On TV tonight, The English continues, Bobby Robson is celebrated in a special documentary, we head to the Moth Club for some comedy, and The Noel Diary arrives on Netflix. 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
The English, 9 pm, BBC Two
Cattle baron and English gentleman Thomas Trafford (Tom Hughes) gets more than he bargained for when he tries to replenish his slaughtered cattle stock by ‘legally’ taking a herd belonging to Powder River local Martha Myers. The feisty cowgirl puts up quite a fight, determined to protect her livelihood, but can a woman in the Wild West beat the boys? Judging by her right hook, they’d do well not to underestimate her! Meanwhile, Sheriff Robert Marshall (the brilliant Stephen Rea) makes a grim discovery while investigating the mysterious death of ex-cavalry soldier Timothy Flynn (Miguel Alvarez). Gripping, if gory, stuff..
★★★★ RF
Bobby Robson: More than a Manager, 9 pm, ITV Four
As the World Cup begins this week, one of England’s most successful managers – Bobby Robson took a squad including Gary Lineker and Paul Gascoigne to the semi- finals of Italia 90 – is remembered in this 2018 film. Lineker and Gascoigne are contributors, as well as José Mourinho, Robson’s assistant at Barcelona, and Pep Guardiola, who found him to be inspirational when he played under him at the Nou Camp.
★★★★ JP
Live at the Moth Club, 10 pm, Dave
Do you remember Peter Kay’s brilliant 2001 comedy Phoenix Nights? Wait, don’t get too excited, this isn’t that good but it’s still pretty funny and, like that series, it’s a sort of mockumentary set in a club, with the disparate staff as the main characters. Mark Heap is owner George, while the rest of the cast includes a Stath Lets Flats reunion, with Ellie White and Natasia Demetriou as the PR team Zebedee and Cress and Kiell Smith-Bynoe as Denzel the bar manager. Unlike Phoenix Nights, though, the stand-up sets are real, and this week include Jon Pointing (who played Danny in C4’s Big Boys), Sam Campbell and panel-show regular Phil Wang.
★★★★ JP
Mrs Brown & Quarter, film-double bill from 9pm, BBC Four
It’s Billy Connolly’s 80th birthday today, so we’ll be toasting him with a cup of tea and a biscuit while watching this double bill featuring the much-loved musician and comedian who also has a very respectable roster of acting roles. He was BAFTA-nominated for Mrs Brown (9pm), the 1997 drama in which he played Balmoral ghillie John Brown to Judi Dench’s Queen Victoria. In Quartet (10.40pm), Billy stars alongside Maggie Smith and Tom Courtenay in a comedy-drama directed by Dustin Hoffman about a home for retired opera singers. You can see one of his very first acting roles, in a Play for Today, on Wednesday (11.30pm) on BBC4 or iPlayer if you missed it.
★★★★ JP
Best box set on TV tonight
1899 is the latest series by Dark creators Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese. Their newest offering is an enigmatic show that will have viewers question what is going on at every turn of its eight-episode first season, so it's perfect for those looking for a twisty new thriller to entertain them over the weekend.
All eight episodes are now available to stream on Netflix and feature a great cast including The Pursuit of Love's Emily Beecham and It’s for Your Own Good's Andreas Pietschmann.
★★★★ LB
Best film on TV tonight
The Noel Diary, Netflix
In this festive romcom, Justin Hartley (This Is Us’ Kevin) plays novelist Jacob, who returns home at Christmas after his mother dies, to sort through the house and to confront his past. It’s the first time Jacob has been back in nearly 20 years and while going through some papers, he discovers an intriguing diary left by ‘Noel’, who seems to have stayed with the family for a while. Then Jacob has an unexpected visitor, a woman seeking answers about her own past as she looks for the mother who put her up for adoption 30 years before. As she and Jacob search for Noel, will they each find what they are looking for?
★★★★ NC
Soaps
- EastEnders, 7.30 pm, BBC Two
- Emmerdale, 7 pm, ITV
- Coronation Street, 8 pm, ITV
- Hollyoaks, 6.30 pm, Channel 4
- Home and Away is on a Christmas break
Live Sport
- FIFA World Cup: Switzerland v Cameroon, 9am (Kick-off 10.00am), ITV
- FIFA World Cup: Uruguay v South Korea, 12:45 pm (k-o 1.00 pm), BBC One
- FIFA World Cup: Brazil v Serbia, 6:30 pm (k-o 7.00 pm), BBC One
If you watch just one thing on TV tonight…
Don't miss your weekly dose of The English for more gripping drama!
Not found anything you want to watch on TV tonight? Check out our TV Guide.
Happy viewing!
