On TV tonight, crime-solving duo McDonald & Dodds return for a third season on ITV, tense new drama Suspect begins on C4, while documentary Glastonbury: 50 Years and Counting is on BBC Two. As The Outlaws continues on BBC One, take to the high seas as new travelogue The Cruise begins on Channel 5. Here’s what you shouldn’t miss on TV tonight.
- Our hand selected recommendations for what's on TV tonight include five TV shows, a film 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
McDonald & Dobbs, season 3, 8pm, ITV
DCI McDonald (Tala Gouveia) and DS Dodds (Jason Watkins) return for a third season and this time, the unlikely duo are faced with the baffling murder of a young woman who is discovered in a deckchair, in the middle of a busy park, with a huge smile still on her face. But no one saw her killer. Former Coronation Street star Catherine Tyldesley guest stars as a single mum with something to hide, while Alan Davies is a linguistics professor living in a luxurious mansion with his whip-sharp but waspish old mother. Can McDonald and Dodds work out how the victim met such a peaceful yet untimely end?
★★★★ NH
Suspect, 9pm, C4
James Nesbitt leads an all-star cast in this compelling new crime thriller. Showing as double-bills every night until Wednesday, the eight-part series sees the Bloodlands actor play veteran detective Danny Frater who, while carrying out a routine ID check in a hospital mortuary, discovers the young woman on the slab is his estranged daughter, Christina. Each 30-minute episode features a tour de force between James and another well-known actor – co-stars include Joely Richardson, Anne-Marie Duff, Richard E Grant and Ben Miller – as Danny grills those who may know how Christina died. A gripping watch!
★★★★ VW
Glastonbury: 50 Years and Counting, 9pm, BBC Two
It’s been more than half a century since the very first Glastonbury Festival and acclaimed director Francis Whately tells the event’s story in this sprawling film that encapsulates a British institution like no other. As organiser Michael Eavis and his daughter Emily share their memories amid a kaleidoscope of archive footage, the director also attempts to explain what Glastonbury means to the revellers and musicians who brave the mud year after year. It’s a winding road that takes us from dystopia to utopia and everywhere in between, but the music makes it worth the ride.
★★★★ SMA
The Outlaws, season 2, 9pm, BBC One
The gang are finding their feet in the world of drug dealing and money is coming in left, right and centre so they need to recruit more runners, but they soon regret their decision when a deal involving Greg’s (Stephen Merchant) irksome colleague Spencer goes spectacularly wrong and attracts the attention of the police. Meanwhile, blissfully unaware of what her community payback pals are up to, the ever-fabulous Lady Gabby is on a mission to save the community centre they’ve renovated from developers, but the press attention that she and her campaign receive is not exactly what she imagined…
★★★★ CC
The Cruise, 9pm, Channel 5
Sheridan Smith narrates this fly-on-the-wall documentary on board Virgin Voyages new ‘no kids’ ships, Scarlet Lady and Valiant. Sheridan steers us through the embarkation process in Miami as the 1000-strong crew of Scarlet Lady get set to welcome passengers. Captain Giovanni, however, has concerns about a storm brewing, while second Captain Georgia is planning a big surprise...
★★★★ MC
Best box set to watch on TV tonight
The Lazarus Project, Sky Box Sets/NOW
Giri/Haji creator Joe Barton offers up a fast-paced new entry into the sci-fi canon with this eight-part series, as George (I May Destroy You’s Paapa Essiedu) gets recruited into a top-secret organisation with the power to reset time if humanity is threatened with extinction. At first, he’s delighted with his new superhero-esque gig, but then he’s struck by a personal tragedy – which he isn’t allowed to undo. This excellent thriller deploys moral dilemmas and high-octane chase scenes, and it boasts a cracking ensemble cast which includes Caroline Quentin.
Best film to watch on TV today
The Electrical Life of Louis Wain, 8pm, Sky Cinema/NOW
Benedict Cumberbatch is wonderful as Victorian painter Wain, who shocked society when he married his family governess Emily Richardson (Claire Foy). They live out a bucolic life, taking in stray cats – something that was unheard of at the time. As tragedy strikes, Wain becomes besotted with his feline companions and makes anthropomorphic paintings of them, which become a huge success. This doesn’t shy away from difficult subjects, but rather reframes them in interesting ways.
Live Sport
- Tennis: Queen's, 1.15pm, BBC One
- US Open Golf, 2pm & 9pm, Sky Sports Main Event/NOW
- Formula 1, The Canadian Grand Prix, 6.30pm (start-time 7pm), Sky Sports Main Event/NOW
If you watch just one thing on TV tonight…
Don't miss McDonald & Dodds on TV tonight – an intriguing case for the crime-solving duo kicks off the new season.
Not found anything you want to watch on TV tonight? Check out our TV Guide.
Happy viewing!
