TV Tonight: our highlights for Friday, January 14

TV tonight - Can these two see eye to eye?
Can these two see eye to eye? (Image credit: BBC)

On TV tonight, DI Neville Parker (Ralf Little) investigates a murder at a golf club in Death in Paradise on BBC1, garden guru Monty Don is in Croatia as his series Monty Don's Adriatic Gardens continues on BBC2 and Bob Mortimer is back in hilarious form for Would I Lie to You? on BBC1. 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

Death in Paradise, 9pm, BBC1

TV tonight Death in Paradise cast.

The team investigate another murder.  (Image credit: BBC)

Fraternal tensions come to the fore at the Palm Bay golf club when Bradley Faircroft – brother of club owner Connor (Jason Done) – is found bludgeoned to death. All the evidence points to Connor, but when CCTV has him elsewhere at the time of the attack, Neville and the team are forced to consider other suspects – and it transpires that Connor’s wife Holly (Tamzin Outhwaite) has been keeping secrets. Meanwhile, the awkwardness between Neville and Florence is breaking our hearts – but Neville is resisting Florence’s efforts to clear the air… 

★★★★ SP

Monty Don's Adriatic Gardens, 8pm, BBC2

Programme Name Monty Dons Adriatic Gardens ep2 Croatia No 2 Picture Shows in the private garden of Ante Karanui Croatia Monty Don C AHA Productions Photographer Mike Robinson

Monty Don explores Croatian gardens tonight. (Image credit: BBC2)

Monty’s travels take him to Croatia, a country with a horticultural industry that’s only just beginning. After years of communist rule and the devastating war of the 1990s, green space here has always been used for food production – the thought of growing flowers just for fun was a luxury not many Croatians could afford. But times are changing and Monty meets some pioneering plant people who are embracing the history, heat and landscape of this beautiful country to create some stunning green spaces. This episode is as much a history lesson as a gardening show and is all the better for it. 

★★★★ JL

Would I Lie to You, 8pm, BBC1

TV tonight Is Bob Mortimer telling tall tales?

Is Bob Mortimer telling tall tales? (Image credit: BBC)

Bob Mortimer klaxon! Fans of the show will certainly want to know that the much-loved comedian is a guest tonight – as David Mitchell says, ‘Whatever he says, however absurd, it could still be true.’ So, did Bob break into the garden of a local witch’s house as a young boy and, looking through a window, see a ‘tiny, tiny horse’ inside? David and Lee Mack, meanwhile, prove why they’ve lasted so long as team captains when they elevate a mundane conversation about Earl Grey teabags to laugh-out-loud comedy. 

★★★★ JP

Best box set to watch on TV tonight

Around the World in 80 Days, BBC iPlayer

TV tonight Phileas Fogg with Passepartout and Abigail Fix

Phileas Fogg with Passepartout and Abigail Fix. (Image credit: BBC)

Jules Verne’s classic novel has been adapted for the screen many times over the decades, yet this spectacular eight-part series will bring the story to a new generation of viewers. The action still takes place in 1872, yet David Tennant’s Phileas Fogg is more flawed and thoughtful than many of his predecessors, while tenacious journalist Abigail Fix (Leonie Benesch) is another refreshing addition to a tale that has something for all the family. The series began on Boxing Day with a double bill but now all eight episodes are available on iPlayer, for anyone who missed this gem over the frantic festive period. The cast is outstanding and the action slick and addictive as Fix, Fogg and his valet Passepartout (Ibrahim Koma) set off on their epic and thrilling journey. 

Best film to watch on TV today

The Tragedy of Macbeth, Apple TV+

The Tragedy of Macbeth Denzel Washington

Denzel Washington stars as Macbeth. (Image credit: A24)

Shakespeare’s brutal and bloody story of deadly ambition gets a new cinematic retelling courtesy of Joel Coen in The Tragedy of Macbeth. In this version, Macbeth (Denzel Washington) and his wife (Frances McDormand) are older than they’re usually portrayed, and their decision to murder King Duncan (Brendan Gleeson) is driven by desperation and a sense that this might be their last chance to seize power. With a cast that also includes Doctor Foster’s Bertie Carvel, this haunting adaptation is cinematic Shakespeare at its best.

Live Sport

  • Snooker, The Masters, 1pm & 7pm, BBC2
  • Premier League, Brighton & Hove Albion v Crystal Palace, 7pm (k-o 8pm), Sky Sports Main Event/NOW
  • Cricket, The Ashes, 2am, BT Sport 1

Soaps on TV tonight

If you watch just one thing on TV tonight...

Don't miss Death in Paradise on TV tonight – we all need a little bit of Caribbean sunshine at this time of year!

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

Happy viewing!

Mandy Cooper
TV Times Highlights Editor

As TV Times Highlights Editor I get to hear about all the latest TV shows coming soon. Here at TVT HQ we are in the privileged position of selecting the best programmes from across all the channels and streaming platforms. Our mission is to make it easier for our readers to decide what to watch - and give them lots of choice of genres - all the latest shows, plus some nostalgic choices we call hidden gems, too. My career began with a postgraduate degree in periodical journalism (ahem, yes old school!) in 1991 and I’ve worked in TV media since 2000.