Eurovision and FA Cup final among TV highlights this week

Eurovision Song Contest Grand Final 2026 (Saturday 16/05/2026, BBC One, 8pm)

Words by Damon Smith

In its 70th anniversary year, the week-long transnational music spectacular returns to the Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna, a little over a decade after Conchita Wurst rose like a phoenix to secure Austria’s second victory since the contest began on May 24, 1956.

Last year’s winner, JJ – real name Johannes Pietsch – comfortably secured the most points from international juries with his song Wasted Love then had a nervous wait until the last public vote of the night to overhaul Yuval Raphael from Israel and claim the ultimate prize.

Presented by the European Broadcasting Union under the banner of United By Music, the glittering grand final hosted by Victoria Swarovski and Michael Ostrowski will be missing one of the so-called Big Five, the countries which traditionally make the largest financial contribution to the competition.

The national broadcaster of Spain withdrew their participation over the inclusion of Israel, joining delegations from Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands and Slovenia.

The first Eurovision welcomed seven participating broadcasters but tonight, there will be 25 countries in full voice on the Eurovision stage.

These include nations that progressed from two semi-finals held on Tuesday and Thursday, which marked the return of Bulgaria, Moldova and Romania to the fold after they were unable to attend last year’s festivities in Switzerland.

Rylan and Angela Scanlon guided viewers through those fiercely contested qualifiers.

The United Kingdom is an automatic qualifier for the final and hopes of a delirious “douze points” rest with electronic music artist and madcap inventor Sam Battle aka Look Mum No Computer, who has toured Europe with his custom-made synthesizer Kosmo.

He has amassed a devoted following on social media with wacky musical inventions including a Star Wars droid orchestra and an organ made from Furby electronic pets, the must-have toy of Christmas 1998.

The colourful stage design for Sam’s infectious multilingual anthem Eins, Zwei, Drei has been a jealously guarded secret but expect another homemade electronic contraption to play a prominent role.

Stage director Fredrik Rydman will mastermind Sam’s attention-grabbing theatrics – he is the creative dynamo responsible for staging Finnish rapper Kaarija’s Cha Cha Cha in 2023 and Nemo’s winning performance of The Code in 2024.

Four other delegations have golden tickets to the grand final. Seventeen-year-old TV talent show winner Monroe unleashes her powerhouse vocals for France with the soaring track Regarde! while German dreams are pinned to Sarah Engels and her incendiary song Fire.

Neapolitan artist Sal Da Vinci proudly represents Italy with Per Sempre Si and hosts Austria will hope to become only the fifth country to successfully defend the crown with Hungarian-born artist COSMO and his dancefloor filler Tanzschein.

Graham Norton returns as the BBC’s mirthful master of ceremonies, dispensing pithy asides as competing acts are introduced to the audience in the flag parade and televotes are verified as viewers enjoy three interval acts including the Eurovision All Stars performing ditties from the contest’s 70-year history.

Let’s hope it goes with a boom bang-a-bang.

Match of the Day Live – The FA Cup (Saturday 16/05/2026, BBC One, 2pm)

Words by Richard Jones

The prestige of English football’s domestic cup competitions has been called into question in recent years.

However, even those who think that the ‘Magic of the Cup’ has waned somewhat can’t deny that this season’s FA Cup competition has been memorable.

After non-league Macclesfield knocked out holders Crystal Palace in the third round, League One Port Vale then stunned top-flight Sunderland to reach the club’s first quarter-final in 72 years, before Championship side Southampton shocked Premier League title-chasers Arsenal at St Mary’s.

The showpiece final takes place today, as presenter Mark Chapman is joined by pundits Micah Richards and Wayne Rooney at Wembley Stadium, with Guy Mowbray and Alan Shearer on commentary duties, and Kelly Somers reporting from pitchside.

Battling it out for the famous trophy are two clubs who have enjoyed a lot of FA Cup success in recent seasons, but currently find themselves in very different predicaments.

It’s been chaotic few months for Chelsea, with interim head coach Calum McFarlane now in temporary charge for a second time following the sackings of Enzo Maresca and Liam Rosenior.

The 40-year-old’s Stamford Bridge tenure got off to a good start as the Blues booked their place in today’s final by beating Leeds United in the semi.

Enzo Fernandez netted the only goal for the eight-time winners, and McFarlane was hoping the result would change Chelsea’s fortunes and propel the World Club Champions to another major piece of silverware.

