What’s on TV tonight and this week: The Rapture, John Wilson at the Proms, and more

Stephen KellySun, July 26, 2026 at 7:59 AM UTC

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Ruth Madeley and India Amarteifio star in this creepy thriller - BBCWhat’s on TV tonight?

The RaptureBBC One, 9pm; all episodes available today on iPlayerAdapted by Bryony Kimmings from Liz Jensen’s novel, The Rapture is a slippery, unsettling affair, set in a future rather nearer than was perhaps intended when the book was written in 2009: heatwaves are routine, natural disasters increasingly common and religious sects with a penchant for apocalyptic sermonising are on the rise. The genre hook is well done: Ruth Madeley’s therapist Gabs Fox has relocated to Wales and been assigned 17-year-old Bethany Krall (India Amarteifio), sectioned after seemingly murdering her mother two years earlier. Gabs herself is only just back at work after the car accident that killed her husband and left her paralysed.

Bethany’s claims to clairvoyance, realised through bouts of manic sketching, are gradually given credence, while her estranged father (Sam Hazeldine) – a charismatic preacher – builds his flock. Gabs must contend with the interest of both Iwan Rheon’s crusading journalist and Jack Farthing’s engineer, who has helped build a nearby wind farm that’s being dismissed as greenwashing by increasingly militant climate-change campaigners. An atmosphere of simmering unease explodes in the final minutes of this opener – meaning it is likely you will want to stream the next one immediately. Continues tomorrow.

Tour de France 2026TNT Sports 1/HBO Max, 2.30pmWith highlights on Channel 5 at 9pm, the final stage of the race takes the riders from Thoiry to the Champs-Élysées in procession until the final stretch in Paris – and the recent addition of a cobbled climb in Montmartre – where the sprinters will compete to finish the 133km route in first.

Force of NatureITV1, 7pmThis new series documents how the natural world is adapting to survive climate change and mounting extremes of weather. Smartly juggling the cute and the alarming, the focus tonight is on an owl going underground to protect its chicks on the American prairie, two cheetahs navigating floods in Kenya and a polar bear dealing with shrinking ice floes.

John Wilson at the PromsBBC Four, 8pmThe Sinfonia of London takes to the stage of the Royal Albert Hall for the first of two performances under the baton of John Wilson over this Proms season. The programme includes Verdi’s Force of Destiny, Walton’s Cello Concerto (featuring soloist Jonathan Aasgaard) and Respighi’s Roman Trilogy, introduced by Katie Derham.

The DarkITV1, 9pm; all episodes are already available on ITVXThe penultimate episode of this agreeably gloomy slice of tartan noir, concluding tomorrow, finds Monica (Laura Donnelly) edging closer to the truth despite the suspect slipping through her fingers.

Terror in the Skies: Stopping the Liquid Bomb PlotITV1, 10.20pmLargely forgotten now, the 2006 al-Qaeda plot to detonate liquid explosives on transatlantic flights led to flight restrictions on onboard liquids that are only now being lifted. Rohit Kachroo investigates both the conspiracy and its unravelling which came thanks to a surveillance operation by the Met Police, talking to those who oversaw it. GT

What’s on TV this week? -

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Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Monday 27 July

Emmy Rossum and Scoot McNairy in Disney’s new crime thriller - Sarah Shatz

FuriousDisney+Based, or at least inspired by, the 1987 film Black Widow (in which Debra Winger played an investigator on the trail of a suspect with a suspiciously large number of dead husbands), Disney’s edgy eight-part psychological thriller stars Emmy Rossum as Alice Black, a novice FBI agent who becomes convinced that she has stumbled upon an active serial killer on her very first case.

The novelty here is that the serial killer appears to be female, and a very calculating and manipulative female at that. As soon as the suspect has Alice (Rossum) on the hook, she embarks on an elaborate game of cat and mouse that brings their lives into increasingly close connection, and makes the line between right and wrong ever more blurred. More unusual still is that, while keeping the tension appropriately high, from the outset the serial killer character Catherine (Lola Petticrew) – who is on a vengeance blitz against men who have wronged and exploited her – is treated with almost as much sympathy as the cop. Two women with more in common than we might expect, both victims of violence in the past and both obsessively searching, in different ways, for justice and redemption. The first three episodes are available today.

