TV tonight: Our highlights for Saturday, August 12

Lucy Buglass
·4 min read
Casualty's Faith Cadogan looking panicked.
Casualty's Faith Cadogan looking panicked.

On TV tonight, there's a gripping episode of Casualty, there's a family fallout in Champion and more from The Queens That Changed the World. Here's what you shouldn't miss on TV Tonight.

  • Our hand-selected recommendations for what's on TV tonight include TV shows, a film, live sport and the latest trending need-to-binge-on-now box set

  • Keep up to date with the latest soap spoiler storylines on TV tonight with our daily soap synopsis

  • For more information about what’s on TV tonight see our TV Guide

What's on TV tonight

Our expert TV journalists have picked the best things on TV tonight...

Best TV shows on TV tonight

Casualty, 8:25 pm, BBC One

There are times in TV drama when a much-loved character goes off the rails and ends up doing something unforgivable. This is one of those times. In tonight’s episode, Faith (Kirsty Mitchell) is brought to the brink of her own morality by her diazepam addiction.

Max (Nigel Harman) tells senior staff someone is pilfering pills, and Faith hopes the chaos of a major accident – a shocking acid attack at a warehouse rave – will help hide her tracks. It doesn’t! When Stevie (Elinor Lawless) catches her in the act, Faith sinks to a new low, lies about having cancer, and spins a story with enough yarn to open a craft shop. Will Stevie swallow it?

★★★★★ ER

Champion, 9:15 pm, BBC One

Ray Fearon as Beres in Champion
Ray Fearon as Beres in Champion

The fallout from last week’s Champion family trip to Jamaica continues to cause ripples, but while Aria and Beres both feel a profound sense of loss, Vita is riding high following her triumphant appearance at JA Fest. ‘I’m going to make you a star,’ declares her new manager, Yemi.

Bosco (Malcolm Kamulete), though, is in a downward spiral after a string of rejections from family and friends, and finding out that his ex, Chantelle, is moving to New York and taking their daughter is the final straw. It certainly sets up next week’s final episode in what has been a highly entertaining series.

★★★★ JP

The Queens That Changed the World, 7:15 pm, Channel 4 

Tonight, the experts blow away Queen Anne’s dull and dusty reputation and reveal that rumours and scandal were instrumental in her queenship. Coming to the throne in 1702, Anne set the standard for future royal rulers. She also achieved the unification of England and Scotland. But back to the goss!

From wild whispers about her sexuality to Anne herself telling malicious lies about her newborn half-brother, she could have given soap scriptwriters a run for their money (the nearest we get is Oscar-winning film The Favourite, with Olivia Colman as Anne). Ironically, it was a vengeful smear campaign against her that led to her lasting reputation as a sickly and stupid sovereign.

★★★★ ER

Best box set on TV tonight

The Witcher season 3, Netflix

Henry Cavill in The Witcher season 3
Henry Cavill in The Witcher season 3

All eight episodes of The Witcher season 3 are now available to stream on Netflix, so you can see Henry Cavill's last adventure (before he hands his swords over to Liam Hemsworth) all in one go. This latest installment sees Geralt and Yennefer attempting to prep Ciri as forces from all across The Continent compete to try and capture her. Travelling to the magical academy at Aretuza seems like a safe place to start with, but its not long before danger arrives in this action-packed third adventure.

MS

Best film on TV tonight

A Man Called Otto, 8 pm, Sky Cinema Premiere

Tom Hanks and Marina Treviño in A Man Called Otto
Tom Hanks and Marina Treviño in A Man Called Otto

It may be inevitable that Hollywood felt the need to remake the Oscar-nominated Swedish adaptation of Fredrik Backman’s A Man Called Ove, but, in fact, there’s something perversely pleasing about seeing the typically good-humoured Tom Hanks as classic curmudgeon Otto.

Following the devastating loss of his wife, the recently retired Otto is feeling suicidal and flashbacks to his youth (his younger self is played by Hanks’ son Truman) bring context to his mental state. Gradually, though, he begins to find some crumbs to live for. In complete contrast, you can also see Hanks in the age-reversal comedy Big on ITV1 today (3.05pm).

★★★ JM

Live Sport

  • Premier League: Newcastle United v Aston Villa (Kick-off 5:30 pm), Sky Sports Main Event

If you watch just one thing on TV tonight…

Don't miss Casualty on TV tonight.

Not found anything you want to watch on TV tonight? Check out our TV Guide.

Happy viewing!