TV Guide UK Tonight: Wed 7 Oct 2026 – Winter, Portrait Artist of the Year & Who Do You Think You Are?

Published: 1 October 2026

Wednesday 7 October 2026. EastEnders is on BBC One at 7.30pm, and ITV1 has the second episode of the new drama Winter at 9pm. The return of the night is Portrait Artist of the Year on Sky Arts at 8pm, with a new judging panel. Over on Channel 4, Grand Designs reaches a conversion that has been stuck for years, and Who Do You Think You Are? finds something unpleasant in Joe Lycett’s family tree.

Quick Picks: Tonight’s Best

• Winter ITV1, 9pm. Richard Armitage, and a body with no face.
• Portrait Artist of the Year Sky Arts, 8pm. Series 13 opens with Lennie James, Vanessa Williams and Sheridan Smith as sitters.
• Who Do You Think You Are? BBC One, 9pm. Joe Lycett, and a family history that stops being funny.
• Grand Designs Channel 4, 9pm. An upside-down house in an old driving test centre.
• EastEnders BBC One, 7.30pm. Yes, it is on tonight.

Early Evening

House of Games – BBC Two, 6pm

Michael Sheen is in the host’s chair this week, which is reason enough to tune in, and the players are Stephen Mangan, Shona McGarty, Andi Peters and Nina Wadia. Mangan has a long evening: he presents Portrait Artist of the Year two hours later. BBC Two follows with Strictly: It Takes Two at 6.30pm. Dave goes heavily on panel shows later, with QI XL at 9pm.

Hollyoaks – E4, 7pm

Imran refuses to move from Leah’s hospital bedside, Donny and Dodger are chasing a resident through the village, and someone ends up paying for it before the credits. Hospital bedsides are the traditional place for Hollyoaks to park its emotional business, and this one looks no different. Hollyoaks is on E4 after three Simpsons episodes and before Brooklyn Nine-Nine at 7.30pm.

EastEnders – BBC One, 7.30pm

Linda has the feeling her family are keeping something from her, and in Albert Square that feeling is nearly always correct. Ian Beale comes back to Walford, and Nicola does her best to stand by Ryder. For the full weekly soap timetable, see when the soaps and big shows are on.

Tipping Point: Best Ever Finals – ITV1, 7.30pm

Stuart Pearce, the former England left-back, plays for 20,000 pounds for charity. Contestant Zoe also makes a trade decision the episode clearly expects you to remember. A pleasant half hour before the soaps, and a charity pot always makes the pushing and the waiting a little more tense.

Next Goal Wins – Film4, 7pm

Taika Waititi’s 2023 comedy about the American Samoa football team, officially the worst in the world, and the washed-up coach (Michael Fassbender) sent to help them score a single goal. It is based on a true story and is more amiable than it is sharp. Film4 has Gran Turismo at 9pm and Underwater at 11.40pm.

Prime Time

Winter – ITV1, 9pm ⭐

Winter is the pick because it is the strongest new drama of the night, and ITV has put the whole series on ITVX, so you can carry on straight away if it hooks you. Richard Armitage plays Dr Ethan Winter, who is still living with the murder of his fiancée. Episode two takes him to Bristol, where a building is being pulled down and a body has been found without a face, and at first without a name. The search turns up false names, buried lives and a betrayal that costs someone dearly. This is episode two, so anyone who missed the opener can catch up on ITVX first.

Annabel Scholey plays DI Bell, and Jamie Kenna is DS Ellis Daldry. Armitage is very good at controlled, wounded men, and a story built on identity needs one at the centre. By the second episode you can tell whether a mystery like this has a second half worth waiting for, and tonight is the right point to check.

Portrait Artist of the Year – Sky Arts, 8pm

Series 13 begins with a new judging panel of Jonathan Yeo, Eva Langret and Katy Hessel, with Stephen Mangan still presenting. In this first heat nine artists get four hours each and choose from three sitters: Lennie James, Vanessa Williams and Sheridan Smith. Seventy-two artists compete across the run, and the series winner is handed a £10,000 job painting Damian Lewis, destined for the National Portrait Gallery. It is slow, absorbing television that rewards patience, and it is free to watch on Sky Arts.