EvolutionBBC Two, 9pm; all episodes are already available on iPlayerChris Packham turns his attention to the not-so-humble bat. A creature whose seemingly insatiable hunger holds the key to the origin of “bums, guts and jaws” as well as their celebrated super-hearing. In doing so, he unlocks a 500-million-year evolutionary chain of innovation and survival.

24 Hours in A&EChannel 4, 9pmMore real-life drama from the emergency medics and patients at Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham. Including, tonight, a 23-year-old whose horse rolled on top of her, a 26-year-old suspected of suffering a stroke, and a five-year-old who cut his hand badly at school.

Ant Anstead: Born MechanicQuest, 9pmThe celebrity mechanic (and longtime romantic partner of film star Renée Zellweger) returns for an extended 18-episode run of the series in which he restores and flips classic cars to help fund the renovation of a 500-year-old Bedfordshire farmhouse for his parents. The previous two seasons were just eight episodes each, so he must be doing something right.

The Crow GirlChannel 5, 9pmThe concluding three episodes (airing Mon-Wed) of the Bristol-based serial-killer drama get under way as the search for another body leads DCI Kilburn (Eve Myles) to the Burkeman family. Psychotherapist Sophia (Katherine Kelly), meanwhile, begins to fixate on her past sessions with Victoria (Clara Rugaard) following another revelation.

Secret Lives of Gypsy WivesChannel 4, 10pmTikTok star Trewley Precious continues to lift the lid on women’s lives in the gypsy community. Tonight, Trewley spots a chance to boost her career as an influencer via a lucrative eyelash collaboration. But first she has to persuade here mum Tina and her sisters to attend a photo-shoot at the local launderette. GO

Tuesday 28 July

Sam Reid as vampire Lestat - BBC

The Vampire Lestat: Interview with the VampireBBC Two, 9pm; all episode available today on iPlayerThe first two series of Interview with the Vampire adapted Anne Rice’s gothic 1976 novel as a rip-roaring homoerotic melodrama. A stake in the heart of the lifeless 1994 film. It followed the restrained 145-year-old Louis (Jacob Anderson) as he tells a journalist how he was turned into a vampire by the wild, hedonistic Lestat (Sam Reid). The third series arrives with a new name (taken from the second novel in Rice’s series) and a new perspective. This is Lestat’s side of the story – and it is anything but restrained.

The flamboyant Lestat has reinvented himself as a writhing Iggy Pop-esque rock star, complete with songs about being immortal and how he can’t get enough of sucking blood. Tonight’s opening episode follows him as he tours the United States, singing, fighting, having sex, taking drugs, sucking blood (of course) and ostensibly pining over Louis. All of which is tied together by a playfully verbose voiceover where Lestat says things like, “I have an immortal life and I carry with it an immortal erection”. It is not for everyone, of course, but rarely has television been so dizzyingly camp and so outrageously fun.

ITV Racing: Glorious GoodwoodITV1, 1.30pmThe Glorious Goodwood festival in Sussex is one of the highlights of the racing calendar. Ed Chamberlin and Francesca Cumani present today’s opening coverage, which includes the feature race, the Goodwood Cup. The five-day meet is live on ITV1 across the week.

Shabaz Asks: Are Billionaires Bad?BBC Three, 9pmComic TikToker Shabaz Ali has gained a following thanks to his withering takedowns of the super-rich. Here, he investigates whether billionaires are as corrosive as he thinks. A simple question, it seems, with complex answers – one which the otherwise likeable Shabaz seems out of his depth to tackle.

Cold Case Forensics: The Death of God’s BankerITV1, 9pmForensic scientist Angela Gallop returns with another series revisiting history’s most mysterious cases. Narrated by Nicola Walker, tonight’s compelling opener explores the murder of Roberto Calvi – dubbed ‘God’s Banker’ for his dealings with the Holy See – who was killed in London in 1982. Mafia, Masons, Vatican – the suspect list is extraordinary.

The Undeclared WarChannel 4, 9pmLast week’s shock cliffhanger revealed Charlie’s (Simon Pegg) wife Barbara (Siân Brooke) to be GCHQ’s mole. Tonight, the engrossing espionage thriller flashes back to 2014 Hong Kong, where a chance encounter with a charming ex-boyfriend leads to Barbara being put in an impossible position.

