On TV tonight, Channel 4 brings back their edgy comedy night for a one-off special nearly 40 years on with Friday Night Live, posh neighbour Barclay is out to steal Button House's business in Ghosts, another set of celebs join Graham Norton on the red sofa, and Paris to Rome With Bettany Hughes concludes over on Channel 5. 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
Friday Night Live, 9 pm, Channel 4
Back in 1985, Channel 4’s comedy show Saturday Night Live burst onto our TV screens with its new wave of edgy, alternative comedians. Host Ben Elton delivered his opening monologue at breakneck speed, while Harry Enfield’s comic creation Loadsamoney was an immediate breakout hit. Now nearly 40 years later, the show has been revived for a one-off special which, like the original series, is going out live. Ben Elton will once again be ringmaster for the proceedings and among the original acts returning are Harry Enfield, Jo Brand and Julian Clary. Appearing alongside them will be this decade’s up-and-coming comedians. It should make for an eventful evening.
★★★★ JE
Ghosts season 4, 8.30 pm, BBC One and BBC iPlayer (box set)
Turning the gatehouse into a B&B may have seemed like a good idea to Alison and Mike, but each week their new venture brings more problems. When irritating posh neighbour Barclay (the one who always calls Alison ‘Annabel’) realises how much money they make as a B&B, he resorts to dirty tricks to try to steal their guests. Meanwhile, the ghosts make a new friend and Mike’s indignation at an online review results in an awkward encounter with a zorb ball…
★★★★ JP
The Graham Norton Show, 10.40 pm, BBC One
Tonight, Graham’s guests on the newly returned sofa (they hopefully find it more comfortable than Jamie Lee Curtis did) include Hollywood star Geena Davis. There’s also Stephen Graham, who’s currently starring in ITV’s The Walk-In, and Strictly judge Motsi Mabuse, who has just written her autobiography.
★★★ JP
Paris to Rome With Bettany Hughes, 9 pm, Channel 5
On the final leg of her trip, Bettany Hughes is in the Bay of Naples, where, after a drink and a consult of her big map (she reveals that as a teenager she had maps on her walls instead of pop stars), she visits Capri, beloved by artists such as Debussy, John Singer Sargent and, er, Leonardo DiCaprio. Then, after a dip into the glamour of the Amalfi coast, it’s off to Rome, where Bettany gets to channel Audrey Hepburn, not only on a sunset ride through the city on a Vespa but also at the hotel suite where the star stayed while filming Roman Holiday.
★★★★ JP
Best box set to watch on TV tonight
Versailles, BBC iPlayer
If there’s a Bridgerton-shaped hole in your viewing, try this drama which formerly aired on BBC2. It follows ‘Sun King’ Louis XIV’s elaborate plan to base his court at Versailles, complete with a new palace. ‘A king without a castle is no king at all,’ his late mother warns Louis in a feverish dream.
His ministers are aghast at being stuck in a ‘backwater’, not least because there’s always someone planning to kill Louis. You’ll have to concentrate at first as lots of the men look quite similar (a bit like the Cowardly Lion from The Wizard of Oz, which was obviously a look in 17th-century France) but thankfully George Blagden and Alexander Vlahos stand out as Louis and his brother Philippe. ★★★★ JP
Best film to watch on TV tonight
Ewan McGregor and Ethan Hawke join forces to play estranged half-brothers who reunite to bury their father in this poignant yet funny one-off drama from writer-director Rodrigo García. When strait-laced Raymond (McGregor) lands on the doorstep of his fiery, free-spirited sibling Ray (Hawke) to deliver the news that their cruel dad, Harris, is dead, the pair begrudgingly embark on a road trip to attend his funeral. But along the way, they encounter characters who sing Harris’s praises, including his ex-lover Lucia (Maribel Verdú) and nurse Kiera (Sophie Okonedo), making them wonder whether they really knew the old man at all. A tender tragicomedy, which delves into family grief.
★★★★ RM
Live Sport
- Rugby League World Cup: Australia v Scotland: (k-o 7.30 pm), ITV
Soaps on TV tonight
Emmerdale, 7:30 pm, ITV
Coronation Street, 8 pm, ITV
Hollyoaks, 6.30 pm, Channel 4
Home and Away, 6 pm, 6.30 pm, Channel 5
If you watch just one thing on TV tonight…
Don't miss Friday Night Live on Channel 4 — sounds like the evening will be packed full of laughs!
Not found anything you want to watch on TV tonight? Check out our TV Guide.
Happy viewing!
