TV Tonight: our highlights for Wednesday, Oct. 20

By Joanne Lowles
published

'Shetland' is just one of the gems on TV tonight.

Douglas Henshall as DI Jimmy Perez.
Douglas Henshall as DI Jimmy Perez. (Image credit: BBC)

On TV tonight, drama Shetland makes a welcome return to BBC1, friends Bev Callard and Jordan North embark on a Spanish adventure in Beverley and Jordan: Destination Wedding on ITV and Al Murray presents a new history series, Why Do the Brits Win Every War? on Sky History. 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

Shetland, 9pm, BBC1

TV tonight DI Jimmy Perez (DOUGLAS HENSHALL)

DI Perez at his mother’s funeral. (Image credit: BBC)

It’s been over two years since we last joined DI Jimmy Perez and his team, but this opening episode shows the wait has been worth it. While away attending his mother’s funeral, Perez realises that his father is showing signs of dementia and before he can fully process this news, he receives a call telling him that a high-profile figure back home has been assassinated. But will this case be too much for him when he’s still deep in grief? It’s an intriguing opener and the cliffhanger will leave you breathless... 

★★★★ SP 

Beverley and Jordan: Destination Wedding, 8pm, ITV

TV tonight Jordan North and Beverley Callard.

Jordan and Beverley are off on their hols! (Image credit: ITV)

They formed a bond on I’m a Celebrity… in Wales last year, and now former Corrie star, Beverley Callard, and Radio 1 DJ Jordan North are packing their bags for a sunnier adventure, travelling through Spain to Beverley’s home in Mojácar, where she and her husband, Jon, will renew their wedding vows. On the way, the duo will be tackling hair-raising challenges and exploring Spanish culture. 

★★★★ TL

Al Murray: Why Do the Brits Win Every War? 9pm, Sky History/NOW

TV tonight Historical mission: Al Murray and his alter ego

Historical mission: Al Murray. (Image credit: Sky History)

From the Romans and Vikings to Napoleon and the Nazis, Britain has fought a host of adversaries over the centuries, but what is the truth behind our nation’s much-fabled military past? In this new six-part series, Al Murray and his alter ego The Pub Landlord go on a quest to find out, with First Dates star Fred Sirieix joining him to dissect the Napoleonic Wars in this week’s first episode. It’s tongue-in-cheek stuff, which includes a memorable recreation of the Battle of Trafalgar with pedalos, but Al also unearths some fascinating historical nuggets along the way. 

★★★★ SMA

Best box set to watch on TV tonight

I Know What You Did Last Summer, season 1, Amazon Prime Video

TV tonight Madison Iseman as Lennon.

Madison Iseman as Lennon. (Image credit: Amazon Prime Video)

The end of high school turns deadly for six teenagers in a new adaptation of the 1973 novel by Lois Duncan and the 1997 movie starring Jennifer Love Hewitt and Ryan Phillippe. Friends Allison, Lennon, Dylan, Johnny, Margot and Riley are leaving their graduation party in Hawaii when they’re involved in a devastating accident. The series’ opening episode gradually reveals what happened on that fateful night, and charts Lennon’s return to her home town the following summer, where there’s a gruesome surprise waiting inside her closet alongside the scrawled message, ‘I know what you did last summer.’ Realising that someone knows their secret, the group face an uneasy reunion as they try to identify their mystery blackmailer. An atmospheric, twist-laden remake. 

Best film to watch on TV tonight

Ghost Stories, 11.15pm, BBC2

Fancy a good scare? This creepy chiller from Andy Nyman and The League of Gentlemen’s Jeremy Dyson more than delivers. Nyman plays the smug protagonist, a professional sceptic who goes around debunking belief in the supernatural but gets the fright of his life when he looks into three ghostly cases. The film links these stories, starring Martin Freeman among others, with craft and sly humour. Be warned, though, the laughs catch in the throat. 

Live Sport

  • EFL, Swansea City v West Bromwich Albion, 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 Shetland on TV tonight – great to see this brilliant series back on our screens. 

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

Happy viewing!

Joanne Lowles
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.