Gomorrah: The OriginsSky Atlantic, from 9pmHit Italian-language crime drama Gomorrah followed Neapolitan gangster Ciro (Marco D’Amore) as he scaled the ranks of fearsome mafia boss Pietro (Fortunato Cerlino). This stylish six-part prequel takes us to 1977, where a young Pietro (Luca Lubrano) has just taken his first steps into the criminal underworld. SK

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Wednesday 29 July

Tinie Tempah (c) meets Jenny and James in Norfolk - Channel 4

Extraordinary ExtensionsChannel 4, 8pmA welcome return of the property show presented by Tinie Tempah, a sort of Grand Designs where the homeowners unleash their inner architect to design high-budget and striking extensions. The rapper’s enthusiasm for the subject (he is also an entrepreneur with an extensive property portfolio) and his warmth in dealing with people pimping their places is evident – even if he does say “wow” a lot. But then, it’s probably what viewers say when they hear the large sums being spent or see an occasional bizarre addition to what appears to be a perfectly nice home.

Tempah starts with two ambitious creations: he meets Art Deco obsessives Chris and Nadine as they transform their west London mid-terrace home into a Great Gatsby-inspired 1920s palace. It is, Tempah says, a chance to express that aesthetic on a grand scale, or as Nadine modestly puts it: “an avant-garde ode to history”.

On the Norfolk Broads, meanwhile, Tempah meets James and Jenny, whose 275-year-old cottage no longer meets their family’s needs, so they are adding an “eco-extension” using only natural, recycled or reused materials. Very good for their green credentials, but will the new build detract from the chocolate-box-pretty old one?

The Idaho Murders: College NightmareNetflixWhen an experienced police officer describes a crime scene as “absolutely horrific”, you can guess that what follows in this three-part documentary series, about four University of Idaho students who roomed together and were found stabbed in their beds in November 2022, is shocking. Director Skye Borgman uses police footage, news archive and interviews with the victims’ families and friends to tell their story – and how the murderer was found.

The Bidding RoomBBC One, 3.45pmNigel Havers charmingly teases out the stories behind auction items that include an enamel advertising sign, a Second World War gas rattle and a Murano glass toucan.

Casualty 24/7: Every Second CountsChannel 5, 8pmMore medical heroics from the team in the accident and emergency department at Barnsley Hospital in South Yorkshire. We meet 71-year-old Enid, who’s struggling to breathe after recovering from pneumonia, while at the other end of the age scale, a toddler has managed to get a conker stuck up their nose.

Katie Price: Nothing to HideSky Documentaries, 9pm“I really would like to get to the bottom of her,” the long-suffering mother of the former glamour model turned reality TV star says about her daughter’s turbulent life. Sadly, as the series concludes, she – and we – are no nearer understanding what makes Price tick.

My Floating HomeMore4, 9pmThis delightful series about those who live in homes on the water concludes with Mark Evans meeting Nigel and Tina, who need a vessel with a quiet engine to keep their dog calm, which means commissioning a fully electric narrowboat. It costs a pretty penny. VL

Thursday 30 July

John Hannah stars in new cosy crime series Benidorm is Murder

Benidorm is MurderChannel 5, 9pmThe chutzpah of Channel 5 when it comes to repurposing other people’s ideas remains a thing of wonder, but when it is done with such mischief and joy, who cares? Initially resembling Death in Paradise on a budget (with shades of Eldorado in one or two performances), Benidorm is Murder (from occasional DIP scribe Ian Jarvis) pairs John Hannah’s retired copper-turned-landlord Dennis Crown with Carolina Bécquer’s aspiring actress and whodunnit obsessive Rosa. And to great effect: Hannah’s old fart with a heart strikes sparks with Rosa’s eager meta-commentary as they work their way through crime tropes from “the anomaly” to “the eureka moment”.

The case involves a Take That tribute act whose mutual loathing boils over when “Robbie” storms out, later to be found face down in a hotel swimming pool. The prime suspect? “Gary”. With the local cops taking the obvious option despite a few holes, the dynamic duo conduct their own enquiries and the whole thing is neatly wrapped up inside the hour. Just knowing enough without trying the patience, deploying its cast cleverly (Brian Bovell’s barfly is a welcome addition) and making the absolute most of its evocative location, this is silly escapism in excelsis.

