What to Watch Tonight UK · Thursday 22 October 2026
Thursday night is all about trust, betrayal and survival. The Celebrity Traitors reaches episode seven on BBC One at 8pm. From 9pm, Film4 shows Werner Herzog’s gripping true escape story with Christian Bale. And with Daisy Ridley taking command of a submarine for Paramount+, it is a good night to go back to where Rey’s story began on Disney+.
Tonight’s three picks
NEW: The Celebrity Traitors (2026) — series two, episode seven on BBC One
- Channel: BBC One at 8pm, until 9.05pm
- Episode: Series two, episode seven of ten
- Runtime: About 1 hour 5 minutes
- Host: Claudia Winkleman
- Straight after: The Celebrity Traitors: Uncloaked with Ed Gamble, BBC One at 9.05pm
- UK availability: Free-to-air on BBC One tonight; episodes one to six are on BBC iPlayer now
The Highland castle game is past its halfway point, and the Faithful are running out of time. Tonight a new day starts with another shock at breakfast. Then the mission takes the famous players to a mysterious location, where the Traitors have to work together under real pressure. With only three episodes left after this one, every Round Table vote now counts. Watch it live tonight, because spoilers will be everywhere by the morning.
Perfect if you liked The Traitors, Taskmaster, or Big Brother. Plan the rest of the week with our UK Release Calendar.
HIDDEN GEM: Rescue Dawn (2006) on Film4
- Channel: Film4 at 9pm, until 11.25pm
- Runtime: 2 hours 5 minutes
- Age rating: 12A
- Director: Werner Herzog
- Cast: Christian Bale, Steve Zahn and Jeremy Davies
- UK availability: Free-to-air on Film4 tonight; otherwise available to rent or buy digitally
Christian Bale has made plenty of famous films, but this one slipped past most people. He plays Dieter Dengler, a German-born US Navy pilot shot down over Laos during the Vietnam War. Held in a jungle prison camp, he plans a breakout with fellow prisoners, only to find the jungle is a prison of its own. Herzog had already told Dengler’s true story in a documentary, and here he turns it into a tense, raw survival film. Bale and Steve Zahn are both superb.
Perfect if you liked The Revenant, The Great Escape, or Apocalypse Now.
PRIORITY FRANCHISE CLASSIC: Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) on Disney+
- Service: Disney+
- Runtime: 2 hours 18 minutes
- Age rating: 12A
- Director: J.J. Abrams
- Cast: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher
- Why tonight: Daisy Ridley has just signed up to lead Paramount+’s Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, and Anthony Daniels is voicing C-3PO for Star Wars at the Super Bowl
- UK availability: Streaming now on Disney+
Ten years on, it is easy to forget how much fun this was. Ridley’s Rey is a scavenger on the desert planet Jakku until a runaway droid and a stormtrooper who has deserted, played by John Boyega, drag her into a war. Then Han Solo and Chewbacca turn up, and the film becomes a joyous rescue mission. J.J. Abrams mixes real sets, real locations and a proper villain in Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren. It is still the best place to start the sequel trilogy.
Perfect if you liked Star Wars: A New Hope, Rogue One, or Guardians of the Galaxy. Find your next trip to a galaxy far, far away with our Star Wars watch guide.
Movieversalfilm Takeaway
Start with The Celebrity Traitors at 8pm, because tomorrow’s chat will be full of spoilers. Then switch to Film4 for Rescue Dawn, which starts at 9pm and which you may never have seen. If you would rather stay in a galaxy far, far away, The Force Awakens is waiting on Disney+.
What are you watching tonight?