What to watch on TV this week: Wednesday 14 to Friday 23 January

Ready for a jam-packed schedule of telly treats? The mighty Gladiators are crashing their way back onto your TV screens this weekend while David Baddiel is bringing some feline fun in Cat Man. Elsewhere, don’t miss the return of After The Flood and Winterwatch, as well as the heart-thumping finale of The Traitors. Happy viewing!

With all this plus our usual sport and movie picks of the week, there’s something for all tastes across the service. And don’t forget, with Virgin TV Go, you can take your TV with you on the move.

There’s so much good stuff on this week that we’ve compiled a list of the best TV shows to watch. Bookmark this page to keep up to date with the latest changes.

Pick of the day: Patience
9pm, Channel 4 HD (CH 104)

If you’ve been missing Patience on your screens then we have good news for you: Channel 4’s biggest drama of 2025 is back. In this episode, a lawyer is shot dead in a packed boardroom and with only an unconventional clue at the crime scene, autistic archivist-turned-crime solver Patience (Ella May Purvis) and new boss DI Frankie Monroe (Jessica Hynes, W1A) must combine their investigative powers before the killer has a chance to strike again. Catch up on episodes 1 and 2 in Apps > Channel 4 now.

What else to watch:

• How To Keep Your Brain Young – 7pm, 5 HD (CH 105)

• The Traitors – 8pm, BBC One HD (CH 101)

• Pole To Pole With Will Smith – 8pm + 9pm, National Geographic HD (CH 183)

• Can You Keep A Secret? – 9.30pm, BBC One HD (CH 101)

• Matlock – 9pm, Sky Witness HD (CH 110)

Pick of the day: Rob & Romesh Vs Team GB: Winter Special
9pm, Sky Max HD (CH 111)

There’s never a dull day at the office for Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan. After taking on Bollywood and the jungle in their current series, the chaotic comedy pair are swapping warmer climes for a chilly new adventure as they join up with Team GB ahead of February’s Winter Olympics. Tune in to see Rob and Rom try their hands at everything from bobsledding and the biathlon to skiing and curling. Spoiler alert: you will laugh.

What else to watch:

• The Traitors – 8pm, BBC One HD (CH 101)

• Patience – 9pm, Channel 4 HD (CH 104)

• Allegiance – 9pm, U&Alibi HD (CH 114)

• Black Ops – 9.30pm, BBC One HD (CH 101)

• Piglets – 10.05pm, ITV2 HD (CH 116)

Pick of the day: David Baddiel: Cat Man
8pm, Channel 4 HD (CH 104)

Comedian David Baddiel is letting the cat out of the bag in this new three-parter that celebrates our feline friends. Alongside a roster of celebrity cat fanatics including Jonathan Ross, Ricky Gervais and Lou Sanders, Baddiel is on a mission to prove that cats really are man’s best friends once and for all, while sharing his moggie musings along the way. First up, he shakes paws with Larry the Downing Street cat and takes part in his first-ever kitten yoga class. Strap yourself in for a cuteness overload.

What else to watch:

• The Traitors – 8pm, BBC One HD (CH 101)

• Monty Don’s Rhineland Gardens – 8pm, BBC Two HD (CH 102)

• Mystery Road: Origin – 9pm, BBC Two HD (CH 102)

• Amanda & Alan’s Greek Job – 9.30pm, BBC One HD (CH 101)

• Taskmasterclass – 10pm, Channel 4 HD (CH 104)

Pick of the day: Gladiators
5.45pm, BBC One HD (CH 101)

Contenders, ready! Gladiators, ready! Step back into the arena with Bradley and Barney Walsh as they welcome a new batch of determined competitors to take on the superhuman Gladiators. Of course, a new series means a thrilling new event to look forward to and this time round there’s Destruction, in which competitors must smash their way through four gigantic barriers in a head-to-head race. We’ve got a stitch just thinking about it…

What else to watch:

