On TV tonight, Happy Valley sees a dramatic and violent showdown, Vera investigates the suspicious death of a loving mother, Dancing on Ice sees some more daring routines, and Call the Midwife favourite Phyllis finds her career on the line. 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
Happy Valley, 9pm, BBC One
The Sally Wainwright drama continues to build to a sinister crescendo, as a clean-shaven Tommy Lee Royce (James Norton) is finally in court for Gary Gackowski’s murder. Knowing that Tommy wanted Ryan (Rhys Connah) to come to see him in the dock, Catherine (Sarah Lancashire) has a nagging feeling that the murderer and sex offender is secretly plotting his escape.
Meanwhile, the aftermath of drug-dealing pharmacist Faisal’s (Amit Shah) horrific crime has dark repercussions for controlling PE teacher Rob (Mark Stanley), and we’re also finally introduced to sharp-suited Calder Valley gangster Darius Knezevic (Alec Secareanu), as his link to Tommy unfolds in a dramatic and violent showdown…
★★★★ HD
Vera, 8 pm, ITV1
Unresolved grievances and corporate cover-ups are exposed when DCI Stanhope (Brenda Blethyn) investigates the suspicious death of a loving mother. When the body of Lisa Millworth (Charlotte Baker), a popular manager at a local green energy company, is found washed up on the shore of the River Tyne, Vera’s attention turns to her chequered past with her ex-husband, Adam (Kris Mochrie), who has recently returned to work at the same company as Lisa.
Meanwhile, her best friend, Joanne (Catherine Dryden), who was at a party with her on the night she died, also seems to have something to hide. Another intriguing case that will have you hunting along for clues!
★★★★ TL
Call the Midwife, 8 pm, BBC One
Steely but soft-hearted Nurse Crane ( the sublime Linda Bassett) is one of our all-time favourite residents of Nonnatus House, so we’re pretty disgruntled on the dedicated nurse’s behalf this week when she finds her career on the line after the snooty Board of Health has the brass neck to question whether she should be working past retirement age.
Can she save her job? Meanwhile, we don’t envy Trixie (Helen George) as she and Dr Turner (Stephen McGann) try to deal with a worrying outbreak of gastroenteritis at the maternity home, and elsewhere, the Buckles grow concerned because lovely Reggie (Daniel Laurie) is acting out of character…
★★★★★ CC
S.W.A.T., 9 pm, SKY MAX
A familiar face joins the cast of the US drama for season six when team leader Hondo (Shemar Moore) visits Thailand for a training exercise and meets up with ex-military pal, Joe, who is played by Grange Hill and EastEnders’ Sean Maguire. The old friends are taken captive when they target a drug-trafficking ring, and back in LA, the rest of the team desperately try to come up with a rescue plan.
★★★ RMC
The Warship: Tour of Duty, 9 pm, BBC Two
Prepare to climb aboard Britain’s largest warship as cameras accompany the 1,600-strong crew of HMS Queen Elizabeth when the £3.5 billion aircraft carrier prepares for its first tour of duty, a 20,000-mile round trip. Tonight’s opening episode in a six-part series features a royal send-off as well as a close encounter with a Russian intelligence ship.
However, the star of the show is chef Ronnie Lambert, whose cheerful spirit will be much-needed during a gruelling seven-month deployment. He says the Royal Navy saved him from a life of drugs, but he misses his daughter terribly, perfectly illustrating the dichotomy of life at sea.
★★★★ SMA
Dancing on Ice, 6.30 pm, ITV1
Expect more thrills and (hopefully not too many) spills, as the five remaining celebrities brave it out on the ice. It’s pretty impossible at this stage to know who’s going to be graceful and who’s going to be nursing bruises, but (at the time of going to press) we have high hopes for RuPaul’s Drag Race UK winner The Vivienne and West End star Carley Stenson. At 6ft 3in, ex-footballer John Fashanu may struggle to balance, and Corrie’s Mollie Gallagher and comedian Darren Harriott claim to be novices, so anything could happen – and probably will!
★★★★ RF
Best box set on TV tonight
Crossroads, ITVX
Ahead of ITVX’s much-anticipated drama Nolly, written by Russell T Davies and featuring Helena Bonham Carter as Crossroads star Noele Gordon, catch up with selected highlights from the famous long-running Midlands soap on ITVX and Britbox. These include various Christmas episodes, the Crossroads motel fire and its aftermath, and Meg’s wedding to Hugh Mortimer, which aired in 1975.
★★★ JP
Best film on TV tonight
Schindler's List, 10 pm, BBC Two
In German-occupied Poland during the Second World War, businessman and Nazi Party member Oskar Schindler is deeply affected when he witnesses the clearing of the Krakow Ghetto. He decides to try to save Jews destined for the concentration camps by employing them in his factory - an act of mercy made possible by a deal struck with a sadistic German commandant. Steven Spielberg's Oscar-winning drama, starring Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley and Ralph Fiennes.
LB
Live Sport
- Snooker: World Grand Prix, from 6:45 pm, ITV4
If you watch just one thing on TV tonight…
Don't miss Happy Valley on TV tonight... it's sure to be gripping stuff!
Not found anything you want to watch on TV tonight? Check out our TV Guide.
Happy viewing!
