Happy New Year! On TV tonight, get ready to start shouting, "take it off!" at your TV screens as The Masked Singer returns to ITV. On BBC1 a thrilling new drama begins, The Tourist, starring Jamie Dornan and there's a New Year special of Doctor Who featuring a very well-known foe. 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
The Masked Singer UK, season 3, 7pm, ITV
Let the masked madness begin again! Joel Dommett is back with 12 new secret celebrities inside fantastical costumes, hoping to follow in the footsteps of Queen Bee (Nicola Roberts) and Sausage (Joss Stone) to become Masked Singer champion. Six of the group – Chandelier, Firework, Lionfish, Robobunny, Doughnuts and Mushroom – perform for the first time tonight, as celebrity detectives Davina McCall, Jonathan Ross, Rita Ora and Mo Gilligan attempt to deduce their true identities. You won’t have to wait long for the others to make their debut, either; the show returns tomorrow (7.30pm) with Bagpipes, Rockhopper, Poodle, Panda, Snow Leopard and Traffic Cone.
★★★★★ SP
The Tourist, 9pm, BBC1
A fraught thriller, this grabs you from the start with a stunning chase through the Australian Outback as a car is pursued by a truck before crashing. Jamie Dornan is terrific as the car’s driver, who survives, but has no memory of who he is... As he tries to uncover his past and learn why he is being hounded, an endearingly gauche rookie cop (Danielle Macdonald) assists him. With delicious black humour and epic twists, this will keep us glued to our sofas for the next few weeks! Continues tomorrow.
★★★★ CC
Doctor Who, 7pm, BBC1
They’ve survived the Flux, but it would be foolish of us to assume that the Doctor, Yaz and Dan get to spend the festive season in peace. In this New Year special (the first of three scheduled for 2022, with the third marking Jodie Whittaker’s final appearance as the Doctor), the trio encounter Sarah (Aisling Bea), who runs ELF Storage, and Nick (Adjani Salmon), a regular customer who visits every New Year’s Eve. They’re expecting an ordinary evening, but it turns out to be quite the opposite when a time loop causes chaos and the Daleks descend…
★★★★ SP
Best box set to watch on TV tonight
Cobra Kai, season 4, Netflix
Long-time martial-arts rivals Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) will need to bury their differences for good when The Karate Kid spin-off series returns for a fourth season. It’s the only way they will be able to stop ruthless sensei John Kreese (Martin Kove), aided by his old Vietnam war buddy Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith), from winning LA’s All Valley Karate Tournament. The stakes are particularly high this year – the losers will have to leave the area for good. But can Daniel and Johnny really bring themselves to bury the hatchet?
Best film to watch on TV tonight
Being the Ricardos, Prime Video
In this stylish feature film written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem play Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, stars of US 1950s sitcom I Love Lucy. Going behind the scenes of the classic show, it tells the story of the real-life couple’s complex relationship, under the threat of a political smear, prejudice, and accusations of infidelity. All told, it soon becomes clear that their marriage off-screen is nothing like their marriage in the show. A fascinating look at American TV royalty.
Live Sport
- Premier League, Arsenal v Manchester City, 11.30am (k-o 12.30pm), BT Sport 1
- Premier League, Crystal Palace v West Ham United, 5pm (k-o 5.30pm), Sky Sports Main Event/NOW
- World Darts Championships, 7.45pm, Sky Sports Main Event/NOW
If you watch just one thing on TV tonight…
Don't miss The Masked Singer on TV tonight – who is hiding beneath the mask!?
Not found anything you want to watch on TV tonight? Check out our TV Guide.
Happy viewing!
