TV Guide UK Tonight: Wed 29 Jul 2026 – EastEnders, Murder 24/7 & Ancient Rome Night

Published: 24 July 2026

Wednesday 29 July 2026. EastEnders returns to BBC One at 7:30pm ahead of a busy 9pm hour. Murder 24/7 opens with a disturbingly calm 999 call from Redditch, and BBC Four gives its whole evening to ancient Rome, with Mary Beard on Caligula the clear highlight. ITV1 moves Cassie Plummer’s Coronation Street exit story forward, and Channel 4 has a big-budget renovation on one side and more cyber intrigue in The Undeclared War on the other. There’s the Commonwealth Games from Glasgow too. Plenty to pick from.

Quick Picks: Tonight’s Best

• EastEnders BBC One, 7:30pm. The soap is back in its regular Wednesday slot.
• Ancient Rome Night BBC Four, from 8pm. Mary Beard on Caligula, then Derek Jacobi revisits I, Claudius.
• Murder 24/7 BBC One, 9pm. A chillingly calm confession opens a Redditch murder case.
• Coronation Street ITV1, 8:30pm. Cassie Plummer edges towards telling the truth about her past.
• Lucy Worsley Investigates BBC Two, 9pm. A fresh look at the Gunpowder Plot.

Early Evening

EastEnders – BBC One, 7:30pm

Back in its usual Wednesday slot after the midweek gap, picking up the week’s Walford storylines. Nothing showy, just the regular schedule resuming. On BBC iPlayer shortly after broadcast if you miss it live.

The Repair Shop – BBC One, 8pm

Master hatter Jayesh Vaghela restores a captain’s cap worn for years by a Boeing 747 pilot, while Julyan Wallis works on a mandriola that once belonged to folk musician Vin Garbutt. Weaver Sarah Hatton sets Dominic Chinea the task of building her a new tool, and there’s a machine belonging to “the Godfather of Neon” for pinball specialist Geoff Harvey to bring back to life. Comfort telly, as ever. BBC iPlayer.

Extraordinary Extensions – Channel 4, 8pm

Tinie Tempah checks in on two very different builds this week. In west London, Chris is project-managing an Art Deco-inspired extension designed by his partner Nadine, chasing a curved, hotel-style finish that doesn’t come cheap. Over on the Norfolk Broads, a pair of structural engineers are extending their cottage using only recycled or natural materials, ruling out concrete, steel and cement altogether. Channel 4 streaming.

Casualty 24/7: Every Second Counts – Channel 5, 8pm

Cameras return to Channel 5‘s Barnsley Hospital documentary strand, where staff deal with an elderly woman struggling to breathe, a three-year-old who has pushed a conker up his nose, a 92-year-old gym regular recovering from a bad fall, and a diabetic man who has been shot in the foot. Bed shortages and long waits sit behind every case tonight. My5.

Coronation Street – ITV1, 8:30pm

Cassie Plummer is on her way out of the cobbles to play Miss Hannigan in a touring production of Annie, and her departure story comes to a head tonight. The family gathers for the birthday of Ross Wilkes, the estranged father of her son Tyrone Dobbs, and Cassie can’t hold it in any longer. She looks set to finally tell the truth about her past. ITVX.

Prime Time

Ancient Rome Night – BBC Four, from 8pm ⭐

BBC Four clears its schedule for a full evening of Roman history, and the line-up is a strong one. It opens with Alastair Sooke on Roman art, the side of the empire that tends to get overshadowed by its roads and aqueducts. At 9pm, Mary Beard turns to Caligula, probably the emperor who did more than any other to shape what we now picture as imperial Roman excess. Then Derek Jacobi reflects on the role that made him a household name, “a stammer, a limp and a twitch,” before the first two episodes of I, Claudius follow straight after. Four hours of it, for anyone who likes their history with a bit of theatre attached. BBC iPlayer.

Murder 24/7 – BBC One, 9pm

This episode opens with one of the more unsettling calls this strand has aired: a man in Redditch telling the 999 handler, without a trace of panic, that he has just killed his former partner. It might look like an open-and-shut case on paper, but the documentary follows the police as they work through it properly regardless, with a specialist “digi-dog” trained to sniff out hidden devices among the tools on show. BBC iPlayer.

Lucy Worsley Investigates – BBC Two, 9pm

BBC Two reruns Lucy Worsley’s dig into the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, and it’s less interested in the fireworks of 5 November than in what got Guy Fawkes and his circle there in the first place. Worsley traces how a group of Catholic men went from pushing for change within a Protestant country to plotting mass murder, working through original records and drawing out some pointed modern parallels along the way. BBC iPlayer.

The Undeclared War – Channel 4, 9pm

Danny edges closer to the truth this week, while Vadim finds himself somewhere just as dangerous as before, if not more so. Danny Sapani continues to anchor things as Charlie, GCHQ’s head of security, who spends most of his screen time running interviews in a plain grey room rather than out in the field. Channel 4 streaming.

Sport

The Commonwealth Games reach day six in Glasgow, with coverage split across TNT Sports 2 from 8:30am and TNT Sports 3 from 9:45am, plus BBC Alba from 5:30pm and S4C from 8pm. Freeview viewers without a sports subscription can catch highlights on Channel 5 at 10pm. Test cricket fans have day five of the first Test between West Indies and Pakistan, live from Trinidad on TNT Sports 1 from 2:30pm, and tennis continues with day three of the Washington DC Open on Sky Sports Tennis from 4pm.

The Viewing Schedule

What’s On Streaming

• BBC iPlayer: EastEnders, The Repair Shop, Murder 24/7, Lucy Worsley Investigates, Ancient Rome Night
• ITVX: Coronation Street
• Channel 4 streaming: Extraordinary Extensions, The Undeclared War
• My5: Casualty 24/7: Every Second Counts, The Crow Girl

Frequently Asked Questions

Is EastEnders on tonight (Wednesday 29 July 2026)?

Yes. EastEnders airs in its usual slot on BBC One at 7:30pm tonight. It’s available on BBC iPlayer afterwards.

What time is Murder 24/7 on TV tonight?

Murder 24/7 is on BBC One at 9pm tonight, opening with a disturbingly calm 999 call from Redditch as detectives build a case against a man who has admitted killing his former partner.

What is Ancient Rome Night on BBC Four?

Ancient Rome Night is a themed run of repeats on BBC Four from 8pm, covering Roman art, Mary Beard’s profile of Caligula, and Derek Jacobi revisiting his star-making role in I, Claudius.

What live sport is on TV tonight: Wednesday 29 July 2026?

The Commonwealth Games continue from Glasgow across TNT Sports 2 and 3, BBC Alba and S4C, with highlights on Channel 5 at 10pm. There’s also Test cricket between West Indies and Pakistan and the Washington DC Open tennis.

What’s the best thing to watch on TV tonight (Wednesday 29 July 2026)?

Ancient Rome Night on BBC Four from 8pm is the pick, with Mary Beard’s Caligula hour the standout. Murder 24/7 on BBC One at 9pm is the other big draw if true crime is more your thing.

Final Verdict

Wednesday 29 July gives you plenty to argue over. Ancient Rome Night ⭐ on BBC Four is my pick, four hours of history with Mary Beard’s Caligula hour the reason to clear the evening. Murder 24/7 on BBC One at 9pm isn’t far behind, thanks to one of the strand’s more unsettling openings, and Coronation Street gives Cassie Plummer’s exit some real weight on ITV1. EastEnders is back in its regular Wednesday slot too, so soap fans are covered either way. If none of the drama appeals, the Commonwealth Games carry on from Glasgow.

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