• Michael McIntyre’s Big Show – 6.45pm, BBC One HD (CH 101)

• The Masked Singer – 7pm, ITV1 HD (CH 103)

• Valley Of The Kings: Secret Tomb Revealed – 7.30pm, Channel 4 HD (CH 104)

• Waiting For The Out – 9.20pm, BBC One HD (CH 101)

• Catch Me A Killer – 10pm, U&Drama HD (CH 116)

Pick of the day: Four Kings
10pm + 11pm, Channel 4 HD (CH 104)

Frank Bruno. Lennox Lewis. Chris Eubank. Nigel Benn. This isn’t the title card of boxing fans’ dreams but the line-up for this four-part documentary which honours the powerful legacy of these Black British sporting legends. Featuring interviews with the men themselves as well as those closest to them, Four Kings dives into the golden age of British boxing and weaves together these icons’ stories that changed the landscape of this sport forever.

What else to watch:

• The Floor – 6.55pm, ITV1 HD (CH 103)

• The Great Pottery Throw Down – 7.45pm, Channel 4 HD (CH 104)

• Call The Midwife – 8pm, BBC One HD (CH 101)

• The Night Manager – 9pm, BBC One HD (CH 101)

• Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins – 9pm, Channel 4 HD (CH 104)

Pick of the day: After The Flood
9pm, ITV1 HD (CH 103)

After a riveting first series that kept us glued to our screens last year, After The Flood is back and it promises even more danger and drama. Following the heart-stopping events of series 1, Joanna Marshall (Sophie Rundle) is already hot on the trail of a baffling new murder investigation. But with the rising threat of moorland fires and flooding that’s fuelling tensions in Waterside, the newly promoted detective has her work cut out as she faces off with the town’s corrupt authorities once more. Consider us seated.

What else to watch:

• Jamie’s Feasts For A Fiver – 8pm, Channel 4 HD (CH 104)

• Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins – 9pm, Channel 4 HD (CH 104)

• Pete Wicks: For Dogs’ Sake – 9pm, U&W HD (CH125)

• Arctic Adventure: Ultimate Survival – 10pm, Channel 4 HD (CH 104)

• Industry – 10.40pm, BBC One HD (CH 104)

Pick of the day: The Martin Lewis Money Show: Live
7.15pm, ITV1 HD (CH 103)

If you’re pinching the pennies already this year (and who isn’t in January?!) after a festivity-filled end to 2025, then Martin Lewis is here to help. The money guru is back on screens to share all his tried-and-tested tips that’ll help make your finances go further not just for this month but for the whole of 2026. We salute you, Martin!

What else to watch:

• Winterwatch – 7pm, BBC Two HD (CH 102)

• What Not To Eat – 8pm, Channel 4 HD (CH 104)

• Harry Wild – 8pm, U&Drama HD (CH 116)

• Waterloo Road – 9pm + 10.40pm, BBC One HD (CH 101)

• The Good Ship Murder – 9pm, 5 HD (CH 105)

Pick of the day: Pole To Pole With Will Smith
8pm, National Geographic HD (CH 183)

It’s official: the Fresh Prince has left Bel-Air. In this new docuseries, Will Smith is swapping his creature comforts for a jam-packed, 100-day itinerary that takes him around the world on a life-changing expedition. Tune in to watch the star ski to the South Pole, dive underneath the treacherous Arctic ice and take on epic challenges everywhere in between. You can stream more episodes now in National Geographic on demand or in Apps > Disney+.

What else to watch:

• Winterwatch – 7pm, BBC Two HD (CH 102)

• The Traitors – 8pm, BBC One HD (CH 101)

• Patience – 9pm, Channel 4 HD (CH 104)

• Can You Keep A Secret? – 9.30pm, BBC One HD (CH 101)

• Matlock – 9pm, Sky Witness HD (CH 110)

Pick of the day: Winterwatch
7pm, BBC Two HD (CH 102)

While most of us are hibernating during the cold winter months, the Winterwatch team have been heading out into the elements to capture the often-unseen beauty that this season brings. Chris Packham, Michaela Strachan and Iolo Williams are spending a week with woolly hats and wildlife at the National Trust’s Mount Stewart in Strangford Lough, Northern Ireland, keeping their eyes and ears peeled for a rather elusive otter which moves silently through the winter landscape. Best enjoyed snuggled up with a cup of tea and a fuzzy blanket.

