On TV tonight, comedians Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan go on a voyage of discovery as DNA Journey returns to ITV. A new series of Fantasy Football League arrives on Sky Max/Now and the brilliant Taskmaster returns to C4. Singer-songwriter Emeli Sandé is also looking into her past as My Grandparents' War continues on C4 and it's an emotional episode for Siegfried in All Creatures Great and Small 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, 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
DNA Journey, season 2, 9 pm, ITV
Fellow comics and good pals Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan are the first entertaining pair to delve into their respective roots as the fascinating genealogy show returns. Poor Rob’s fears that his ancestors might be ‘wrong’uns’ sadly appear to be justified, but he also learns about a heroic relation and a distant cousin who is Britain’s Strongest Man. Meanwhile, when Romesh discovers he comes from a long line of Sri Lankan holistic doctors and also meets a talented cousin who speaks four languages, he frets that his no-nonsense mother, Shanthi, will keep badgering him about his own very different life choices!
★★★★ CC
Fantasy Football League, 10 pm, Sky Max/NOW
A generation of football fans grew up watching Frank Skinner and David Baddiel poke fun at the beautiful game in Fantasy Football League during the 1990s. And now the hit show is heading back to TV screens. Comedians Matt Lucas and Elis James take their place on the sofa for the new 16-part series which features a host of celebrity guest managers – this week it’s Russell Howard and Sally Lindsay – chatting about their fantasy teams, while stand-up comic Andrew Mensah shares highlights from the week’s matches.
★★★ RMC
Taskmaster, season 14, 9 pm, C4
Greg Davies is back to preside over the 14th series of the BAFTA-winning show, with series creator "Little" Alex Horne once again setting the ridiculous challenges for a new bunch of comedians. This time, Dara Ó Briain, Sarah Millican, Fern Brady, John Kearns and Munya Chawawa are competing to become Taskmaster champion and follow in the footsteps of most recent winner Sophie Duker. But how will these gladiators fare when confronted with tasks involving fish and frozen peas?
★★★★ IM
My Grandparents' War, season 2, 8 pm, C4
Singer-songwriter Emeli Sandé learns how both her grandfathers were involved in violent struggles in Africa during the 1950s and 1960s – one tasked with preserving the British Empire; the other trying to overthrow it. She discovers that her paternal grandfather, Saka, fought for Zambia’s independence, while her maternal grandfather, Bob, was part of the British Army tasked with quashing Kenya’s Mau Mau uprising. Shockingly, she learns that Bob was even instructed to shoot his family if the Mau Mau got into the British Army base, as it was preferable to being captured! An emotional journey into colonialism’s rocky past…
★★★★ HD
All Creatures Great and Small, season 3, 9 pm, Channel 5
Siegfried is one of the most short-tempered characters on TV, but that’s exactly why we love him, especially since we know that, deep down, he has a heart of gold. This week, in a beautifully sensitive performance by Samuel West, we get more tantalising glimpses of what makes the eccentric curmudgeon tick. After receiving unsettling news about an old friend, which leads him to lash out even more than usual at his loved ones, the terse head vet tries to work out what is wrong with a jittery racehorse, River. But the emotional case brings back memories of a dark time in Siegfried’s own past…
★★★★★ CC
Best box set to watch on TV tonight
Crossfire, BBC iPlayer
Keeley Hawes takes on dangerous masked gunmen in this intense three-part action thriller, which is so nail-biting that you may need a pillow to hide behind! She stars as mum Jo, who’s on a luxury Canary Islands holiday with her kids, husband Jason and their best friends when shots ring out by the resort’s pool, turning their world upside down. As ex-copper Jo bravely decides to take on the snipers, it transpires that she’s also hiding a terrible secret, which is set to tear the lives of her loved ones apart. The top cast also includes The A Word’s Lee Ingleby, The Bay’s Daniel Ryan and Line of Duty’s Anneika Rose, but don’t expect all their characters to survive…
Best film to watch on TV tonight
The Hurt Locker, 9 pm, BBC Four
Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman to win a Best Director Oscar with this gripping Iraq War drama. There are cameos by Guy Pearce and Ralph Fiennes, but Jeremy Renner takes the lead as a fearless bomb-disposal expert in 2004 Iraq. Bigelow plunges us into the heat and dust of Baghdad as characters puzzle over the latest improvised bomb. It is heart-stopping to watch, but impossible to look away.
Live Sport
- PGA Tour Golf, The Sanderson Farms Championship, 8.30 pm, Sky Sports Main Event/NOW
Soaps on TV tonight
- EastEnders, 7.30 pm, BBC One
- Emmerdale, 7.30 pm, ITV
- Hollyoaks, 6 pm, C4
- Home and Away, 6 pm & 6.30 pm, 5Star
If you watch just one thing on TV tonight…
Don't miss DNA Journey on TV tonight — Romesh and Rob are great fun and have fascinating histories to share.
Not found anything you want to watch on TV tonight? Check out our TV Guide.
Happy viewing!