While Chelsea’s recent Premier League form has been nothing short of dreadful, their opponents in today’s final appeared to hit their stride just when it mattered.

Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City survived an almighty scare in their semi against Southampton, falling behind to Finn Azaz’s 79th-minute goal.

However, a late deflected strike from Jeremy Doku and a Nico Gonzalez pearler from the edge of the area completed the comeback.

As a result, City are still in contention to seal another domestic treble – they already have the League Cup in the bag after beating Arsenal in the final in March, while they are hoping the Gunners slip up in what is turning out to be an engrossing battle for the Premier League title.

Despite the fact City have lost in the FA Cup final for the past two seasons (against Manchester United and Crystal Palace), most people will find it hard to look past Guardiola’s serial winners lifting the trophy for an eighth time.

They eased past Chelsea 3-0 in their most Premier League meeting last month, with Nico O’Reilly, Marc Guéhi and Jeremy Doku scoring the goals at Stamford Bridge.

However, the last occasion the Blues did actually defeat the Citizens in any competition was in the 2021 UEFA Champions League final when Thomas Tuchel’s men stunned Pep and his side with a counter-attacking masterclass.

We’ve already seen a number of surprises in this year’s FA Cup, so can McFarlane’s underdogs spring another at Wembley today?

Death Valley (Sunday 17/05/26, BBC One, 8.15pm)

Words by Sarah Morgan

Viewers had an inkling that cosy crime drama Death Valley was on its way back when BBC Three began reshowing the first series – and now we can’t wait to find out what mismatched detective duo John Chapel and Janie Mallowan will get up to next.

For the uninitiated, that opening run introduced us to the characters, played so amusingly and endearingly by Timothy Spall and Gwyneth Keyworth respectively. John is a retired actor who found fame playing an eccentric detective in Caesar, a 1950s-set TV show of which Janie, a real-life police sergeant, is a huge fan.

“Caesar was an escape for Janie; it’s the character of Caesar and his analytical brain that she has based her whole ‘how to be a good police officer’ on,” explains Keyworth. “Janie tries to do everything by the book whereas John is all about emotions, character breakdowns and feeling things. Janie, on the other hand, doesn’t want to feel anything and shuts down all that. But she realises her functionary obsession with facts can lead her sometimes to dead ends and that you have to think more creatively.

“I think John encourages that, and he encourages her to unpack why she acts like this in all aspects of her life. On the other hand, he is always deflecting his own issues on to her and he has a few skeletons in his cupboard he needs to unleash…”

In real life, it seems there wasn’t as much bickering between the actors as there was their alter egos, with Keyworth describing her veteran co-star as “a legend. He is the best and not only is he an amazing actor, but he is also a really nice and kind person. We became really good friends, and I always knew he had my back.”

Hopefully some of that camaraderie will rub off on John and Janie too – but we probably shouldn’t hold our breath.

While some critics turned their noses up at the gentle mix of drama and comedy, seemingly not realising it was never meant as a replacement for Vera or other serious crime programmes, audiences lapped up the show, making it one of the BBC’s most popular new scripted shows for five years.

“I’m delighted that the show has been received so well, and audiences have embraced the warm and eccentric nature of John and Janie’s partnership,” says Spall. “I’m really looking forward to revisiting this unlikely duo with the brilliant Gwyneth Keyworth as they take on more crime solving escapades in Wales.”

“The trouble with recommissioning Death Valley is it means the crime rate in Wales is about to skyrocket again,” smiles Jon Petrie, BBC Director of Comedy Commissioning. “But if that’s the price we pay for more brilliant performances from Timothy Spall and Gwyneth Keyworth, and more scripts from Paul Doolan, then so be it. Delighted to bring the team back for more murder and mischief.”

And fans everywhere – including in the show’s native Wales, where it was the biggest comedy of 2025 – will be thrilled the dynamic duo are returning to warm up our Sunday evenings.

Lucy Worsley Investigates: The American Revolution (Monday 18/05/26, BBC2, 9pm)

Words by Rachael Popow

In April, King Charles III made what has largely been seen as a very successful state visit to the USA – but one of the reasons he was there was to mark 250 years of America rejecting Britain and its monarchy.

The story of America’s War of Independence has been told many times (including in rap form in the musical Hamilton) but understandably most of those accounts focus on the US and its founding fathers.

