Best TV shows and films to stream in May 2026

We’ve pulled together the best of the best across BBC iPlayer, Channel 4, Prime Video and Paramount+ and in On Demand. So, keep scrolling to see all our highlights on Virgin TV this month. Or check out what’s new on Netflix this month and what to stream on Disney+ right now for our pick of the best TV and movies on those streamers.

Need some tips on how to access some of these services on Virgin TV? You’ll find them at the end of this article.

Here’s our picks of the best stuff to stream this May.

Stream series 3 from Wednesday 13 May in Apps > Prime Video. Series 1-2 also available now

Heavenly news! The finale of Good Omens is arriving as a special 90-minute episode, picking up where the ineffable story left off in series 2 (we won’t spoil what happened in case you haven’t seen it). With the fate of the universe in the balance, angel Aziraphale (Michael Sheen) and demon Crowley (David Tennant) must decide whether their friendship – and the world itself – is worth saving.

Stream it from Wednesday 20 May in Apps > Prime Video. Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan seasons 1-4 also available now

CIA analyst Jack Ryan (John Krasinski) returns in a new feature film. When an international covert mission unravels a deadly conspiracy, Ryan is forced back into the world of espionage to confront a rogue black-ops unit. The movie reunites some of the biggest characters from the series, including Mike November (Michael Kelly) and James Greer (Wendell Pierce). Sienna Miller joins the cast as MI6 officer Emma Marlowe.

Stream it from Wednesday 27 May in Apps > Prime Video

One of 2026’s most anticipated TV shows, Spider-Noir marks not only the first live-action Spider-Man TV show since the 1970s, but also Academy Award winer Nicolas Cage’s first leading television role. Ben Reilly (Cage), a down-on-his-luck PI in 1930s New York, is forced to grapple with his past following a personal tragedy as the city’s only superhero. Available in black and white and “True-Hue Full Colour”.

The Grand-ish Tour

Stream it now in Apps > Prime Video

Don’t miss this latest special, looking back at the best moments of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May’s adventures.

Good Fortune

Stream it now in Apps > Prime Video

Well-meaning but inept angel Gabriel (Keanu Reeves) meddles in the lives of a struggling gig worker (Aziz Ansari) and a wealthy venture capitalist (Seth Rogen).

Citadel

Stream season 2 from Wednesday 6 May in Apps > Prime Video. Season 1 also available now

The thrilling spy series starring Richard Madden, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Stanley Tucci returns, as a terrifying new threat emerges.

Stream series 1 now in Apps > BBC iPlayer

From the creator of The Responder comes this high-stakes drama. Small-screen queen Sheridan Smith (I Fought The Law) stars as casino worker Leanne, who slips into a seedy life of crime to secure her family’s future alongside her boss Matty (Michael Socha, The Gallows Pole). But trouble is never far away and soon enough the pair are on a dangerous collision course with the police, a local gangster and each other.

Stream series 2 from Wednesday 6 May in Apps > BBC iPlayer. Series 1 available now

After a cracking first series and Christmas special, the hugely popular Motherland spin-off returns. Amanda (Lucy Punch) is still living in SoHa while juggling teens, her online brand and her “co-lab” at Kitchen’s Bathrooms and Kitchens. But with a potential new house on the cards, more romantic tension with her basement neighbour Mal (Samuel Anderson) and some much-needed area gentrification, it might be all change.

Stream it from Friday 8 May in Apps > BBC iPlayer

The phrase “national treasure” is thrown around a lot, but when applied to Sir David Attenborough, it’s never incorrect. As one of the most influential figures in broadcasting and natural history turns 100, Kirsty Young hosts a 90-minute special event, bringing the nation together to celebrate and honour Attenborough’s life and work. Expect excellent guests, archive footage and some memorable music.

Half Man

Stream series 1 now in Apps > BBC iPlayer

Baby Reindeer creator Richard Gadd stars alongside Jamie Bell in Half Man, which explores a fragmented, violent brotherhood and the fragility of male relationships.

The Traitors India

Stream series 1 now in Apps > BBC iPlayer

Join film-maker Karan Johar and 20 palace dwellers in the ultimate game of trust and betrayal for a prize of 10 million rupees. Fingerless gloves are not guaranteed.

Mint

Stream series 1 now in Apps > BBC iPlayer

Don’t miss this acclaimed, darkly comic story of passion, heartbreak and love laced with fear. Emma Laird and Ben Coyle-Larner star in a modern-day Romeo And Juliet.

Stream series 15 now in Apps > Channel 4. Series 1-14 also available now

While most singletons have to contend with the apps and the endless swiping, those who have been on the telly can step into the Celebrity Dating Agency to be paired up with hand-picked dates. Rapper Professor Green, Loose Women’s Coleen Nolan and England rugby ace James Haskell are just some of the names looking for love. New episodes air on Channel 4 HD (CH 104), Mondays to Fridays.

Stream it from Tuesday 19 May in Apps > Channel 4

Adolescence writer Jack Thorne might be one of the hardest-working scribes in Britain. The BAFTA award-winner’s new TV show stars Keeley Hawes and Paapa Essiedu, playing a devoted nun and a Catholic priest who unexpectedly fall in love and must confront what this means for their vows and faith. Essiedu continues his recent TV hot streak following his role in the peerless Babies, which aired on BBC One last month.

Stream it from Sunday 31 May in Apps > Channel 4

From multi-award-winning Russell T Davies comes another one of the most anticipated TV shows of the year. In Tip Toe, a spiritual successor to his acclaimed shows Queer As Folk and It’s A Sin, Davies explores the most corrosive forces facing the LGBTQ+ community today, examining the danger as prejudice creeps back into society. Alan Cumming and David Morrissey star. You won’t want to miss this.

