TV Tonight: our highlights for Tuesday, Nov. 2

Joe Lycett finds a particularly interesting ancestor.
Joe Lycett finds a particularly interesting ancestor. (Image credit: BBC)

On TV tonight, don't miss another brilliant episode of Who Do You Think You Are? on BBC1 as funnyman Joe Lycett discovers more about his family history, Impeachment: American Crime Story continues on BBC2 and hard hitting documentary It Takes a Flood causes waves on ITV. 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

Who Do You Think You Are? 9pm, BBC1

TV tonight Joe Lycett, Evelyn Lycett (Joe's grandmother), Beth (Joe's sister) and Douglas Lycett (Joe's grandfather).

Joe Lycett with his grandparents, Evelyn and Douglas, and his sister Beth. (Image credit: BBC)

It’s unusual for this show to focus predominantly on one ancestor but Joe Lycett’s maternal great-great-grandfather Robert Wilkinson is one of the most fascinating characters to have featured in the series. From working as a Victorian child chimney sweep to being involved in an attempted murder when he was in the Royal Marines, Robert’s story is full of twists and turns. Despite the shock discoveries, Joe’s wry humour shines through, especially when he has a glimpse into the life of Robert’s son, who was a member of a society known as the Order of the Buffaloes! 

★★★★ CC

Impeachment: American Crime Story, 9.10pm, BBC2

TV tonight President Clinton (Clive Owen) maintains a smiling facade…

President Clinton (Clive Owen) maintains a smiling facade… (Image credit: BBC)

Like many of Ryan Murphy’s series, this 1990s-set drama about Monica Lewinsky and Bill Clinton has become a compelling watch after a somewhat shaky start. In this third episode, as Paula Jones waits to hear about a settlement, another story breaks concerning the President. Meanwhile, in the Oval Office, Clinton asks Monica about her friend Linda Tripp and whether she can be trusted. Hmm… In a great cast, Sarah Paulson stands out as Linda, equally irritated at being sidelined to the Pentagon as she is by her co-worker’s coffee cups and noisy typing, while Clive Owen is utterly believable as the beleaguered President. 

★★★★ JP

It Takes a Flood, 9pm, ITV

TV tonight Flood victims Roger and Linda in Redenhall, Norfolk

Flood victims Roger and Linda in Redenhall, Norfolk. (Image credit: ITV)

As part of ITV’s Climate Action Week, which sees programming reflect the global crisis of our warming planet, this film looks at the impact of increased flooding across the UK. Directed by Oscar-winner Kevin Macdonald (who also helmed ITV’s 2020: The Story of Us), it’s shocking and hard-hitting as people from all over the country reveal what it feels like to be flooded and how that’s going to be happening a lot more often. But as well as terrifying home footage and frightening statistics, there’s a message of hope, as communities pulled together and an amazing charity called Khalsa Aid helped those most in need. As its inspirational founder Ravi Singh says, ‘I’m a man of action. I don’t do meetings.’ 

★★★★★ JL

Best box set to watch on TV tonight

Colin in Black and White, season 1, Netflix

TV tonight Mary-Louise Parker and Jaden Michael as mother and son Teresa and Colin Kaepernick

Mary-Louise Parker and Jaden Michael as mother and son Teresa and Colin Kaepernick. (Image credit: Netflix)

Former NFL quarterback and activist Colin Kaepernick co-created this six-part drama series about his early life. He narrates his own story as actor Jaden Michael plays the young Colin, a black kid adopted by a white family who just wanted to play American football. It delves into the obstacles he faced as a child, the issues of race, class and culture that led him to sit down during the American national anthem in a pre-season game in 2016. He then took the knee for the rest of the season, as a protest against the treatment of black people, which angered President Donald Trump, but sparked a global movement that highlighted inequality around the world.

Best film to watch on TV today

His Girl Friday, 11am, Film4

If you’re not a fan of oldies, believing that they are historical documents rather than entertainment, this is the film that will change your mind. It’s a comedy that has the pace of a caffeinated cheetah, with a story that has satire and pathos. Cary Grant is a charming but manipulative newspaper editor who coerces ex-wife Rosalind Russell into covering a big story, the day she is supposed to set off with her new man, dullard Ralph Bellamy. The speed of the comedy will leave you breathless, with Grant and Russell slinging insults and one-liners at each other so fast that you have a job catching them all. It’s a belter. 

Live Sport

  • EFL, Luton Town v Middlesbrough, 7.30pm (k-o 7.45pm), Sky Sports Main Event/NOW

Soaps on TV tonight

If you watch just one thing on TV tonight…

Don't miss Who Do You Think You Are? on TV tonight – Joe Lycett is great fun and has a fascinating family history to share. 

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

Happy viewing!

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.