In this two-part documentary, Lucy Worsley is looking at the events from a different perspective – that of the British. In particular, she wants to know why the might of the British Empire proved to be no match for a ragtag collection of American rebels, and how the loss shaped the futures of not just the USA but the UK.

Lucy, who has previously presented documentaries on everything from the six wives of Henry VIII to Agatha Christie, not to mention her historical true crime podcast Lady Killers, explains: “Digging into the past is a true joy for me. So often history gets written by the winners: lots of people know the US side of the American Revolution, but much fewer the British one.

“Interrogating amazing sources and meeting people who can shine a light on this hidden history, I can’t wait to explore the forgotten and surprising story of how losing America affected Britain and beyond.”

If you’re wondering how the Americans will feel about framing this as a British story, we needn’t worry about it causing a new rift in the ‘special relationship’. The documentary is a co-production between PBS and the BBC, and the Americans are fully onboard.

Zara Frankel, Senior Director, Programming and Development at PBS, says: “Lucy is a PBS treasure, beloved by our audiences for bringing her signature wit and contemporary perspective to history.

“As America approaches its Semiquincentennial, I can’t think of anyone better to guide us through this story from a British point of view.”

In the opening episode, Lucy heads to New York’s City Hall Park, where George Washington’s troops heard the Declaration of Independence read aloud. It was so stirring, the rebels were inspired to destroy a statue of King George III and melt it into musket balls.

Lucy wants to know what brought relations between the countries to this point, and if the rupture could have been avoided. To find out, she has to go back to England to learn how Britain viewed its colony, studying King George’s maps and visiting Benjamin Franklin’s London home.

She discovers how Britain’s punitive taxes and the Stamp Act of 1765 were causing tension, and how the Boston Massacre and Boston Tea Party were flashpoints in the build-up to war.

Lucy also learns that it was a time of radical ideas as well as resentments, and she assesses how thinkers like John Wilkes and Thomas Paine helped to shape America’s ideas of liberty and independence.

Falling (Tuesday 19/05/26, Channel 4, 9pm)

Words by Rachael Popow

Jack Thorne is one of Britain’s most successful and prolific TV writers – in 2025 alone, he gave us Adolescence, Toxic Town and The Hack, and his adaptation of Lord of the Flies aired on BBC1 earlier this year.

However, while he’s no stranger to hard-hitting and topical issues, he’s never written a love story – until now.

Admittedly, Falling isn’t a straight-forward romance. It’s about the relationship between nun Anna and priest David, who have both devoted their lives to service until their paths unexpectedly cross. Their chance encounter causes them to question what they really want and raises bigger questions about who we really are and the true cost of love.

Those are some big ideas, but fortunately Jack has found the perfect actors to bring them to life – the leads are played by Keeley Hawes and Paapa Essiedu.

Thanks to her impressive hit rate, Keeley, whose previous credits include Ashes to Ashes, Line of Duty, Bodyguard and It’s a Sin, can afford to be picky about her projects, so what drew her to Falling? She says: “It couldn’t fail to speak to me because at its heart it’s a love story. Beautifully observed, unsentimental and very tender.

“The characters are so well drawn, and I have wanted to work with Jack Thorne for a long time. I was also intrigued by the fact that Jack had never written a love story. He has created something very special.”

There was also the chance to play a character facing a real dilemma. Keeley explains: “When we meet [Anna] she’s very content. She has spent more of her life in the convent than out of it, so she doesn’t know anything else. She has a great relationship with the nuns there and with the abbess (Niamh Cusack) – they are her family. She is married to God so she’s already in a relationship, as is David.

“It’s a lifetime commitment with no thoughts of leaving – neither of them is expecting this. That’s why it’s so heartbreaking and difficult: they’ve given themselves to God in every

way, so it’s a real tussle.”

So, it’s important we believe Anna is really drawn to David. Keeley says: “The casting of the wonderful Paapa is a lot to do with that. He’s open and funny and brings those qualities to this role. They’re a really good match for each other intellectually, and they’re going through the same thing.”

In the opening episode, Anna is unsettled by her first meeting with Father David. When he then returns to the convent to seek her advice on how to help a young woman who wants to escape her abusive father and follow her dream of becoming a nun, it seems their bond is undeniable.

In fact, Anna’s feelings are so strong, she impulsively quits the convent, but is David also ready to turn his own life upside down for her, or she has misinterpreted his friendliness?