What else to watch:

• The Traitors – 8pm, BBC One HD (CH 101)

• Lorraine Kelly’s Norwegian Odyssey – 8pm, Channel 4 HD (CH 104)

• Patience – 9pm, Channel 4 HD (CH 104)

• Rob & Romesh Vs Team GB – 9pm, Sky Max HD (CH 111)

• Black Ops – 9.30pm, BBC One HD (CH 101)

Pick of the day: The Traitors: The Finale
8.30pm, BBC One HD (CH 101)

Cancel all your Friday night plans. After weeks of deception, deceit and iconic wardrobe moments from Claudia Winkleman (give her stylist a pay rise!), it’s time for the castle dwellers to visit the round table one last time. But with the fate of Traitors and Faithfuls alike hanging in the balance, we have so many burning questions. Who will be banished? Who will get their hands on a prize pot worth up to £120,000? And who will wear a pair of stylish fingerless gloves? (Spoiler alert: It’s Claudia.) Don’t miss it! Plus, if you’re already missing The Traitors then you can tune into the first season of The Traitors Ireland at midnight or stream it in Apps > BBC iPlayer now.

What else to watch:

• Winterwatch – 7pm, BBC Two HD (CH 102)

• Monty Don’s Rhineland Gardens – 8pm, BBC Two HD (CH 102)

• David Baddiel: Cat Man – 8pm, Channel 4 HD (CH 104)

• Mystery Road: Origin– 9pm, BBC Two HD (CH 102)

• Taskmasterclass – 10pm, Channel 4 HD (CH 104)

Basketball: NBA – Oklahoma City Thunder @ Cleveland Cavaliers
7.30pm, Sky Sports+ HD (CH 508)

Having claimed the NBA championship for the first time last summer, Oklahoma City started their 2025/26 campaign like a team determined not just to be the first back-to-back champs in more than a decade, but to break records. The Thunder won 25 of their first 26 as they aimed for the Warriors’ high-water mark of 73 wins in a season. But it couldn’t last, and the wheels came off in December as they lost three times to impressive play-off contenders San Antonio (three times) and also, more worryingly, to Phoenix, Minnesota and Charlotte.

The numbers of their leading players like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren have dipped only slightly, but enough to make a difference. Those NBA records aren’t the priority any more; the focus has to be on finding a way to win again. This is a rare chance for British fans to enjoy an NBA game at a convenient time as the champions go to Cleveland for an early evening tip-off UK time, so don’t miss the action from the Rocket Arena.

What else to watch:

Looking for more sport this week? We can help with that.

• All the best live sport you can watch on TV this week

• Got a Sky Sports subscription? Check out our monthly guide

• If you’ve got TNT Sports, your monthly guide is here

Lollipop
Friday 16 January, 11pm, BBC Two HD (CH 102)

If you didn’t manage to catch this critically acclaimed indie drama in cinemas, then now’s your chance. Single mother Molly (Posy Sterling, Playing Nice) is released from prison and finds herself stuck in a terrifying catch-22: she can’t get housing without her children, and she can’t get her children out of foster care without housing. When all hope seems lost, Molly reconnects with her childhood friend Amina (newcomer Idil Ahmed) and together they choose to take their destiny into their own hands. Based on the experiences of writer/director Daisy-May Hudson, it’s a powerful watch with a rare 100% Rotten Tomatoes rating.

• Our monthly Sky Cinema guide featuring the best movies this month

• Looking for something on Netflix? Try our monthly guide to new releases

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