On TV tonight, Britain's Got Talent starts a week of daily live shows as the semi-finals get underway on ITV. On BBC Two join in the celebration of nature as Springwatch returns, Channel 5 has an intriguing documentary, Flight MH370: The Vanishing and Silent Witness continues on BBC One. Jenny Eclair hosts a second series of the art contest Drawers Off: The Big Naked Painting Challenge and Aussie crime drama Dead Lucky is on Acorn TV. Here’s what you shouldn’t miss on TV tonight.
- Our hand selected recommendations for what's on TV tonight include six 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
Britain's Got Talent, 8pm, ITV
The live semi-finals begin with the contestants, including the five golden buzzer performers, singer Loren Allred, comedian Axel Blake, dance group Born to Perform, magician Keiichi Iwasaki and rap duo Flintz & T4ylor, taking to the stage once more in the hope of impressing the judges and going through to Sunday's grand final. The first eight acts perform tonight, with the action continuing every night this week.
★★★★ JL
Springwatch, 8pm, BBC Two
Get ready to experience the highs and lows of peak breeding season as Chris Packham and the gang return with more heart-warming wildlife stories. Coming to us live from the show’s HQ, Wild Ken Hall in Norfolk, Chris and Michaela Strachan will be celebrating all creatures great and small, with an extra 30 cameras trained on birds’ nests, hoping to catch those joyous first moments of chicks hatching. Meanwhile, Iolo Williams is on the Isle of Mull, checking out the golden and white-tailed eagle population, while Megan McCubbin’s northern road trip involves a magical tale of colourful puffins.
★★★★ RF
Flight MH370: The Vanishing, 9pm, Channel 5
The disappearance of flight MH370, which vanished into thin air on 8 March 2014, remains one of the aviation mysteries of the modern era. For the families of the 239 people on board the lack of answers brings fresh heartbreak every day. This three-part series documents the mystery over the past eight years, from the wild theories about what happened to the searches that proved fruitless. Featuring the families of the missing passengers plus the experts involved in the case and those determined to find the plane, we see how those embroiled in the mystery have vowed never to give up until they get answers. Continues until Wednesday.
★★★★★ NH
Silent Witness, season 25, 9pm, BBC One
As the return of Sam Ryan story bubbles away in the background, tonight’s episode introduces a new case when a blood-stained mother-of-two turns herself in at a police station, saying that she’s stabbed her husband to death. Familiar as a regular on Victoria Wood’s Acorn Antiques, Duncan Preston guest stars as DI Johnny Campbell, an expert in finding missing children, for whom this will be his last case before retirement. For Simone, his presence stirs up memories of a trauma in her own family history – the disappearance of her sister when Simone was a seven-year-old – as secrets and lies come to light in cases both present and past.
★★★★ IM
Drawers Off: The Big Naked Painting Challenge, 5.30pm, C4
Jenny Eclair returns with a second series of the art contest, which sees five amateur artists pit their life-drawing skills against one another. Each painter will endeavour to capture a true likeness of their professional life model. At the end of the sitting, the portraits are exhibited for their rivals to score. The person with the most points will go through to the winners’ gallery, and, on Friday, the contestants will vote for their favourite work of art, with the winner taking home a cash prize. Continues until Friday.
★★★ MC
Dead Lucky, Acorn TV
Six Feet Under’s Rachel Griffiths stars as Grace Gibbs, an Australian detective hunting a notorious cop-killer, Corey Baxter. Grace still feels guilty about the murder of a uniformed police officer at Baxter’s hands, while Grace’s junior detective, Charlie Fung, blames her for the death of his best friend. Grace has been ordered to undergo anger management sessions by her sexist boss, but when a young woman goes missing, she and Charlie are reluctantly thrown together to catch the killer – and rebuild their lives.
★★★★ RMC
Best box set to watch on TV tonight
Stranger Things, season 4 (part 1), Netflix
The much-loved series makes the shift from the nostalgic 1980s supernatural smash to full-blown horror as it returns for its much-anticipated fourth series (part one’s eight episodes are available from Friday, May 27; part two from July 1). Three years in the making, the penultimate chapter begins with a now powerless Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) in California with the Byers clan, while her pals back home head to high school in Hawkins. The show’s creators have promised lots of answers, as we delve deeper into the parallel world of the Upside Down, and there’s also a terrifying new monster on the prowl, played by Nightmare on Elm Street’s Robert Englund.
Best film to watch on TV today
The Art of Racing in the Rain, 6.50pm, Film4
The tale of aspiring racing driver Milo Ventimiglia and his relationship with a golden retriever (voiced by a gravel-chewing Kevin Costner), his life companion who narrates their story, which takes in joy (marrying Amanda Seyfried) before handling tragedy and its aftermath. A film for dog lovers who need a spoonful of syrup to help the melodrama go down.
Live Sport
- Netball Superleague, Manchester Thunder vs Loughborough Lightning, 6.30pm (centre-pass 7pm), Sky Sports Main Event/NOW
Soaps on TV tonight
- EastEnders, 7.30pm, BBC One
- Emmerdale, 7pm, ITV
- Coronation Street, 7.30pm, ITV
- Hollyoaks, 6.30pm, C4
- Neighbours, 6pm, Channel 5
- Home and Away, 6pm & 6.30pm, 5Star
If you watch just one thing on TV tonight…
Don't miss Britain's Got Talent on TV tonight – the first live semi-final kicks off with eight acts all hoping to impress.
Not found anything you want to watch on TV tonight? Check out our TV Guide.
Happy viewing!
