TV Tonight: our highlights for Thursday, August 5

By Joanne Lowles
published

Undercover Big Boss is just one of the gems on TV tonight.

Multi-millionaire Alfie Best – the holiday-park king – goes undercover at his company.
Multi-millionaire Alfie Best – the holiday-park king – goes undercover at his company. (Image credit: ITV)

On TV tonight, multi-millionaire holiday-park boss Alfie Best stars in Undercover Big Boss on ITV, former Corrie-actor Suranne Jones is brilliant in I Am Victoria on C4 and Fern Britton tours her home county in My Cornwall on Channel 5. 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

Undercover Big Boss, 9pm, ITV

TV Tonight Alfie Best at Wyldecrest Parks in Essex.

Alfie Best at Wyldecrest Parks in Essex. (Image credit: ITV)

How would you feel to find out the new person shadowing you at work was actually the big boss, posing undercover to get the lowdown on the company? There are a few worried faces in this four-part series which sees executive bigwigs pretend to be lowly workers in order to expose failings in their business. It’s fun to watch multi-millionaire Alfie Best, the holiday-park king, pull pints and unblock the drains! The rewards are big for hard workers though, and maintenance man Julio may well bring a tear to your eye. 

★★★★ RF

I Am Victoria, 9pm, C4

TV Tonight Suranne Jones in I Am Victoria.

Suranne Jones in I Am Victoria. (Image credit: Channel 4)

Suranne Jones gives a raw performance of a woman on the edge of a breakdown in this opening episode of C4’s latest female-led I Am series. She plays Victoria, a mum-of-two who lives in a stunning house with loving husband Chris (Ashley Walters). But she’s buckling under the pressure of maintaining her perfect life, and unravels at a dinner party. A powerful, if uncomfortable watch… 

★★★★★ HD

My Cornwall with Fern Britton, 8pm, Channel 5

TV Tonight Fern Britton explores the county of Cornwall.

Fern Britton explores her home county of Cornwall. (Image credit: Channel 5)

Much-loved presenter and author Fern Britton presents a personal two-part journey around the coastal county where she enjoyed idyllic childhood holidays, and now calls home. Starting in Looe, Fern recreates some magical moments from her youth in the 1950s, including an exhilarating speedboat ride. There’s also a look into the history behind the Cornish rebellion against the English, and why the region provides particular inspiration to writers, including Fern herself. 

★★★★ JH

Best box set to watch on TV tonight

Clarkson's Farm, Amazon Prime Video

TV Tonight Jeremy Clarkson on his farm.

Jeremy Clarkson has a lot to learn about farming! (Image credit: Amazon Prime Video)

Jeremy Clarkson stays true to his acerbic, bolshie TV persona as this entertaining new eight part series tracks his progress getting to grips, (or not, as seems to be the case at first), with the 1,000-acre Cotswold farm where he lives. The opening episode sees him purchase a ludicrously huge Lamborghini tractor that he is clueless about operating, make a hash of ploughing some fields and get a severe telling-off from his new right hand man, young farmer Kaleb, who brings fun and youth to proceedings. Fans of Clarkson will enjoy it. Farmers will be rolling their eyes in despair!

★★★★ TL

Best film to watch on TV tonight

The Go-Between, 10pm, BBC4

This captivating, exquisite period drama, set in Norfolk in the early 1900s, has a marvellous script by the great Harold Pinter from LP Hartley's novel. Julie Christie is at her most charismatic as the beauty engaged to British aristocrat Edward Fox but in love with lowly farmer Alan Bates. Dominic Guard is the boy Christie entrusts as her go-between with love messages. 

Live Sport

  • Olympics 2020, from 6am, BBC1/BBC2/iPlayer/Red Button
  • Test Cricket, England v India, 10.15am, Sky Sports Main Event/NOW

Soaps on TV tonight

If you watch just one thing on TV tonight…

Don't miss Undercover Big Boss on TV tonight – good fun and a bit emotional too.

Not found anything you want to watch on TV tonight? Check out our TV Guide. 

Happy viewing!

Joanne Lowles
Joanne Lowles
Freelance writer and editor

Joanne Lowles has been writing about TV since 2002. After graduating from Cardiff University with a Postgraduate Diploma in Magazine Journalism, she worked for All About Soap magazine covering the ups and downs of life on the cobbles, the square and the Dales. 


Next came nearly 10 years at TV Times magazine as a writer and then deputy features editor. Here she spent many happy days interviewing the biggest names in entertainment and visiting the sets of some of our most popular shows including Downton Abbey, Call the Midwife and Strictly Come Dancing. 


With a love of nature and wildlife she’s also interviewed the leading experts in this area including David Attenborough, Chris Packham and Steve Backshall. She’s also travelled the world visiting Mongolia, Canada and South Africa to see how the best in the business make the most brilliant natural history documentaries. 


Freelance since 2013, she is now is a digital writer and editor for What to Watch, previews the best on the box for TV Times mag each week and loves being constantly surprised, entertained and informed by the amazing TV that she is lucky enough to watch.