TV tonight: Our highlights for Tuesday, May 9, 2023

(Image credit: BBC)

On TV tonight, the first acts take to the stage for Eurovision 2023's first Semi-Final, Mad Women gives us an insight into some of the hard-working women in the advertising industry, Gregg Wallace is back Inside the Factory and The Big Steam Adventure continues. 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

Eurovision 2023: Semi-Final 1, 8 pm, BBC One/ iPlayer

Good evening, Europe! For the first time since 1998, the UK hosts the Eurovision Song Contest – on behalf of last year’s winners Ukraine. The semi-finals have been promoted from BBC Three to BBC One, where our hosts are BGT judge Alesha Dixon, Ted Lasso star Hannah Waddingham and Ukrainian singer Julia Sanina. Tonight’s opener is competitive and features fan favourites Loreen from Sweden and Käärijä from Finland – but be sure to come back on Thursday (8 pm, BBC One) for the surreal but catchy entry from Austria’s Teya & Salena…

★★★★★ SP

Mad Women, 10 pm, Channel 4

The award-winning drama Mad Men gave us an idea of how hard women in advertising have had to fight for recognition. This documentary celebrates their role in some of the UK’s biggest campaigns, from Shake n’ Vac to Flake. A prime example is the 1985 Levi’s commercial that saw Nick Kamen strip to his boxers in a launderette to Marvin Gaye’s I Heard It Through the Grapevine. With input from copywriter Barbara Nokes, the ad set pulses racing and turned Levi’s fortunes around, with sales of their 501 jeans shooting up 800%!

★★★ HD

Inside the Factory, 8 pm, BBC Two

Gregg Wallace in the Polo factory in York for Inside the Factory — (Image credit: BBC/Voltage TV)

Gregg Wallace is at the Nestlé factory, York, to see how Polo mints are made – 32 million are produced here every day. Cherry Healey, meanwhile, is at a peppermint farm to find out how the super-strength oil is extracted from the leaves, while Ruth Goodman discovers the unappetising marketing behind the first minty mouthwash. Polos are, of course, known for one particular thing, and Gregg spends a lot of the process asking if the holes will be put in soon, in a sort of ‘Are we there yet?’ way. You’ll have to watch to see how it’s actually done – and also to find out why a mint is like a brick wall…

★★★ JP

The Big Steam Adventure, 9 pm, Channel 5

Comfort viewing of the finest sort, as broadcaster John Sergeant, actor Peter Davison and steam nut Piglet (aka Paul Middleton) continue their steam-powered journey from London to Scotland. In between stopping for snacks, lunch and the odd bottle of wine, this week they’re attempting the stretch between York and Whitby in a river launch, a steam car, Piglet’s own steam tram and finally a massive F9 steam locomotive, one of the most powerful ever built in this country. Through it all – the ferocious furnaces, the Yorkshire rain, that moment when the 114-year-old Stanley car starts rolling backwards down a hill – it’s the banter between the three guys that makes this so highly enjoyable.

★★★★ SM

Best box set on TV tonight

Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, Netflix

India Amarteifio as Young Queen Charlotte in Queen Charlotte: A Bridgeron Story — (Image credit: Liam Daniel/Netflix)

We’ve all fallen in love with the scurrilous court gossip of Bridgerton in recent years, and now we get a chance to find out how the colourful and competitive world of ‘the Ton’ came to be in this six-part spin-off. Set decades before the main drama, this prequel tells the story of the 17-year-old Queen Charlotte (India Amarteifio) and her bittersweet romance with husband King George III (Corey Mylchreest). It’s an intimate glimpse into a lavish world and unmissable viewing for Bridgerton fans.

SMA

Best film on TV tonight

Downton Abbey, 8 pm, ITV3

In 1927, Buckingham Palace informs Robert and Cora Crawley, the Earl and Countess of Grantham, that George V and Queen Mary will visit Downton Abbey during a royal tour through Yorkshire. The occasion soon unleashes scandal, romance and intrigue - leaving the future of Downton hanging in the balance. Director Michael Engler's drama based on the TV series, starring Hugh Bonneville, Michelle Dockery and Maggie Smith.