What to Watch Tonight UK · Wednesday 21 October 2026
Wednesday night brings a grisly river mystery and a bit of a robot theme. Richard Armitage’s Winter reaches its fourth episode on ITV1 at 9pm. At the same time, Film4 shows Edgar Wright’s pub crawl that turns into an alien invasion. And with Varada Sethu now joining Slow Horses, it is the perfect time to revisit her first Doctor Who adventure as Belinda Chandra on BBC iPlayer.
Tonight’s three picks
NEW: Winter (2026) — episode four on ITV1
- Channel: ITV1 at 9pm (series one, episode four of six)
- Runtime: One hour, including adverts
- Cast: Richard Armitage, Annabel Scholey and Jamie Kenna
- Catch up: Earlier episodes are on ITVX
- UK availability: Free-to-air on ITV1 tonight and streaming on ITVX
ITV’s new forensic drama is at its halfway point, and tonight it gets properly dark. A river fisherman finds human remains floating in the water. When Armitage’s pathologist Dr Ethan Winter joins DI Lauren Bell and DS Ellis Daldry at the scene, he realises the limbs belong to two victims, not one. With no complete bodies and few clues, the case leads to buried family secrets, online abuse and an old tragedy that has never gone away.
Perfect if you liked Silent Witness, Vera, or Unforgotten. Plan the rest of the week with our UK Release Calendar.
HIDDEN GEM: The World’s End (2013) on Film4
- Channel: Film4 at 9pm, until 11.10pm
- Runtime: 1 hour 49 minutes
- Age rating: 15
- Director: Edgar Wright
- Cast: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Paddy Considine, Martin Freeman, Eddie Marsan and Rosamund Pike
- UK availability: Free-to-air on Film4 tonight; also streaming on NOW with a Cinema membership
Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz get the love, but the final film in Edgar Wright’s Cornetto trilogy is the one people tend to miss. Simon Pegg’s Gary King drags his old school friends back to their home town to finish an epic 12-pub crawl. Halfway down the Golden Mile, they realise the locals have been replaced by robots. It is sharp, very funny and surprisingly sad about growing up. It clashes with Winter, so record one of them.
Perfect if you liked Hot Fuzz, Attack the Block, or Paul.
PRIORITY FRANCHISE CLASSIC: Doctor Who — “The Robot Revolution” (2025) on BBC iPlayer
- Service: BBC iPlayer (free)
- Episode: Season two, episode one, first shown on 12 April 2025
- Runtime: 46 minutes
- Writer and director: Written by Russell T Davies, directed by Peter Hoar
- Why tonight: Varada Sethu has just joined Slow Horses series seven, so revisit her Doctor Who debut while the TARDIS is parked
- UK availability: Streaming now on BBC iPlayer
Nurse Belinda Chandra is kidnapped from her back garden by giant red robots who think she is their queen. Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor follows in the TARDIS, only to land six months early on a planet named after her and caught in a robot civil war. Russell T Davies fills it with big jokes, a nasty twist about who is really in charge and a very funny sense of the absurd. It also pairs nicely with tonight’s Film4 robots.
Perfect if you liked Galaxy Quest, Red Dwarf, or The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Find your next adventure with our Doctor Who watch guide.
Movieversalfilm Takeaway
Make Winter your 9pm appointment if you want a proper puzzle. If you would rather laugh, The World’s End is the better choice for the same slot. And if you only have 46 minutes, Belinda Chandra’s first trip in the TARDIS is waiting on iPlayer.
What are you watching tonight?