TV tonight: Our highlights for Wednesday, September 20
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On TV tonight, Celebrity Race Across the World gets underway on BBC One, Chris Packham poses a provocative question about climate change in Is it Time To Break The Law on Channel 4, Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista and Christy Turlington tell their stories in Apple TV Plus's The Super Models, plus there's more from The Repair Shop and BBC Four is giving us another chance to watch Jed Mercurio's first series, Cardiac Arrest. 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
Celebrity Race Across the World, 9 pm, BBC One
We always love seeing how ordinary folk cope on this show, travelling across the globe without boarding a single plane. How will celebrities fare doing the same, without the trappings of a showbiz lifestyle to fall back on? Embarking on an epic trip from Marrakech, North Africa, to Tromsø, gateway to the Arctic, are: McFly’s Harry Judd and his mum Emma; TV weatherman Alex Beresford and dad Noel; All Saints’ Melanie Blatt and mum Helene; and racing driver Billy Monger and sister Bonny. Packed with friction, fall-outs and a frantic dash to the first checkpoint, this opening episode had us on the edge of our seats and paves the way for an exciting journey to come.
★★★★ VW
Cardiac Arrest, from 10 pm, BBC Four
Wow – here’s another chance to see Line of Duty creator Jed Mercurio’s first foray into screenwriting, which originally aired in 1994 and hasn’t been on TV since 2007. It was written under the pseudonym of John MacUre, as he was still a working doctor at the time. Like his later dark-humoured drama Bodies, it follows junior doctors in charge of life-or-death decisions – often making the wrong call, with controversial storylines including a fatal nose bleed. The cast includes a pre-Cold Feet Helen Baxendale.
★★★★★ NT
The Super Models, Apple TV Plus (box set)
In 1990, five beautiful faces featured on a pared-back cover of Vogue to represent the new independent woman of the decade. They then went on to appear in George Michael’s Freedom! ’90 video, and the reign of the supermodel began. Now, in this four-part docuseries with unprecedented access, Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista and Christy Turlington tell the stories of their amazing careers in their own words. They explain how their strongly defined identities allowed them to break free from the brands they were wearing and develop their own business and cultural interests, not to mention how, as a group, they were able to change the role of women in fashion for good.
NT
Chris Packham: Is It Time to Break The Law?, 9 pm, Channel 4
Do the ends justify the means when it comes to protesting about climate change? That’s the question naturalist Chris asks as he talks to environmentalists, politicians and police to gain a broad perspective on the actions of activists, from disrupting traffic and interrupting sporting showpieces to scaling buildings and even encasing the Prime Minister’s home in black fabric. He also looks at changes in the law that have made it harder to protest, and weighs up whether the seriousness of global warming means law-breaking is ethically justified.
★★★★ IM
The Repair Shop, 8 pm, BBC One
It’s hard not to shed a tear when watching The Repair Shop, and this week is no exception, as Jay and his team face the daunting task of fixing up some sentimental and fragile objects. They include a hand-written Koran that’s been in the same family for four generations – it would have taken five years to complete and been written from memory. There is also a 61-year-old scooter that has seen better days, a painting of Marsala in Sicily that was a treasured gift from a grandfather, and a ring created in memory of a mother by her daughters, which includes her ashes in the main stone, but has sadly got bent out of shape.
★★★★ RP
Best box set on TV tonight
Mad Men, UKTV Play (box set)
The brilliant period drama about a New York advertising agency, which originally aired on BBC Four, is available to stream for free on UKTV Play from Tuesday, September 19. Mad Men follows the fortunes of Sterling Cooper and its many incarnations, from the early 1960s to the early 1970s. In the role of genius ad man Don Draper, a character whose complicated history unfolds throughout the series, Jon Hamm became the breakout star, but it’s really an ensemble piece with a great cast including Elisabeth Moss, John Slattery, Christina Hendricks and Jared Harris. The recipient of numerous Emmys, BAFTAs and Golden Globes, it will no doubt remain a fixture on ‘greatest ever TV’ lists for many years to come (why not check where it placed on What To Watch's Top 100 TV shows list?).
★★★★★ JP
Best film on TV tonight
Captain Phillips, 9 pm, BBC Three
An American cargo ship sets a dangerous course around the coast of Somalia, while inland, four men are pressed into service as pirates by the local warlords. The captain is taken hostage when the raiding party hijacks the vessel, resulting in a tense five-day crisis. Fact-based thriller, starring Tom Hanks and Barkhad Abdi.
Soaps
EastEnders, 7.30 pm, BBC One
Emmerdale, 7.30 pm, ITV1
Coronation Street, 8 pm, ITV1
Hollyoaks, 6.30 pm, Channel 4
Home and Away, 6 pm, 5Star
Neighbours, 7 am, Amazon FreeVee
Live Sport
One-Day International Cricket, England vs Ireland, 12 pm, Sky Sports Main Event/NOW
Rugby World Cup 2023: Italy vs Uruguay, 4 pm, ITV4
UEFA Champions League: Arsenal vs PSV Eindhoven, 7.45 pm, TNT Sports 1
If you watch just one thing on TV tonight…
Don't miss Celebrity Race Across the World on TV tonight.
Not found anything you want to watch on TV tonight? Check out our TV Guide.
Happy viewing!
