On TV tonight, Helen Skelton and Jules Hudson return to Cannon Hall farm, ITV3 revisits the iconic Cracker, Trailblazers continues and Denise Van Outen checks out retailers Lidl and Aldi. 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
Winter on the Farm, 8 pm, Channel 5
Expect some new furry faces and plenty of festive fun when Helen Skelton and Jules Hudson return to South Yorkshire to host a week of live shows at Cannon Hall Farm. The pair will be catching up with the winter activities of resident farmers Rob and Dave Nicholson, who are welcoming a new reindeer to the farm, while The Yorkshire Vet stars Shona Searson and Matthew Jackson-Smith will also be on hand.
Presenters JB Gill and Dr Amir Khan are meeting people who have a passion for the great outdoors. Meanwhile, we’re looking forward to seeing what the adorable animals, including Jon Bon Pony and Gary the donkey, are getting up to!
★★★★ TL
Cracker, 10 pm, ITV3
From tonight, ITV3 is revisiting this multi-BAFTA-winning police drama starring Robbie Coltrane, who died in October. The series is nearly 30 years old, but it’s still a shock to see just how young everyone involved looks: Coltrane, who plays psychologist Fitz; Christopher Eccleston, the DCI who employs him to help ‘crack’ difficult cases; and, in this first story, Adrian Dunbar as a murder suspect claiming amnesia.
Among the guest stars are Robert Carlyle, Susan Lynch, Tim Healy and Jim Carter, while the writers include Jimmy McGovern (also the creator) and Paul Abbott. Continues all week.
★★★★ JP
Trailblazers: A Rocky Mountain Roadtrip, 9 pm, BBC Two
As Emily Atack, Mel B and Ruby Wax continue their American journey following in the footsteps of intrepid Victorian adventurer Isabella Bird, they head deeper into the Rocky Mountains. They start out in Central City, where the gold rush made a few prospectors very rich in the early 1900s, then visit the slopes of Aspen, beloved of today’s mega-rich.
This is a great twist on the celebrity travelogue, as Isabella’s story deserves retelling and our three modern-day trailblazers are good company – even if Mel and Emily tend to wander off while Ruby reads aloud from Isabella’s book. ‘There’ll be a test!’ she yells at their backs (and there is).
★★★★ JP
Secrets of the Middle Aisle at Christmas, 8 pm, Channel 4
Denise Van Outen checks out retailers Lidl and Aldi to see how they are competing with bigger-name stores during the run-up to Christmas. In these straitened times, are discount supermarkets and ‘middle aisles’ going to cash in more than usual as customers try to save money and forgo premium brands?
★★★ JP
Best box set on TV tonight
With Slow Horses season 2 airing on Apple TV from Friday, December 2, now is the perfect time to try (or reacquaint yourself) with the first instalment so you can catch up with the new episodes.
Season 1 of the celebrated crime drama follows a group of washed-up MI5 agents who have all made excruciating, career-ending mistakes. They end up in a grotty office block called Slough House, assigned to boring admin tasks instead.
With an all-star cast like Gary Oldman, Jack Lowden and Kristin Scott Thomas, the adaptation of Mick Herron's novel series is well worth a watch.
★★★★ LB
Best film on TV tonight
The Company You Keep, 11:15 pm, BBC Two
A respected lawyer is forced to go on the run when a reporter exposes the truth about him - he is really a member of a radical militant group wanted for questioning in a murder case, who has been living under a fake identity for 30 years. As the fugitive goes in search of his old allies for sanctuary, the reporter delves into his past and uncovers disturbing secrets. Thriller based on the novel by Neil Gordon, directed by and starring Robert Redford, with Shia LaBeouf, Julie Christie and Susan Sarandon.
★★★ LB
Soaps
- Hollyoaks, 6:30 pm, C4
Live Sport
- FIFA World Cup: Group E winners v Group F runners-up, 2:30 pm (Kick-off 3pm), BBC One, ITV
- FIFA World Cup: Group G winners v Group H runners-up, 6:15 pm (Kick-off 7.00pm), BBC One, ITV
If you watch just one thing on TV tonight…
Don't miss all the festive fun at Winter on the Farm!
Not found anything you want to watch on TV tonight? Check out our TV Guide.
Happy viewing!
