TV Guide UK Tonight: Wed 17 Jun 2026 – England v Croatia, Death in Paradise & The Repair Shop

Published: 10 June 2026

Wednesday 17 June 2026. England’s World Cup starts here. Harry Kane leads Thomas Tuchel’s side against Croatia at 9pm — the same team that knocked England out in 2018 — and it’s free on ITV1. Portugal v DR Congo is on BBC One at 5:30pm, Ghana v Panama after midnight. Keep one eye on the group. EastEnders has been shuffled all week by the football — check iPlayer rather than assuming it’s where you’d expect.

Quick Picks: Tonight’s Best

• ⭐ FIFA World Cup 2026: England v Croatia ITV1, 8pm (kick-off 9pm). England’s opener. Kane. Modrić. Free. The one.
• The Repair Shop BBC Two, 8pm. A soap carving from a Thai prisoner-of-war camp. Genuinely moving.
• Death in Paradise BBC One, 9pm. Ralph Little and Josephine Jobert back. New sergeant, kidnapping, warm TV.
• The Light in the Hall: Still Waters Channel 4, 9pm. The Welsh thriller tightens. Caryl won’t let this story go.
• Inside the Tower of London Channel 5, 8pm. Tracy Borman on Henry VIII and the Mary Rose. History done well.
• Matlock Sky Witness, 9pm. Kathy Bates’s season finale — the opioid cover-up lands.

Sport

FIFA World Cup 2026: Portugal v DR Congo – BBC One, 5:30pm (kick-off 6pm)

Portugal’s Group K opener. Something to watch before the main event. Free on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

FIFA World Cup 2026: England v Croatia ⭐ – ITV1, 8pm (kick-off 9pm)

This is it. England’s Group L opener at Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas — a rematch of the 2018 semi-final that Croatia won 2–1 in extra time. Tuchel’s first tournament match as England manager, Harry Kane leading the line, Luka Modrić still pulling strings for Croatia at 40. Three points tonight and England are in great shape in a group that also has Ghana and Panama. Free on ITV1 from 8pm, kick-off 9pm UK. ITVX.

Daytime & Early Evening

The Repair Shop – BBC Two, 8pm

The centrepiece is remarkable: a soap sculpture carved by a prisoner in a Thai prisoner-of-war camp — a likeness of the man’s grandfather Fred, made by a fellow captive. Kirsten Ramsay handles it, and it’s one of those Repair Shop moments that properly lands. Also: a Dutch doll, an unfinished father’s project, and a moth-eaten Egyptian fez restored by Jayesh Vaghela. BBC iPlayer.

Location, Location, Location – Channel 4, 8pm

Kirstie Allsopp and Phil Spencer help two couples back on the property hunt after the pandemic, both in south and east London. Channel 4 streaming.

Inside the Tower of London – Channel 5, 8pm

Tracy Borman on Henry VIII’s military operation — the Mary Rose sank in the Solent in 1545 and is now in Portsmouth. Plus Victory over Japan Day and Yeoman Warder Mark Anderson on recovering bodies from the Thames. 5 streaming.

Prime Time

Death in Paradise – BBC One, 9pm

A return to the 2022 run, with Neville Parker (Ralph Little) and Florence Cassell (Josephine Jobert) still dancing around what they are to each other before a kidnapping cuts in. Shantol Jackson arrives as Sergeant Naomi Thomas, from Saint Barnabas — and makes an immediate mark. Warm, well-crafted. BBC iPlayer.

The Light in the Hall: Still Waters – Channel 4, 9pm

The bilingual Welsh thriller pushes on. Trainee journalist Caryl (Siân Reese-Williams) won’t let go of the 1995 activist death, while Rhys Owen (Mark Lewis Jones) — newly paroled — is back and knocking on doors. Deliberate, tense. Channel 4 streaming.

The Nazis: a Warning from History – BBC Four, 9pm

Laurence Rees’s acclaimed 1997 series narrated by Samuel West — from the economic collapse that opened the door for Hitler to the Final Solution and defeat. Eyewitness testimony, archive footage, no reconstruction. BBC iPlayer.

Matlock – Sky Witness, 9pm (SEASON FINALE)

Kathy Bates’s season closer. Matty has the evidence to nail Senior (Beau Bridges) on the opioid cover-up — and the episode quietly asks how much of the persona she built has become real. A solid finish. Now.

Late Night

Salt Path: a Very British Scandal – Sky Documentaries, 10:15pm

Raynor Winn’s memoir about walking the South West Coast Path after losing their home — Moth facing a terminal diagnosis — was a phenomenon. This documentary covers the later investigation that alleged parts weren’t accurate, and Winn’s rebuttal. Uncomfortable. Now.

The Viewing Schedule

What’s On Streaming

• ITVX: England v Croatia, Ghana v Panama, Racing: Royal Ascot
• BBC iPlayer: Portugal v DR Congo, Death in Paradise, The Repair Shop, The Nazis: a Warning from History, Uzbekistan v Colombia
• Channel 4 streaming: Location, Location, Location; The Light in the Hall: Still Waters
• 5 streaming: Inside the Tower of London
• Now: Matlock; Salt Path: a Very British Scandal

Frequently Asked Questions

Is EastEnders on Wednesday 17 June 2026?

EastEnders normally airs Monday to Thursday, so there should be an episode this week — but the World Cup has scrambled the BBC schedule. Monday’s was bumped entirely; Tuesday’s shifted to BBC Two. Tonight’s football is on ITV1, which takes the pressure off BBC One, but the BBC has been reshuffling all week. Don’t assume the usual 7:30pm slot is safe — check BBC iPlayer or your on-screen guide.

What time is England v Croatia on and where can I watch it?

ITV1, from 8pm, kick-off 9pm UK time. Group L opener, Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Free on ITV1, available on ITVX.

What’s the best thing to watch on TV tonight (Wednesday 17 June 2026)?

England v Croatia on ITV1 from 8pm — England’s World Cup opener, free. Otherwise: The Repair Shop BBC Two 8pm; Death in Paradise BBC One 9pm; The Light in the Hall: Still Waters Channel 4 9pm.

What is Death in Paradise about and what time is it on tonight?

BBC One, 9pm. Neville Parker (Ralph Little) and Florence Cassell (Josephine Jobert) circle each other before a kidnapping cuts in. Sergeant Naomi Thomas (Shantol Jackson) arrives from Saint Barnabas. BBC iPlayer.

What is Matlock on Sky Witness tonight?

Season finale. Matty (Kathy Bates) has the evidence to link Senior (Beau Bridges) to an opioid cover-up and plans to go public — while quietly reckoning with how much of the “Matty Matlock” persona has become who she actually is. Now.

Final Verdict

Tonight is England’s. England v Croatia on ITV1 from 8pm — Tuchel’s first tournament test, Kane versus Modrić, free on the telly. Before kick-off, The Repair Shop on BBC Two at 8pm is the warmest hour of the week. At 9pm: Death in Paradise on BBC One and The Light in the Hall: Still Waters on Channel 4 for those not watching the football. Ghana v Panama on ITV1 just after midnight is worth staying up for — England’s group calculations depend on it.

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