The Repair Shop: Beyond the Barn – BBC One, 8pm

Episode six of eight. A big model fairground is rebuilt by David and Mark, Lucia Scalisi works on a portrait with an uncomfortable history, and Dom rebuilds an army veteran’s rugby wheelchair. Whatever you make of the spin-off, tonight is generous with this format: Really has an older Repair Shop at 6pm and Quest another at 10pm.

Emmerdale – ITV1, 8pm

Charity is sent home and is stunned by it, Gabby collapses, and Sadie is up to something, which is the least surprising sentence in soap. A collapse and a scheme in the same half hour is typical of how the village works. Emmerdale has company elsewhere on ITV: ITV3 has Midsomer Murders from 8pm and ITV2 has The 1% Club.

Coronation Street – ITV1, 8.30pm

Shona accuses Lily of deliberately messing with her head, Christina can’t let go of the past, and Sam is looking for a new source of cash. Summer’s mates tell her to avoid Marco, which in soap terms is a guarantee that she won’t. Coronation Street then hands over to Winter at 9pm.

Location, Location, Location – Channel 4, 8pm

Kirstie Allsopp and Phil Spencer head to Warwickshire. Isla and Luke have to decide whether they can live with a cemetery next door, and Jan and Jon, with £800,000 to spend, are shown houses full of snugs, party gardens and games rooms. Quiet neighbours, at least.

Saving Lives at Sea – BBC Two, 8pm

Episode eight of ten opens with a 999 call about a paddleboarder drifting away from the shore, and a lifeboat crew racing to find him. Yesterday has an earlier series of the same programme at 9pm if you cannot get enough of rescues.

The Chelsea Detective – Drama, 8pm

Part one of The Petrov Extension. Architect Rowan Jameson is thrown from a hotel balcony on the evening he was being honoured for his life’s work. Adrian Scarborough leads as DI Max Arnold, and Keith Allen guest stars as Francis Petrov. Drama follows with Father Brown at 9pm and New Tricks at 10pm.

Echoes from Below: Exploring Britain’s Caves – BBC Four, 8pm

A documentary about how caves feature in British history and folklore, finishing deep inside Titan, the deepest shaft ever found in the country. BBC Four builds its evening well: Secrets of Bones at 7pm, Timothy Spall: Back at Sea at 7.30pm, and The Human Body: Secrets of Your Life Revealed at 9pm. For scenery without the crawling, More4 has Scotland’s Golden Coast at 9pm.

Murder Scene: The Incident Room – Channel 5, 8pm

A discarded bag turns up in Greater Manchester woodland, and detectives have next to nothing to go on, with a victim nobody can name. Winter has an unidentified victim too, so tonight is a rare night where two programmes open on the same grim problem. Channel 5 continues with Cause of Death at 9pm, in which Dr Richard Shepherd looks into the deaths of a teenager and a woman of 69. 5USA runs NCIS from 6pm.

Who Do You Think You Are? – BBC One, 9pm

Fourth in a run of seven. Joe Lycett has built a career on finding the joke in everything, so the point where he stops laughing is the interesting part. His Edwardian great-grandfather leads him somewhere much darker than he expected. Sheridan Smith’s episode is on Really at 10pm, and she is one of the sitters on Portrait Artist of the Year tonight.

Grand Designs – Channel 4, 9pm

Jana and Rory bought an old driving test centre and planned to turn it into a house with the living space upstairs. The project has stalled for years. Tonight the question is whether they can find the energy to finish it. Kevin McCloud’s visits to builds in trouble are usually the best ones, because the pressure is real and nobody on screen is pretending otherwise. A conversion this slow tends to tell you as much about the owners as the building.

Gran Turismo – Film4, 9pm

Neill Blomkamp’s 2023 film about a gamer who talks his way into a real racing seat, with David Harbour, Archie Madekwe and Orlando Bloom. It is based on a true story and about as predictable as that suggests. Other films at 9pm: ITV4 has RoboCop 2 and Legend has Robin Hood (2018) with Taron Egerton.

Secrets & Spies: A Nuclear Game – BBC Two, 9pm

The first of three episodes about two spies who change sides while East and West edge towards nuclear conflict. Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing follows at 10pm, with Paul giving Bob a fly-fishing lesson, after rainbow trout, in the Monsal Valley.

