TV tonight: our highlights for Monday 17th May

By Joanne Lowles
( What's on TV )
published

(Image credit: STEFFAN HILL)

Innocent is one of the gems on TV today…

Katherine Kelly stars in tense new drama Innocent, there's more hilarious school gate drama in BBC2's Motherland and it's Finals Week on the Great British Menu. Here's what you shouldn’t miss on TV tonight. 

  • Our hand-selected recommendations for what's on TV tonight include 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

Innocent, 9pm, ITV

Katherine Kelly takes the lead as Sally in this tense ITV drama. (Pic Credit: Tiger copyright ITV)

Katherine Kelly takes the lead as Sally in this tense ITV drama. (Pic Credit: Tiger copyright ITV) (Image credit: STEFFAN HILL)

Prepare yourselves, because the welcome return of this addictive thriller with a brand new story will leave you on tenterhooks! This time, Katherine Kelly steps into the spotlight as teacher Sally, who has spent five years in prison for the murder of her student Matty, but is released when an alibi suddenly materialises. While Sally’s dream of regaining her former life in the Lake District – including her job and her ex-husband (Jamie Bamber) – is emotional and riveting, Shaun Dooley also gives a tour de force turn as dogged DCI Mike Braithwaite, who re-opens the case and delves into the locals’ murky secrets... Continues nightly until Thursday. 

★★★★★ CC

Motherland, 9pm, BBC2

Amanda (Lucy Punch) is causing more chaos in Motherland (Pic Credit: Merman - Photographer: Grab)

Amanda (Lucy Punch) is causing more chaos in Motherland (Pic Credit: Merman - Photographer: Grab) (Image credit: BBC/Merman)

Getting your child into the best secondary school around can be an uphill battle and worries over catchment areas are adding to usual term time stresses for the gang this week, as they head off on the dreaded open day circuit with hilarious results, particularly when desperate Julia pretends to be Catholic… Meanwhile, cracks are showing in the veneer of the deliciously awful Amanda as she frets about her ex’s new girlfriend, and gloriously blunt Liz is trying to encourage nervy Kevin to fight for his rights over his impending divorce with Jill. Come on Kev, take her to the cleaners!

★★★★ CC

Great British Menu, 8pm, BBC2

The final eight chefs get ready to do battle. (Pic Credit: Optomen Television Ltd - Photographer: Ashleigh Brown)

The final eight chefs get ready to do battle. (Pic Credit: Optomen Television Ltd - Photographer: Ashleigh Brown) (Image credit: BBC/Optomen Television Ltd/Ashleigh Brown)

The eight regional champions all return to the kitchen to compete in Finals Week. Every night the eight will present their best dish to regular judges Oliver Peyton, Matthew Fort and Rachel Khoo, plus a guest judge, which is comedian Phil Wang tonight. Beginning with starters (then fish tomorrow, main on Wed and dessert on Thurs) there’s some extraordinary food, but the judges have sky-high expectations and are brutal in their critiques (‘an epic fail,’ is how Oliver dismisses one chef’s creation). All eight compete for each course, with the maximum of four winning a place to cook at the final banquet on Friday. 

★★★★ JL

Best box set to watch on TV tonight

The Nest, seasons one to five, BBC iPlayer/BritBox

Martin Compson, Sophie Rundle and Mirren Mack in The Nest

Martin Compston as Dan, Sophie Rundle as Emily and Mirren Mack as Kaya (Pic Credit Studio Lambert - Photographer: Mark Mainz) (Image credit: BBC / Studio Lambert / Mark Mainz)

Line of Duty's Martin Compston (using his natural Scottish accent) and Sophie Rundle play a wealthy couple unable to conceive, who ask an 18-year-old stranger to carry a baby for them. But can they trust her? A twisty, smartly scripted Glasgow-set thriller.

Best film to watch on TV tonight

The End of the Affair, 9pm, TCM

Irish director Neil Jordan's handsomely mounted adaptation of Graham Greene's semi-autobiographical novel about the recriminations that spread out from an extra-marital affair between writer Ralph Fiennes and Julianne Moore in post-war London. It's hard not to fall under the romantic spell that the film weaves. 

★★★★ NP

Live sport

  • The Emirates FA Cup: Leicester City v Chelsea 5.30pm (k-o TBC), BT Sport 1

Soaps on TV tonight

If you watch just one thing on TV tonight… 

Don't miss Innocent on TV tonight – gripping drama

Not found anything you want to watch on TV tonight? Check out our TV Guide. 

Happy viewing!

Joanne Lowles
Joanne Lowles
Freelance writer and editor

Joanne Lowles has been writing about TV since 2002. After graduating from Cardiff University with a Postgraduate Diploma in Magazine Journalism, she worked for All About Soap magazine covering the ups and downs of life on the cobbles, the square and the Dales. 


Next came nearly 10 years at TV Times magazine as a writer and then deputy features editor. Here she spent many happy days interviewing the biggest names in entertainment and visiting the sets of some of our most popular shows including Downton Abbey, Call the Midwife and Strictly Come Dancing. 


With a love of nature and wildlife she’s also interviewed the leading experts in this area including David Attenborough, Chris Packham and Steve Backshall. She’s also travelled the world visiting Mongolia, Canada and South Africa to see how the best in the business make the most brilliant natural history documentaries. 


Freelance since 2013, she is now is a digital writer and editor for What to Watch, previews the best on the box for TV Times mag each week and loves being constantly surprised, entertained and informed by the amazing TV that she is lucky enough to watch.