On TV tonight, it's a great night for new drama as season 2 of thrilling series The Capture begins on BBC One and the new Adrian Dunbar drama Ridley kicks off on ITV. Also, it's the final of Alan Carr's Adventures with Agatha Christie on More4 and there's a musical tribute to the late Caroline Flack in Flackstock on Sky Max/NOW. Here's what you shouldn't miss on TV tonight.
- Our hand selected recommendations for what's on TV tonight include four 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 Capture, season 2, 9 pm, BBC One
The classy surveillance drama returns with Holliday Grainger once again starring as ruthless cop Rachel Carey, now working in the decidedly iffy ‘Correction’ unit, despite her suspicions in the last series about its ‘deepfake’ activities… Although her superior is trying to sideline her, an increasingly jittery Carey becomes intrigued by a murder case that seems to be linked to China as well as charismatic Security Minister Isaac Turner (a scene-stealing turn from The Lazarus Project’s Paapa Essiedu). With several jump-out-of-your-skin moments, you won’t have any fingernails left by the end of this opener! Continues tomorrow.
★★★★★ CC
Ridley, 8 pm, ITV
Line of Duty favourite Adrian Dunbar stars in this new crime drama about an ex-cop who helps out his former protégée DI Carol Farman (The Fall’s Bronagh Waugh) when a crime she is investigating turns out to be linked to an unsolved cold case. There’s a Scandi-noir look and feel to it, with dramatic northern landscapes, Ridley’s past trauma and Farman’s knitwear, and the investigation of both cases leads to a satisfyingly unexpected conclusion. The subplot about Ridley’s co-ownership of a jazz club, where he performs at the end of this first case, may strike a bum note with some, but Dunbar and Waugh make a great team.
★★★ IM
Alan Carr's Adventures with Agatha Christie, 9 pm, More4
Alan’s capers come to an end as he investigates the secrets of possibly Christie’s best-loved creation, Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. This leads to the moment we’ve all been waiting for – Alan dressing up in an original suit from the Poirot TV adaptations and going in search of the perfect moustache. After testing his nose for justice at an immersive performance of Witness for the Prosecution, Alan puts everything he’s learnt to the test at a murder-mystery evening…
★★★★ SP
Flackstock, 7.30 pm, Sky Max/NOW
Love Island presenter Caroline Flack tragically took her own life in 2020, aged just 40. Earlier this summer, Caroline’s family and friends organised a one-off festival of music and comedy to celebrate her life, boost awareness of mental-health issues and raise money for charities that were close to her heart. The star-studded line-up includes Fleur East, Joel Dommett, Natalie Imbruglia, Pixie Lott, Dermot O’Leary and Louise Redknapp.
★★★★ JPM
Best box set to watch on TV tonight
The Capture, season 1, BBC iPlayer
Season 2 of this clever and twisty surveillance thriller begins tonight (see our pick of the day) on BBC One, but you can catch up with the first six-part series, which initially aired in 2019, on the iPlayer. The lead in both seasons is the brilliant Holliday Grainger who plays Rachel Carey, an ambitious and determined police officer who in this first series thinks she is in control of her investigation about a possibly violent former soldier. But can she really believe everything she sees and is there a bigger and more sinister game at play that is hampering her attempts to get to the truth? Also starring Callum Turner as ex-soldier Shaun Emery and Ben Miles as Commander Danny Hart.
Best film to watch on TV tonight
The French Connection, 9 pm, Talking Pictures TV
This brilliant crime thriller won five Oscars, including Best Actor for Gene Hackman as detective ‘Popeye’ Doyle. Roy Scheider as his sidekick matches Hackman scene for scene as they try to bust a huge drug-smuggling racket. Hackman spent weeks with the real ‘Popeye’, Eddie Egan, learning how a New York cop works, and did all his own dangerous driving in the film’s famous eye-popping chase sequence.
Live Sport
- F1: The Belgian Grand Prix, 12.30 pm (start time 2 pm), Sky Sports F1
- Premier League, Nottingham Forest vs Tottenham Hotspur, 4 pm (k-o 4.30 pm), Sky Sports Main Event/NOW
If you watch just one thing on TV tonight…
Don't miss The Capture on TV tonight — get ready for another series of this brilliant and thrilling drama.
Not found anything you want to watch on TV tonight? Check out our TV Guide.
Happy viewing!
