer from 6am.

What time does Wimbledon start on BBC One today?

BBC One picks up Day 3 of the 2026 Wimbledon Championships from around 1pm, with BBC Two carrying earlier coverage through the morning. All of the action is free to watch on BBC One, BBC Two, and BBC iPlayer.

What is The Light in the Hall on Channel 4 tonight?

The Light in the Hall: Still Waters is a Welsh thriller that concludes tonight with its series finale — series two, episode six. Sian Reese-Williams leads the cast. If you haven’t watched series two yet, the full run is on Channel 4 streaming before the ending becomes common knowledge.

What time is the World Cup on ITV1 tonight?

ITV1 carries a Round of 32 knockout tie tonight, with coverage from approximately 8:15pm and kick-off around 9pm. Both ITV1 and ITVX carry it free.

What’s the best thing to watch on TV tonight (Wednesday 1 July 2026)?

Wimbledon Day 3 on BBC One is the afternoon and early evening pick. In the evening, The Light in the Hall: Still Waters finale on Channel 4 at 9pm is the strongest drama of the night. The FIFA World Cup Round of 32 on ITV1 brings knockout football around 9pm. Don’t forget EastEnders is on BBC Two at 7:30pm, not BBC One.

Final Verdict

Tonight’s schedule has a clear shape. Wimbledon Day 3 on BBC One owns the afternoon and early evening — first-round action continuing at the All England Club. Come 9pm, the decision is between The Light in the Hall: Still Waters finale on Channel 4 — the drama pick of the week — and ITV1’s World Cup Round of 32 for the live football. EastEnders is on BBC Two at 7:30pm. And Saving Lives at Sea opens its tenth series on BBC Two at 9pm if you want something quieter.

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