What to Watch Tonight UK · Sunday 8 November 2026
Denis Villeneuve’s Dune is free to stream on ITVX from today, just in time to catch up before Dune: Part Three reaches cinemas in December. On TV tonight, Sir David Attenborough heads into the open ocean in episode two of Blue Planet III on BBC One at 8pm, and BBC Two closes Remembrance Sunday with Gary Oldman in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy at 10.45pm. We also have a free Iranian road movie on Channel 4 and a Star Wars episode about the cost of war on Disney+.
NEWLY ADDED: Denis Villeneuve’s Dune (2021), free on ITVX
- Service: ITVX, free with ads, from today
- Runtime: 2 hours 35 minutes
- Age rating: 12A
- Directed by: Denis Villeneuve
- Starring: Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Zendaya, Josh Brolin and Jason Momoa
- Critics: 83% on Rotten Tomatoes; six Academy Awards, including Best Cinematography and Best Original Score
- UK availability: Free on ITVX in the UK; also on NOW Cinema and HBO Max
Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) follows his family to the desert planet Arrakis, the only source of the most valuable substance in the universe, and walks straight into a trap. Villeneuve makes Frank Herbert’s novel feel enormous: the sandworms, the ornithopters and Hans Zimmer’s thundering score all deserve the biggest screen in your house. With the final trailer for Part Three already out, this is the perfect time to start again from the beginning.
Perfect if you liked Blade Runner 2049, Arrival or Lawrence of Arabia. Watch the final trailer for Dune: Part Three next.
NEW EPISODE TONIGHT: Blue Planet III episode 2, “Open Ocean”, BBC One at 8pm
- Channel: BBC One at 8pm, and on BBC iPlayer
- Episode: Episode 2 of 6, “Open Ocean”
- Runtime: 1 hour
- Narrated by: Sir David Attenborough
- UK availability: BBC One tonight and free on BBC iPlayer; episode one is already on iPlayer
After last week’s tropical seas, the second episode heads out into the vast open ocean to show how its animals survive in a place with nowhere to hide and very little to eat. This is Sunday-night television at its best: big, beautiful and calming, with Attenborough’s voice guiding you through it. If you missed the opener, it is waiting on iPlayer, so you can watch both back to back.
Perfect if you liked Blue Planet II, Planet Earth III or My Octopus Teacher. See the Blue Planet III trailer and this week’s Weekly Streaming Highlights.
ON TV TONIGHT: Gary Oldman in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011), BBC Two at 10.45pm
- Channel: BBC Two at 10.45pm
- Runtime: 2 hours 7 minutes
- Age rating: 15
- Directed by: Tomas Alfredson
- Starring: Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, Benedict Cumberbatch, Mark Strong and John Hurt
- Critics: 84% on Rotten Tomatoes; Oscar nomination for Gary Oldman; BAFTA for Outstanding British Film
- UK availability: On BBC Two tonight
In the grey London of the 1970s, retired spy George Smiley (Gary Oldman) is quietly brought back to find a Soviet mole at the very top of British intelligence. John le Carré’s novel becomes a slow, smoky and gripping puzzle in which every glance matters. It is the perfect late film for the end of Remembrance Sunday, so put the kettle on and pay attention.
Perfect if you liked Slow Horses, The Night Manager or Bridge of Spies. More dates are in our UK release calendar.
HIDDEN GEM: Panah Panahi’s Hit the Road (2021), free on Channel 4
- Service: Channel 4 streaming, free
- Runtime: 1 hour 33 minutes
- Age rating: 12A
- Written and directed by: Panah Panahi
- Language: Persian, with English subtitles
- Critics: 95% on Rotten Tomatoes
- UK availability: Streaming free on Channel 4 in the UK
A squabbling Iranian family drive across the country in a borrowed car: a grumpy dad with a broken leg, a mum trying to hold it all together, a quiet older son and a hilarious, never-silent little boy. Slowly you work out why they are making the trip, and what it will cost them. Panahi’s debut is funny, warm and quietly devastating, and hardly anyone saw it in cinemas.
Perfect if you liked Little Miss Sunshine, Aftersun or A Separation.
STAR WARS CLASSIC: Star Wars: The Clone Wars, “The Deserter” (2010), Disney+
- Service: Disney+
- Episode: Season 2, episode 10
- Runtime: 22 minutes
- Age rating: PG
- UK availability: All seven seasons of The Clone Wars are streaming on Disney+ in the UK
On Remembrance Sunday, this is the Star Wars story to watch. Injured while hunting General Grievous, Captain Rex recovers on a farm and discovers that the farmer, Cut Lawquane, is a clone who walked away from the war to raise a family. Rex has to choose between his orders and his conscience. In 22 minutes it says more about what war takes from soldiers than many feature films do.
Perfect if you liked Andor, The Bad Batch or Rogue One. Plan your next binge with our Star Wars watch guide.
Movieversalfilm Takeaway
Make Dune your main event on ITVX if you have two and a half hours free, or settle in for Blue Planet III at 8pm. Then end the weekend with Gary Oldman’s Smiley in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy at 10.45pm on BBC Two.
More picks: What to Watch.
What are you watching tonight?
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