What’s on TV tonight and this week: RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2026, and more
What’s on TV tonight and this week: RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2026, and more
Stephen KellyMon, May 18, 2026 at 7:36 AM UTC
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The presenting team: Arit Anderson, Rachel De Thame, Monty Don, Adam Frost and Sophie Raworth - BBCWhat’s on TV tonight?
RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2026BBC One, 2pm & BBC Two, 8pmThe greatest garden show of them all gets underway at Chelsea. Of course, mere mortals must wait until tomorrow to visit as Monday is, as ever, press day. Or private view day as it ought to be known, given that the number of invitation-only sponsors, celebrities, RHS luminaries and assorted national treasures – not to mention, usually, a sizeable contingent of Royals – far outweighs the members of the press flocking to report back about the wonders on display.
Key themes for 2026 include urban biodiversity and water-saving designs, and of the many show gardens large and small particular highlights are expected to be the Eden Project: Bring Me Sunshine Garden by Harry Holding and Alex Michaelis, the Tokonoma Garden by Chelsea favourite (with 13 gold medals to his name and Garden of the Year and People’s Choice awards in the last two years) Kazuyuki Ishihara, and Tom Stuart-Smith’s eye-popping Tate Britain Garden designed around a Barbara Hepworth masterpiece lent by the museum. And while there’s nothing quite like being there in person, the BBC’s extensive week-long coverage – offering close-up views and unrivalled expert opinion – is invariably superb.
Film of the Day The Mummy (1959)
Great Continental Railway JourneysBBC Two/iPlayer, 6.30pmNot content with traversing half of Asia in recent weeks, without pausing for breath, Michael Portillo embarks on another new set of train-based adventures. This time he’s in the sun-splashed Mediterranean, visiting Sardinia’s history-drenched capital, Cagliari, before heading out to explore the island’s spectacular coastline.
Canal Boat DiariesU&Yesterday, 7pmTravelogues don’t get much gentler than Robbie Cumming puttering slowly along Britain’s waterways in his narrowboat, the Naughty Lass. This double-episode series opener finds him heading west to discover the waterways of Wales and the Welsh Marches, beginning at Llangollen before crossing the spectacular Pontcysyllte Aqueduct.
Lucy Worsley Investigates: The American RevolutionBBC Two, 9pm; all episodes will be available today on iPlayerMarking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, historian Lucy Worsley looks back at “one of the most explosive break-ups between two countries in history”. In this opener, she explores whether the split between Britain and its rebellious American colony was inevitable.
Believe MeITV1, 9pm; all episodes are already on ITVXThe drama about the survivors of one of Britain’s most prolific sexual predators comes to a close. As Sarah (Aimee-Ffion Edwards) and Laila (Aasiya Shah) set about suing the Metropolitan Police, news that their attacker could be released from prison early prompts Carrie (Miriam Petche) to lead a campaign for a judicial review.
Only Child BBC Scotland, 10pm; all episodes already on iPlayerThere’s a wonderful warmth to Bryce Hart’s comedy about a failed actor returning to Scotland to live with his eccentric, ageing father, even more so in this second series. Tonight, with Ken (Gregor Fisher) needing to retake his driving test, Richard’s (Greg McHugh) plan to take him out for a practice session backfires entertainingly. Also airing on BBC One on Wednesday. GO
What’s on TV this week? -
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Tuesday 19 May
Keeley Hawes and Paapa Essiedu star in Jack Thorne’s new romantic drama - Robert Viglasly/Channel 4
FallingChannel 4, 9pm; all episodes will be available to stream todayStories about the repressed desire of devout nuns tend to be treated with something of a wink – fodder, more often than not, for horror and erotica. In this exquisite six-part romance, prolific screenwriter Jack Thorne, best known for Netflix phenomenon Adolescence, takes a tender approach. It follows the creeping conflict of Sister Anna (Keeley Hawes), a duteous nun who has spent 11 years living a peaceful life in a convent. That all changes, however, with the arrival of the rebellious Father David (Paapa Essiedu), a charming young priest who makes Anna feel something she has never felt before. It is a tale of falling in love and falling from grace.
Thorne’s script is characteristically elegant – its characters vivid and warm. Early in tonight’s episode, Father David is greeted by a car mechanic who admits that he has not been to confession in 10 years. “Sadly, you’re eternally damned,” replies David, deadpan, “unless you can fix my car, that is.” What makes Falling sing, however, are its performances. Hawes is divine as the agonising Anna, who finds herself caught between faith and infatuation – a tension that plays across her face tonight in a heart-wrenching final scene. The series continues tomorrow.
Film of the Day The Woman King (2022)
Interior Design Masters with Alan CarrBBC One/iPlayer, 8pmAlan Carr tasks the designers this week with transforming a set of studio apartments in Leeds. It is a tricky balancing act. Go overboard with dividers and you risk making the flat feel cramped. Leave it too open, and the occupant may feel like they sleep where they eat.
