Yesterday TV Guide: Listings, Schedule & What’s On Yesterday Tonight

Published: 18 September 2026

Yesterday is UKTV’s history and heritage channel, mixing archive documentaries, military history and natural history with a growing slate of classic motoring shows. BBC Studios has owned it outright through UKTV since 2019, and it’s free with no subscription required. Tonight, Saturday 19 September 2026, the second of two Frozen Planet episodes opens primetime at 6pm, then Bangers & Cash: Restoring Classics takes 7pm and the main Bangers & Cash returns at 8pm. Dream Car Fixers takes 9pm, before two more Bangers & Cash episodes close out the night from 10pm. Full breakdown below.

Yesterday Schedule: Saturday 19 September 2026 (Full Listings)

Here is the complete Yesterday schedule for Saturday 19 September 2026, on Freeview 27.

Overnight

Breakfast

Morning

Afternoon

Early evening

Primetime

Late night

What’s on Yesterday today

Overnight opens with Bangers & Cash at midnight, then Find It, Fix It, Flog It at 1am and The Architecture the Railways Built at 2am, before Teleshopping fills the schedule from 3am until ten past six.

The Architecture the Railways Built runs two more episodes back to back at 6:10am and 7:10am, then three Aussie Road Train Truckers episodes carry the morning from 8am. Three Flipping Bangers episodes fill midday into early afternoon, three Canal Boat Diaries episodes take 2pm to 4pm, and two Frozen Planet episodes lead into this evening’s line-up from 5pm.

Yesterday tonight — primetime and the evening schedule

Here’s the Yesterday primetime line-up for tonight, Saturday 19 September 2026.

Frozen Planet — Yesterday, 6pm

The second of two episodes airing back to back closes out early evening at 6pm, continuing the series’ tour of the planet’s coldest ecosystems (series 2, episode 4).

Bangers & Cash: Restoring Classics — Yesterday, 7pm

This spin-off opens primetime, following the restoration side of the Mathewsons’ classic-car business rather than the auction floor itself (series 7, episode 5).

Bangers & Cash — Yesterday, 8pm

The flagship series returns at 8pm with a more recent run of episodes, back among the barn finds and haggling at Thornton-le-Dale (series 14, episode 9).

Dream Car Fixers — Yesterday, 9pm

A different set of mechanics take over at 9pm, working through a client’s dream restoration project rather than an auction lot (series 3, episode 5).

Bangers & Cash — Yesterday, 10pm

Bangers & Cash returns for the night’s third outing at 10pm, this time dipping into an earlier run of episodes than the 8pm edition (series 9, episode 5).

Bangers & Cash — Yesterday, 11pm

The night closes with a fourth Bangers & Cash slot, continuing straight on from the 10pm episode with the same earlier series (series 9, episode 6).

What kind of shows are on Yesterday

Classic motoring and Bangers & Cash

Motoring is the growth area, and it is essentially one family: the Mathewsons of Thornton-le-Dale. Bangers & Cash produced Restoring Classics, and the channel has built a wider strand around them with Flipping Bangers and Find It, Fix It, Flog It.

Military and social history

Archive war documentaries are what the channel was founded on. The World at War still anchors a run of conflict and social history titles pulled from decades of British broadcast archive.

Natural history and engineering

The rest is natural history and engineering: A Perfect Planet, plus Abandoned Engineering and Secrets of the London Underground, which are really infrastructure documentaries wearing a history badge.

How to watch Yesterday

Channel numbers

Here’s where to find Yesterday across the main UK television platforms:

Yesterday is free on all of the above platforms, with no subscription required. Sky, Virgin Media and Freesat channel numbers can vary slightly by region and box, so your on-screen guide is the definitive source if these don’t match.

Streaming online

Yesterday streams live and free on u.co.uk and via the U app on smart TVs, iOS, Android and most streaming boxes. U is UKTV’s streaming service, formerly known as UKTV Play, and it’s free to sign up for. Most Yesterday shows are also available to catch up on demand once they’ve broadcast, though older archive series can come and go from the library.

Yesterday +1 and sister channels

Yesterday +1 runs the main schedule exactly an hour behind, on Freeview channel 26. Miss the start of a Bangers & Cash episode on the main channel and +1 lets you pick it up from close to the beginning an hour later instead.

Yesterday sits within the wider UKTV stable alongside Dave, Drama, Really and Alibi. If you enjoy Yesterday’s history and documentary output, Dave carries more panel shows and sitcoms, while Really leans towards true crime and paranormal programming.

Frequently asked questions

What channel is Yesterday on?

Freeview 27, Sky 155, Virgin Media 129 and Freesat 155. Yesterday +1 is on Freeview 26. All are free to watch.

What’s on Yesterday tonight?

The second of two Frozen Planet episodes opens primetime at 6pm, then Bangers & Cash: Restoring Classics and the main Bangers & Cash take 7pm and 8pm. Dream Car Fixers takes 9pm, and two more Bangers & Cash episodes close out the night from 10pm.

Is Yesterday free to watch?

Yes, on every major UK platform, with advertising breaks but no subscription fee.

Can I watch Yesterday online for free?

Yes, live and on demand via u.co.uk and the U app, UKTV’s free streaming service.

Verdict

Pound for pound, Yesterday remains one of the better-value channels on Freeview. The archive documentaries that built its reputation are still on air, and Bangers & Cash has grown into the channel’s biggest draw since it began in 2019.

Tonight leans harder on Bangers & Cash than most: the spin-off, the current series and an older run all get a slot, spread either side of Dream Car Fixers at 9pm. It’s the channel’s core appeal condensed into one evening rather than a standout night in its own right.

Related: Freeview Channel Guide | Dave TV Guide | Films on TV This Week