Fake or FortuneBBC One, 8pmFiona Bruce and Philip Mould attempt to tame a “wild beast” tonight with a work believed to be painted by Fauvist André Derain and once owned by a Kindertransport child. If verified, its sale could raise hundreds of thousands of pounds for charity. Forgers have long circled Derain and crucial documents are missing – the outcome is freighted with tension.

Renovation RescueChannel 4, 8pmVogue Williams and Luke Mabbott return for a second series of rapid reparative work on botched house renovations; their first project features a Northamptonshire couple whose disastrous garage conversion has forced them to cancel their wedding and plunder their savings to complete.

Who Do You Think You Are?BBC One, 9pmThe paternal side of Harriet Walter’s family founded The Times – there are few secrets to be found there. Hence her maternal side is where she spends her time in another unpredictable, absorbing rummage through history, this one taking its star to Italy and Australia via a ripping yarn of opera and intelligence work.

The Hunting PartyU&Alibi, 9pmThe unwittingly hilarious thriller, in which the eponymous team of crack cops are tracking down convicts who have escaped from a top-secret facility, returns. Eric McCormack’s Boogeyman Killer is the first quarry.

Don’t Date BrandonChannel 4, from 10pmThe latest true-crime podcast to make the leap to television, this engrossing three-parter (showing in its entirety tonight) opens with Amber Rasmussen meeting one Brandon Johnson through online dating. The man of her dreams turns out to be anything but, as Brandon is gradually exposed as a liar, a cheat and, when Amber meets his ex-wife Athena, much worse still. GT

Friday 31 July

Peter Lawson is the last former miner in Easington Colliery Band - Paul Stephenson/BBC

Our Lives: The Last Miner in the BandBBC One, 7.30pmSince 2016, the Our Lives documentary strand has been bridging the gap between local and national. It brings us stories of individual and community experiences from around the UK, reflecting regional voices and traditions that mightn’t otherwise make it onto TV. This edition is a particularly good example, an affectionate summing up of the beneficial impact that one individual can have on generations around them, and the importance of maintaining community cohesion through memory and collaboration.

The man in question is Peter Lawson, Secretary of the Easington Colliery Band for 40 years, a player in it for 55 years, and the last member of the band who was once a working miner. The film follows Lawson and the band (still going strong despite the pit closing in 1993) as they prepare to play a memorial concert in Durham Cathedral to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the tragic Easington Colliery disaster, in which 83 men lost their lives. It’s an event that brings people and their history closer together, showcasing an entire community and stirring memories and strong emotions. All lovingly captured in director Victoria Holden’s film.

Snoopy Presents: There’s No Place Like Home, SnoopyApple TVEver since Apple acquired the rights to Charles M Schulz’s Peanuts brand in 2018, it has been churning out new, reassuringly high-quality Charlie Brown adventures. The latest finds Charlie and his canine companion embarking on a house-hunt after Snoopy’s kennel is accidentally sold at a yard sale.

The Hairdresser MysteriesBBC One, 2pm; all episodes are already available on iPlayerA dark cloud passes over Blossom Vale when a dispute between a weightlifting ex-military man and his dog-loving neighbour turns deadly. While Lily (Sally Phillips) and her stylist sidekick Clary (Charlotte Jordan) piece together the clues, the village prepares for a concert at the theatre. Singer Heather Small guest stars.

Elgar at the PromsBBC Four, 7pmIt’s Elgar all the way with a recording of the second half of Wednesday’s Prom featuring the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra playing his exuberant Symphony No 1. Plus a look back at Sheku Kanneh-Mason’s 2019 performance of Elgar’s Cello Concerto.

8 Out of 10 Cats Does CountdownChannel 4, 9pmIt started as a joke, bringing together two Channel 4 favourites for a “mash-up” night in 2012. Fourteen years and 30 series on, it’s still in rude health. Jimmy Carr hosts as ever with Susie Dent and Rachel Riley, while Jon Richardson, Harriet Kemsley, Rob Beckett and Richard Ayoade do the words and numbers.

Ann DroidBBC One, 9.30pm; all episodes are already available on iPlayerThree episodes in and Diane Morgan’s robot-carer comedy continues to delight, with an acidly sharp script and a wonderful supporting cast of oddballs and eccentrics. Tonight Linda’s (Morgan) efforts to help Sue (Sue Johnston) try something new and launch Michael’s (Paul Ready) music career don’t go entirely according to plan. GO

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