Reuben Owen: Life in The DalesChannel 5, 8pmThe graft never stops for groundworker Reuben Owen. His top job tonight is to finish shaping an enormous wildlife pond so that it can welcome feathered visitors. The work is complicated, however, by colleague Capper managing to get himself stuck in the mud.
Tucci in ItalyNational Geographic, 8pm; all episodes are already available on Disney+Charming Stanley Tucci continues his Italian odyssey in the shadow of Mount Etna, where a mercurial microclimate has made Sicily famous for blood oranges. As Tucci discovers in Palermo, however, Sicily’s cuisine is diverse – a historical legacy of Greek, Arab and North African influences.
Murder at the Grand Canal: True Crime PresentsITV1/ITVX, 9pmIn 2018, Tomasz Kocik beat his girlfriend, Marta Ligman, stuffed her into a suitcase and threw it in London’s Grand Union Canal. This disturbing documentary recounts the murder, including the horrifying detail that Ligman may not have been dead when she was put in the case.
The Corinthians: We Were The ChampionsBBC Four/iPlayer, 10pmThe English Football Association’s 1921 ban on women playing professional football was defied in 1949 by the founding of Corinthians Ladies FC, a team of rebellious women from Manchester who went on to beat Germany to an unofficial European Cup in 1957. This inspiring documentary tells their extraordinary story. SK
Wednesday 20 May
Kylie Minogue opens up in Netflix’s documentary series
KylieNetflixOf all the pop stars of the 1980s, Kylie Minogue seemed the least likely to be topping charts almost 40 years later. But her ascent to undisputed icon was never straightforward, with plenty of highs and lows over the decades. Kylie herself has long seemed like a closed book, and is tantalisingly guarded during much of Michael Harte’s (Beckham) three-part series – Jason Donovan and Pete Waterman are among the more candid contributors – but when she does open up (especially over Michael Hutchence, still, it seems, the love of her life), it is striking and very moving.
We begin with Neighbours through to her split with Waterman’s Hit Factory, before the meat of it, as Kylie tries on different personas before finally spinning around to be herself under the posthumous influence of Hutchence and very present patronage of Nick Cave (here on fine form). There are grim reminders of the breathtaking snobbery and misogyny of the tabloid and music press (witness Frank Bough or Robert Robinson, among a litany of old men passing often prurient judgement), as well as the enduring pitfalls of growing up in public, but it works best and most aptly as a glorious explosion of joy.
Film of the Day Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
Maximum Pleasure GuaranteedApple TVTatiana Maslany is superb in this tricky 10-part comic thriller, playing a divorcee trapped with annoying colleagues in a dead-end job and in a passive-aggressive custody battle with her ex over their daughter. Then an online hook-up takes a wrong turn when her webcam man is abducted while she watches on: scam, misunderstanding or genuine kidnap?
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Inside the Tower of LondonChannel 5, 8pmTracy Borman is back to dig deeper into the history and present day of the capital’s landmark, investigating the process of execution for the victim, the perpetrator and the spectators and observing the recruitment process with both chief yeoman warder and gaoler stepping down.
Under Suspicion: Kate McCannChannel 5, 9pmChannel 5’s bold docudrama commissioning continues with this reimagining of Kate McCann’s (Laura Bayston) time as a suspect in the disappearance of her daughter, Madeleine. While its Huw Edwards drama had things to say about celebrity and power, this piece, while carried out reasonably sensitively, is focused more on McCann’s treatment at the hands of the press and police rather than making a wider point. But perhaps it’s time to leave them in peace now?
Harry Hill: New Bits and Greatest HitsSky One/NOW, 9pmHard to believe that this ceaselessly energetic and inventive comic is now 60, but here he is in Walthamstow’s Soho Theatre, performing a wonderful stand-up set drawing on old favourites (Interspecies Tennis) and hot new material (crab sticks vs rhubarb), all loosely tied to the death of his nan. Wanton, irresistible silliness.
Marilyn and the MobChannel 4, 10pm & 11pmFor Marilyn Monroe aficionados, there’s nothing new to see here in this two-parter speculating about whether her death was suicide or murder – and if so, was she collateral damage in the quiet war between the mafia and the Kennedys? GT
Thursday 21 May
Denis O’Hare, Alfred Molina and Alfre Woodard star in this supernatural thriller set in a retirement community - Netflix
The BoroughsNetflixAn impressive cast, led by Alfred Molina and Geena Davis, lines up for this entertaining sci-fi horror series produced by the all-conquering creators of Stranger Things, the Duffer Brothers. Molina plays a grumpy, grieving widower, Sam Cooper, forced to move into the surreally happy-seeming, privately owned retirement village of the title, situated amid the stunning sun-splashed desert landscapes of New Mexico. His dislike of the place is exacerbated when, within hours of moving in, he’s attacked in his new home by the dementia-suffering husband of its previous occupant. But when his amiable new neighbours – played by Bill Pullman, Clarke Peters, Alfre Woodard, Denis O’Hare and Davis – rally round, he becomes convinced that perhaps his new life isn’t so bad after all. Until very strange things start happening in his house, and he begins to suspect that something monstrous is living in the walls.