Married At First Sight USA

Stream it from Monday 18 May in Apps > Channel 4

The “experiment” continues over the pond as American singles are paired up at the altar with a new spouse they’ve never met. Will they succeed where others have failed?

Bake Off: The Professionals

Stream series 11 from Wednesday 13 May in Apps > Channel 4. Series 1-10 also available now

Britain's finest professional pastry chefs are back, putting our amateur “soggy bottoms” to shame, as the judges look to crown the country’s best patisserie team.

Make That Movie

Stream it from Thursday 28 May in Apps > Channel 4

Last One Laughing breakout star Sam Campbell stars in a new comedy as a hotshot director who scours the country for everyday people who have an idea for a feature film.

Stream it from Thursday 8 May in U&Gold on demand

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the classic comedy’s debut, and U&Gold’s feature-length retrospective celebrates the beloved sitcom. Sir David Jason sits down to talk about his personal journey on the show, revealing exclusive behind-the-scenes moments as well as some of his fondest memories. He’ll also appears in the role of Granville for the final time in a brand-new short scene, penned by original writer Roy Clarke.

Stream season 4 from Wednesday 13 May in Sky One on demand. Seasons 1-3 also available now

In a world with a gazillion crime shows, it’s a travesty there are so few horror shows on our screens (or should that be screams?). From, returning this month for its fourth season after a big season 3 cliffhanger, bucks that trend. It’s the story of the residents of a nightmarish town that traps all those who enter, with terrifying nocturnal creatures also surrounding them. A fifth and final season has already been commissioned.

Stream it from Tuesday 26 May in Sky HISTORY on demand

Academy Award winner Tom Hanks narrates this epic retelling of the Second World War, which draws on rarely seen archival material, evocative storytelling and insights from leading historians worldwide to examine pivotal battles and the human cost of the war. It also reveals the hidden wars of espionage, codebreaking and industrial might that shaped the outcome of the conflict. Unmissable.

Goblin Works Garage

Stream seasons 1-2 now in Discovery on demand

Anthony Partridge, Jimmy de Ville and Helen Stanley bring their shared – and slightly unhinged – passion for custom engineering, speed and messing about to life.

Paul Hollywood’s City Bakes

Stream seasons 1-2 from Friday 8 May in Food Network

The Great British Bake Off judge and renowned handshaker Paul Hollywood travels to cities all over the globe in search of amazing bakes and bakers.

My Lottery Dream Home

Stream season 19 from Tuesday 19 May in Really

Ever wondered where you’d live if you won the lottery? Host David Bromstad meets the people in that exciting predicament as he aids their quest to find their new home.

Stream it now in Apps > Paramount+

The original Top Gun was released in 1986 and became one of the most iconic movies of that decade. But more than 36 years later, could a sequel move people in the same way? Did critics and audiences still have the need… for speed? The answer was an emphatic yes. Maverick (Tom Cruise) is back at the Top Gun training school to train the next generation of recruits. Miles Teller, Glen Powell and the late Val Kilmer also star.

Stream season 1 from Friday 15 May in Apps > Paramount+

The all-conquering Yellowstone franchise returns with its fifth entry, acting as both a spin-off and sequel to the OG show. It picks up after the events of Yellowstone, as fan favourites Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) and Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser) try to carve out a fresh start in south Texas. But soon they collide with brutal new realities and a ruthless rival ranch that will stop at nothing to protect its empire.

Stream season 4 from Thursday 21 May in Apps > Paramount+. Seasons 1-3 also available now

In northern Manitoba, Canada, with its pristine wilderness, subarctic climate and Polar bears, a group of dedicated nurses and pilots fly air ambulances and stage nail-biting medical rescues. In its fourth season, Chief Nurse Hayley Roberts (Natasha Calis) and Chief Pilot “Wheezer” Heaseman (Aaron Ashmore) navigate new personalities and fresh drama as the SkyMed organisation auditions a set of new rookies to join the flight crew.

Stone Cold Fox

Stream it now in Apps > Paramount+

Kiernan Shipka and Krysten Ritter star in this action thriller as a woman is forced to break into the abusive commune she once escaped to rescue her little sister.

Violent Ends

Stream it from Friday 8 May in Apps > Paramount+

A revenge thriller starring Billy Magnussen (Bridge Of Spies) about a man pulled back into his former life of crime when his cousin commits an armed robbery with brutal consequences.

Bad Man

Stream it from Friday 15 May in Apps > Paramount+

Based on a true story set against a Tennessee meth epidemic, an undercover agent (Role Models’ Seann William Scott) arrives to clean up the town – but not everything is as it seems.

You can get Paramount+ direct on Virgin TV 360 and our Stream box once you’ve got a subscription to the service. Simply sign up online, then log in on the box. And because Paramount+ is fully integrated into our 360 and Stream boxes, you can search without even going into the app. Just select Search & Discover from the Home menu and type in the name of the show or movie you’re after. You can also voice search Paramount+ shows with your remote, or say “Paramount Plus” to get to the app even faster.

If you’re a Virgin Media customer with our Stream box, Virgin TV 360 or our V6 box, get Prime Video direct on your telly once you’ve got a subscription to the service. Just sign up to Prime Video via the website, and you can log in on the box.

Prime Video is also fully integrated into our boxes, meaning you can search without even going into the app. Just select Search & Discover from the Home menu and type in the name of the show or movie you’re after. Not only that, but 360 and Stream box customers can also voice search Prime Video shows with their remote.

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