What to Watch Tonight UK · Thursday 29 October 2026
Two days to Halloween, and Film4 has The First Omen, the stylish prequel that proved the old franchise still had teeth, late tonight. Before that, there is the scariest Doctor Who episode without a monster on screen, and a bloody Welsh island cult thriller on Netflix that slipped past most people.
Tonight’s three picks
ON TV TONIGHT: The First Omen (2024) on Film4 at 11.05pm
- Channel: Film4 at 11.05pm, until 1.25am (with adverts)
- Runtime: About 2 hours
- Age rating: 15
- Directed by: Arkasha Stevenson
- Starring: Nell Tiger Free, Tawfeek Barhom, Sônia Braga, Ralph Ineson and Bill Nighy
- UK availability: On Film4 tonight. Also streaming on Disney+ and Channel 4’s streaming service, and to rent or buy on the main digital stores
Rome, 1971. A young American novice arrives at a convent before taking her vows, and soon starts to suspect that the Church is hiding something terrible about a child in its care. Arkasha Stevenson’s debut is a prequel to The Omen, and it is far better than it had any right to be: handsome, properly unsettling, and anchored by a fearless performance from Nell Tiger Free. One scene in particular is among the most shocking in recent studio horror.
Perfect if you liked The Omen, Rosemary’s Baby or Immaculate. Stevenson’s next film is a secret A24 vampire story, which we covered in our Morning News on 19 October.
DOCTOR WHO CLASSIC: Doctor Who — “Midnight” (2008) on BBC iPlayer
- Service: BBC iPlayer
- Episode: Series 4, episode 10
- Runtime: 44 minutes
- Written by: Russell T Davies
- Directed by: Alice Troughton
- Starring: David Tennant and Lesley Sharp
- UK availability: Streaming free on BBC iPlayer
The Doctor leaves Donna by the pool and takes a shuttle trip across a diamond planet where nothing can survive outside. Then the shuttle stops, something knocks on the hull, and one passenger starts repeating everything everyone says. There is no monster to see, just a small room of frightened people turning on each other. It is one of Russell T Davies’s very best scripts. Lesley Sharp is chilling, and Tennant has rarely been so helpless.
Perfect if you liked The Twilight Zone, Inside No. 9 or The Mist. Our last Doctor Who pick was “Hide”, catch up on the latest in our Doctor Who News, and our Doctor Who watch guide shows you where to go next.
HIDDEN GEM: Apostle (2018) on Netflix
- Service: Netflix
- Runtime: 2 hours 9 minutes
- Age rating: 18
- Written and directed by: Gareth Evans
- Starring: Dan Stevens, Michael Sheen and Lucy Boynton
- UK availability: Streaming now on Netflix
It is 1905, and Thomas Richardson travels undercover to a remote Welsh island to rescue his sister, who is being held for ransom by a religious cult. Gareth Evans made his name with The Raid, and here he builds slowly towards something truly grim. Dan Stevens is wild-eyed and brilliant, and Michael Sheen is a commanding cult leader. It went straight to Netflix in 2018 and was quickly forgotten, but it is one of the best British folk horrors of the last decade.
Perfect if you liked The Wicker Man, Midsommar or Kill List. If you want another underseen horror on Netflix, try our pick of Under the Shadow.
Movieversalfilm Takeaway
Start with “Midnight” on iPlayer for 44 minutes of pure tension, then head to Wales with Apostle on Netflix. If you are still up, Film4’s The First Omen at 11.05pm is the classiest scare on TV tonight.
Plan the week ahead with our UK Release Calendar, and find more picks on What to Watch.
What are you watching tonight?
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