Late Night

Martin Compston: Living Las Vegas – Channel 4, 10pm

Episode three, and Compston covers the city’s sport, theatre and food. That takes in the Las Vegas Raiders, an audition for Cirque du Soleil and a visit to Gordon Ramsay’s Hell’s Kitchen, before he hears from Wayne Newton about the days when Vegas ran on glamour. Gogglebox follows at 11.05pm.

Play for Today: Schmoedipus – BBC Four, 10pm

Dennis Potter’s 1974 play, with Tim Curry, Anna Cropper and Bob Hoskins. A strange young man appears on Elizabeth’s doorstep with a claim that frightens her. Potter was not a writer for comfortable evenings, and the casting of a young Tim Curry as the intruder tells you how much of the play depends on unease. It is the sort of thing BBC Four does better than anyone. Alice Roberts’s Wild Swimming follows at 11.10pm.

Borderlands – BBC One, 10.40pm

The 2024 sci-fi adaptation of the video game, with Cate Blanchett as a bounty hunter hired to find a powerful man’s missing daughter, alongside Kevin Hart and Jamie Lee Curtis. It bombed at the box office, and it is hard to watch without knowing that. BBC One warns of prolonged violent scenes.

Nine Perfect Strangers – ITV1, 10.45pm

Series one begins with nine very different people checking into Tranquillum House, a remote wellness retreat run by the mysterious Masha, played by Nicole Kidman. Melissa McCarthy and Michael Shannon are among the guests. Worth recording if Winter has already used up your evening. It is the first episode, so the setup does most of the work.

Sport

There is no live football or other major live sport on the main free-to-air channels tonight. ITV4 has Gallagher PREM Unleashed at 6.20pm, rugby highlights from the second round of the Premiership, and pro wrestling with AEW: Collision at 11.20pm.

On subscription, TNT Sports 1 has the European Championships cycling, with the women’s and elite individual time trials from Ljubljana, from 1.15pm and 3pm. Sky Sports has the China Open tennis from Beijing from 6am, and the Baycurrent Classic golf from Yokohama is on Sky Golf.

What’s On Streaming

BBC iPlayer — EastEnders, The Repair Shop: Beyond the Barn, Who Do You Think You Are?, Saving Lives at Sea, Secrets & Spies, Play for Today: Schmoedipus.

ITVX — Winter (full series), Emmerdale, Coronation Street, Nine Perfect Strangers.

Channel 4 — Location, Location, Location, Grand Designs, Martin Compston: Living Las Vegas.

5 — Murder Scene: The Incident Room, Cause of Death.

NOW — Portrait Artist of the Year, from Sky Arts.

Tonight by Channel

A channel-by-channel breakdown of Wednesday 7 October 2026, so you can jump straight to the one you actually watch.

BBC One

• 7pm — The One Show
• 7.30pm — EastEnders
• 8pm — The Repair Shop: Beyond the Barn
• 9pm — Who Do You Think You Are?
• 10.40pm — Borderlands

BBC Two

• 6pm — House of Games
• 6.30pm — Strictly: It Takes Two
• 7pm — Celebrity Antiques Road Trip
• 8pm — Saving Lives at Sea
• 9pm — Secrets & Spies: A Nuclear Game
• 10pm — Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing

ITV1

• 7.30pm — Tipping Point: Best Ever Finals
• 8pm — Emmerdale
• 8.30pm — Coronation Street
• 9pm — Winter
• 10.45pm — Nine Perfect Strangers

Channel 4

• 6pm — A New Life in the Sun: Where Are They Now?
• 8pm — Location, Location, Location
• 9pm — Grand Designs
• 10pm — Martin Compston: Living Las Vegas
• 11.05pm — Gogglebox

Channel 5

• 6pm — Cornwall: A Year by the Sea
• 8pm — Murder Scene: The Incident Room
• 9pm — Cause of Death
• 10pm — Jeremy Bamber: Proof of Innocence – The Missing Phone Call

