TV tonight: our highlights for Friday 16th October

Star Trek Discovery is just one of the gems on today...

There's a new series of Star Trek Discovery on Netflix, it's Friday on the Farm on Channel 5, and there's another chance to see Oscar-winning documentary When We Were Kings. Here’s what you shouldn’t miss on TV tonight.

Our hand-selected recommendations for what's on TV tonight include three TV shows, a film, live sport and the latest trending need-to-binge-on-now box set
Keep up to date with the latest soap spoiler storylines on TV tonight with our daily soap synopsis
For more information about what’s on TV tonight see our TV Guide

What's on TV tonight

Our expert TV journalists have picked the best things on TV tonight...

Best TV shows on TV tonight

Friday on the Farm, 9pm, Channel 5

TV tonight Friday on the Farm — Helen reports from Cannon Hall Farm

Should Channel 5 consider changing its moniker to Channel Farm? As well as Kate Humble’s new series Escape to the Farm on Tuesday, Our Yorkshire Farm getting a rerun on Saturday and the delightful All Creatures Great and Small reboot having just finished a run on the channel, there’s also this series, which follows on from This Week on the Farm. Still with us? Tonight’s visit to Cannon Hall Farm, hosted by Helen Skelton and Jules Hudson, sees farmers Rob and Dave take on some rare-breed sheep, and in the weekly challenge they face off in a competition to bake the best decorative Harvest Festival loaf.

★★★ JP

Star Trek Discovery, Netflix

The third series of the hit sci-fi spin-off beams onto Netflix, with the action picking up 930 years in the future, where Cmdr Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and the USS Discovery separately land on a seemingly desolate planet. Battered, bruised and still in fight mode, Burnham sets off on a solo quest to locate the crew, but discovers the United Federation of Planets appears to be no more than a distant memory. Look out for Supergirl’s David Ajala as Burnham’s smart new ally Cleveland ‘Book’ Booker.

★★★★ RM

When We Were Kings, BBC iPlayer

If boxing isn’t your bag, this dazzling Storyville film about Muhammad Ali and World Champion George Foreman’s 1974 Rumble in the Jungle is about so much more than pugilism. It took director Leon Gast 23 years to complete, tracing this monumental sporting event held in what was then Zaire, which included a three-day music festival with the likes of James Brown and BB King taking part. It’s a brilliant slice of history, with Ali (who was classed as the underdog) at his irreproachable best, and the movie captures the mood and spirit of the time perfectly.

★★★★ NP

Best box set to watch

Rev, seasons one to three, BritBox

TV tonight Rev — Tom Hollander is the Rev

Us star Tom Hollander is equally engaging in this smartly written comedy as Anglican priest Adam Smallbone, who moves from a small rural parish to one in inner-city London. Olivia Colman co-stars as Adam’s solicitor wife, Alex.

Best film to watch on TV tonight

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, 8pm, Sky Cinema Premiere/NOW TV

TV tonight A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood — Tom Hanks as children’s entertainer Mister Rogers

Although an unknown entity on this side of the Atlantic, Fred Rogers and his children’s TV show was loved by generations of Americans, running from 1968 until his death in 2003. This movie, inspired by a true story, sees a cynical journalist (played by Matthew Rhys) interviewing Rogers (a superbly underplayed performance by Tom Hanks) and slowly becoming entranced by his all-round niceness. It’s a wonderful feel-good film that still has enough bite to never come over as schmaltzy, as Rhys learns to forgive his errant father (a great cameo from Chris Cooper). Pure joy!

Live sport

Rugby Union Challenge Cup Final 7.15pm (k-o 8pm), BT Sport 2
Championship Football: Derby County v Watford 7pm (k-o 7.45pm), Sky Sports Football/NOW TV