A witty script ensures things keep galloping along at pace, the horror is never too horrific, and it’s all carried off with aplomb by a cast clearly enjoying themselves, especially Davis as a fast-living former band manager, and Peters as a septuagenarian dope enthusiast who believes he’s stumbled upon the key to eternal youth
Race Across the WorldBBC One/iPlayer, 8pm & 9pmAfter racing overland from Palermo to Outer Mongolia, the teams face one final 950 km test of stamina and determination. With a £20,000 prize at stake it’s as tense a finale as always, culminating in the traditional sprint finish – this time through the icy forests surrounding the ultimate checkpoint at Hatgal. It’s followed by Race Across the World: The Reunion, at 9pm.
The Elon Musk Show: The Next ChapterBBC Two/iPlayer, 9pmAn add-on episode updates the 2022 series by exploring the ongoing impact of Musk’s ownership of X, the seismic fallouts in his personal life, and his rise and fall as a right-wing political influencer in President Trump’s inner circle.
The HardacresChannel 5, 9pmThis cosy period drama about a family of fishmongers made good is settling nicely into its second series, following their not-always-successful efforts to secure a place in society. This week, Mary (Claire Cooper) gets support for her adult education campaign from an unexpected source, and Liza (Shannon Lavelle) gets a visit from a handsome suitor.
The Traitors India BBC Three/iPlayer, 9pm & 9.50pmThe spin-off series filmed at the fabulous Suryagarh Palace in Rajasthan reaches its climax over two edge-of-your-seat episodes, as, with the loss of another key innocent sending shockwaves through the group, the palace becomes a pressure cooker of mistrust.
BergeracU&Drama, 9pmA cleverly crafted final episode brings the second series of this top-class reboot to a satisfying conclusion. With Jim (Damien Moloney) desperately trying to talk his way out of a deadly situation, Charlie (Zoë Wanamaker) experiences the heartache of betrayal at first hand. GO
Friday 22 May
Haley Lu Richardson and Emilia Clarke star in this period spy thriller - Peacock
PoniesSky Atlantic, 2am/9pm; all episodes will be available today on Sky/NOWPeople suspected of being spies during the Cold War were considered POI – “persons of interest” – by rival intelligence agencies. Everyone else was PONI – “persons of no interest”. Two such “ponies” are Emilia Clarke’s Bea and Haley Lu Richardson’s Twila, unremarkable secretaries working at the American embassy in Moscow during the 1970s. That is, until their secret-agent husbands die under mysterious circumstances while on a mission in the Soviet Union. Grief-stricken and determined to discover the truth, the pair begin dabbling in espionage themselves in an effort to help the CIA wrong-foot the KGB. After all, who would suspect two women of being anything other than ponies?
Such a premise could easily lend itself to a gritty John le Carré-esque thriller. Yet this playful eight-part caper is pitched more as a buddy comedy, with much of its humour coming from the fish-out-of-water pairing of the sharp, overeducated Bea – fluent in Russian – and her abrasive loose-cannon partner Twila, fluent in profanity. Clarke and Richardson’s chemistry is delightful, yet Ponies itself never quite gallops beyond a trot. As is often the danger with comedy-dramas, it is neither funny enough to excel as an out-and-out comedy nor thrilling enough to work as a compelling espionage drama.
Film of the Day Apocalypse Now: Final Cut (1979)
RivalsDisney+David Tennant’s deliciously devilish TV boss Tony gets one over rival Declan (Aidan Turner) this week by hiring his wife Maud (Victoria Smurfit) to star in a grand televised production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Elsewhere, the fallout from Rupert’s (Alex Hassell) steamy scandal hits home.
Dutton RanchParamount+The formidable Beth (Kelly Reilly) swaps horses for stilettos this week as she goes to town marketing Dutton Ranch’s prestige beef. Back home, however, disaster has struck – as Rip (Cole Hauser) frantically tries to contain a potentially ruinous outbreak of foot and mouth disease.
Weathered: After the LA FirestormPBS America, 7.20pmLast year, Los Angeles was engulfed by some of the most catastrophic wildfires in California history, with more than 200,000 residents forced to flee their homes. This illuminating documentary follows climate journalist Maiya May as she explores the city’s recovery and asks what can be done to mitigate future wildfires.
World’s Biggest Curry RestaurantChannel 4, 8pmStockport’s Royal Nawaab Pyramid is officially the largest Pakistani-Indian restaurant in the world. This spicy fly-on-the-wall documentary explores what it takes to manage 150 staff, cook for thousands of diners and accommodate up to nine weddings every weekend. Just don’t try to curry favour with owner Mr Mahboob – he’s a perfectionist.
Hidden Treasures of the National TrustBBC Two/iPlayer, 9pmThe old upper-class tradition of taking a Grand Tour through Europe has led to British stately homes full of extravagant foreign treasures. Attingham Park in Shropshire, for instance, houses Italian furniture once belonging to the royal court of Sardinia. After years of wear and tear, the pieces must be painstakingly restored. SK
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