BBC Four

• 7pm — Secrets of Bones
• 7.30pm — Timothy Spall: Back at Sea
• 8pm — Echoes from Below: Exploring Britain’s Caves
• 9pm — The Human Body: Secrets of Your Life Revealed
• 10pm — Play for Today: Schmoedipus

Film4

• 7pm — Next Goal Wins
• 9pm — Gran Turismo
• 11.40pm — Underwater

ITV3

• 6.55pm — Heartbeat
• 8pm — Midsomer Murders
• 10pm — Downton Abbey

5USA

• 6pm — NCIS
• 9pm — Law & Order: Organized Crime

Dave

• 9pm — QI XL
• 10pm — Have I Got a Bit More News for You

Drama

• 8pm — The Chelsea Detective
• 9pm — Father Brown

ITV2

• 8pm — The 1% Club
• 9pm — Big Brother

ITV4

• 9pm — RoboCop 2
• 11.20pm — AEW: Collision

The Viewing Schedule

Frequently Asked Questions

Is EastEnders on tonight (Wednesday 7 October 2026)?

Yes. EastEnders is on BBC One at 7.30pm tonight. Linda fears her family aren’t being straight with her, Ian Beale returns to Walford and Nicola tries to support Ryder. The soap runs Monday to Thursday, so the next episode is tomorrow at the same time.

What time is Winter on TV tonight?

Winter is on ITV1 at 9pm tonight. It is episode two of Richard Armitage’s new forensic thriller, and the whole series is available on ITVX if you want to go further.

What’s the best thing to watch on TV tonight (Wednesday 7 October 2026)?

Winter on ITV1 at 9pm, the strongest new drama of the night. If you would rather see something made by hand, Portrait Artist of the Year returns to Sky Arts at 8pm, and Who Do You Think You Are? with Joe Lycett is on BBC One at 9pm.

What time is Portrait Artist of the Year on tonight?

Portrait Artist of the Year is on Sky Arts at 8pm tonight. Stephen Mangan presents the first heat of series 13, in which nine artists get four hours each to portray one of three sitters, Lennie James, Vanessa Williams or Sheridan Smith.

What’s on BBC One tonight?

BBC One has The One Show at 7pm, EastEnders at 7.30pm, The Repair Shop: Beyond the Barn at 8pm and Who Do You Think You Are? with Joe Lycett at 9pm. The news is at 10pm, and the film Borderlands follows at 10.40pm.

What time is Coronation Street on tonight?

Coronation Street is on ITV1 at 8.30pm tonight, straight after Emmerdale at 8pm. Shona accuses Lily of deliberately messing with her head, and Summer’s mates tell her to avoid Marco.

Is Strictly Come Dancing on tonight?

Not the main show, which is a weekend fixture. Strictly: It Takes Two is on BBC Two at 6.30pm tonight, with Ellie Taylor and the Pro Panel looking back over the week.

What film is on TV tonight?

Film4 shows Next Goal Wins at 7pm, Gran Turismo at 9pm and Underwater at 11.40pm. BBC One has Borderlands at 10.40pm, Legend shows Robin Hood (2018) at 9pm and ITV4 has RoboCop 2 at 9pm.

Is there football or any live sport on TV tonight (Wednesday 7 October 2026)?

No live football or major live sport on the main free-to-air channels. ITV4 has Gallagher PREM Unleashed rugby highlights at 6.20pm. Live cycling is on TNT Sports 1, and the China Open tennis and Baycurrent Classic golf are on Sky Sports.

What’s on Channel 4 tonight?

Channel 4 has Location, Location, Location at 8pm, Grand Designs at 9pm and Martin Compston: Living Las Vegas at 10pm. Gogglebox follows at 11.05pm.

Final Verdict

Winter is the one to put in the diary. It is new, it has a decent cast, and the faceless-body opening gives you a reason to see episode three. If you prefer something quieter, Portrait Artist of the Year on Sky Arts is the most distinctive thing on at 8pm, and Who Do You Think You Are? with Joe Lycett suits anyone who likes their comedians pulled off-script.

For films, Film4 has Next Goal Wins and Gran Turismo, and BBC One’s late Borderlands is mostly a curiosity. EastEnders is on at 7.30pm, as it is every Monday to Thursday.

Related: What’s On TV Tonight | Films on TV Tonight | Freeview Channel Guide