On TV tonight, Michelle Obama's latest book gets the Netflix treatment as The Light We Carry arrives on the platform, Gregg Wallace heads inside the Heck sausage factory in Yorkshire, and Interior Design Masters crowns its latest winner. Plus, The Yorkshire Vet returns for its 16th series, and John Sergeant and co. set off for The Big Steam Adventure. 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 Light We Carry: Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey, Netflix
After the success of her multimillion-selling memoir Becoming, former First Lady Michelle Obama made a Netflix film of the same name. Now her book The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times, in which she shares life lessons learned, also gets the Netflix treatment. This time, it’s in the form of a conversation with Obama’s good friend Oprah Winfrey, as part of the book tour, with the two talking about their lives, the importance of self-confidence and how they deal with change.
★★★★ JP
The Yorkshire Vet, 8 pm, Channel 5
A welcome return for this much-loved show, and as series 16 gets under way, it’s clear The Yorkshire Vet has got something in common with the animals it treats – it’s got legs. Actually, that’s not entirely true in the case of the snake belonging to Matt Smith, which has gone walkabout (slither-about?) in his car while he was off dealing with a ewe having lambing trouble! Sticking with the more traditional country animal, Peter Wright and Shona Shearson are tangling with some troublesome donkeys at the farm of regulars Steve and Jean Green. And Julian Norton is operating on a French bulldog that’s hurt his leg. He’s only got three to start with, so Julian needs to be extremely cautious.
★★★★ SM
Inside the Factory, 8 pm, BBC Two
Have you ever wondered what’s in a vegan sausage? Gregg Wallace heads to the Heck sausage factory in North Yorkshire, where Heck’s ‘sausage scientists’ turn out 26.5 million vegan sausages a year on an entirely meat-free production line. The bangers are a mix of chickpeas, seeds, mushrooms, loads of veggies and herbs, and Gregg, as usual, gets stuck in at the sharp end. His verdict when it comes to trying one? ‘Wow – I love my job.’ Meanwhile, Cherry Healey discovers all there is to know about seaweed, one of the sausage’s vital ingredients. And Ruth Goodman learns about the rise and rise of the meat-free diet.
★★★ SM
The Big Steam Adventure, 9 pm, Channel 5
Anyone on the lookout for some escapist TV could do a lot worse than join John Sergeant and his travelling companions as they attempt to travel from London to Scotland entirely by steam. John is accompanied by All Creatures Great and Small’s Peter Davison, and also along for the ride is North Yorkshire Moors Railway’s Piglet (as Paul Middleton is affectionately known), who actually understands how steam engines work – handy. This week, it’s up the River Thames on a steam tug, then through the capital’s rush hour in a 1909 Stanley steam car (looks like a lot of fun), before climbing on board a steam train. Fan-steaming-tastic!
★★★★ SM
Interior Design Masters with Alan Carr, 8 pm, BBC One/iPlayer (box set)
There are just two designers left as the contest hits its final. And with the prize of a contract to redesign a swish cocktail bar up for grabs, this week’s challenge is appropriate. In the red corner a gastropub in need of a rebrand. And in the blue corner, a watering hole where a hip crowd gather. After, in Alan’s words, ‘seven gruelling weeks’, have the contenders got anything left in the tank? Michelle Ogundehin gets judging help from Abigail Ahern and Nisha Katona.
★★★ SM
Best box set on TV tonight
The always-excellent Keri Russell stars as Kate Wyler, the newly appointed US Ambassador to the United Kingdom, who was hoping to be sent to Afghanistan rather than London. But as threats of war bubble over across the world, Kate has to make do with the UK, where she defuses international crises, forges strategic alliances, and adjusts to her new life and career.
Making everything harder is Kate’s need to balance the grandeur and majesty of working with heads of state with surviving her long-term marriage to fellow career diplomat and political star Hal Wyler (Rufus Sewell). The political thriller also stars Brits David Gyasi and Rory Kinnear, while Celia Imrie makes a guest appearance.
NC
Best film on TV tonight
Octopussy, 9 pm, ITV4
James Bond investigates the mysterious death of a British agent in East Berlin, a mission that leads him to a glamorous, international jewel thief. He discovers one of her criminal cohorts, an Indian gangster, is in league with a crazed Soviet general who plans to heat up the Cold War by detonating a nuclear bomb in an American Air Force base. Spy adventure, with Roger Moore, Maud Adams, Steven Berkoff and Louis Jourdan.
Soaps
- EastEnders, 7.30 pm, BBC One
- Emmerdale, 7.30 pm, ITV1
- Hollyoaks, 6.30 pm, Channel 4
- Home and Away, 6 pm, 5Star
Live Sport
- Premier League: Lees United v Leicester City, 7 pm (k-o 8 pm), BT Sport 1
- EFL: Blackburn Rovers v Burnley, 7.30 pm (k-o 8 pm), Sky Sports Main Event
- Snooker World Championship, 7 pm, BBC Two (8 pm on BBC Four)
If you watch just one thing on TV tonight…
Don't miss The Light We Carry on TV tonight.
Not found anything you want to watch on TV tonight? Check out our TV Guide.
Happy viewing!