The next episode of the six-part drama continues on Wednesday.

Under Suspicion: Kate McCann (Wednesday 20/05/26, 5, 9pm)

Words by Sarah Morgan

You’ve got to hand it to the bosses at 5 – they’ve really transformed the channel during the past few years.

While some broadcasters take an age to get an idea onto the screen, they seem to be able to do it quickly and without breaking the bank, which is why 5 shows so many topical documentaries.

When it comes to drama, they’re impressive too. Series such as All Creatures Great and Small, The Good Ship Murder and The Madame Blanc Mysteries have been surefire hits, and their next offering, a revamp of Monarch of the Glen, should be a winner too.

More recently, it gained plaudits for Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards, which starred the brilliant Martin Clunes as the disgraced newsreader.

Its writers pieced the story together using in-depth research into the case and highlighting the experiences of the teenager at the heart of it all. A similar approach has been taken with Under Suspicion: Kate McCann, which takes viewers back to 2007, three months after her three-year-old daughter Madeleine disappeared during a family holiday in Praia da Luz on the Algarve.

Award-winning screenwriter and playwright Philip Ralph has used official statements and recorded testimony to reveal what happened when the little girl’s mother, Kate, was controversially taken in by the Portuguese police for questioning at a time when the authorities were under increasing pressure to solve the case.

The relationships between detectives and the McCanns had previously been cordial, but as we’ll see during the feature-length drama, it soon turned hostile, with one even telling Kate they no longer believed her side of events.

Later, after 11 hours of intense questioning, she was named as an arguida – a formal suspect – and became increasingly concerned not only for her own safety, but that if she was charged, it would mean the real culprit may get away.

“This fantastic film goes where the cameras couldn’t – behind the closed doors of the interview room – to create a deeply moving drama from documentary evidence,” says Dan Louw, Commissioning Editor 5. “Under Suspicion: Kate McCann is one of the most tense, moving and shocking films you will see this year. I cannot praise the writing, directing and acting enough – especially a star-making turn from Laura Bayston as Kate McCann.”

Joining the actress, who has also appeared in Killing Eve, Doctors and Slow Horses, is James Robinson as Kate’s husband Gerry. Together they manage to portray the desperation the couple felt as the situation compounded the misery and heartbreak they were already experiencing.

The drama is the first of two such shows heading our way, the second being Under Suspicion: The Road Rage Killer, with Emma Rigby as Tracie Andrews, who was found guilty of murdering her fiancé Lee Harvey in 1996.

Nat Lippiett from production company Orchard Studios is proud of both films: “You might think you know these stories, but these powerful, meticulously researched dramas will surprise viewers by shedding light on the lesser-known moments in these iconic crime cases.”

Watching won’t be easy, but they should be emotional and enlightening offerings from a broadcaster on the rise.

Race Across the World: The Final (Thursday 21/05/26, BBC1)

Words by Rachael Popow

We’re now on the sixth series of Race Across the World, which sees pairs of contestants embarking on an epic journey without smart phones and on a budget of less than £26 per person per day. So, in theory the five teams that started the run, which concludes tonight, should have had a rough idea what they were signing up for.

Before they set off, cousins Puja and Roshni revealed they had used the previous runs to come up with an action plan. Puja said: “We made this checklist of things that we would do anytime there is a change in situation, so like when we get off a train, when we leave a hotel etc.

“The first one is, do we both have our passport, money and map and then we both have to locate it. The second one is, check what the local time is and then change our watches appropriately. The third one is snacks; make sure we have enough snacks.”

Sadly, that didn’t entirely pay off as they became the first pair to be eliminated.

Childhood friends Jo and Kush admitted they used earlier series to help with their packing. Jo said: “I see a lot of people bring whiteboards and they draw a picture of a bus or draw a picture of a train and then work out how to say it in their language. So, we’ve got a whiteboard and some pens to help us with that.”

Father and daughter Andrew and Molly were thinking along the same lines. According to Andrew: “We’ve bought a calculator which we wouldn’t have brought, and we’ve made sure we’ve got something to write things down on.”

Brother and sister Katie and Harrison took a slightly different lesson from earlier series. Harrison said: “I think just communicate as much as you can with locals, ask as many questions as you can and don’t be scared to ask questions. You’re never going to see these people again so just go for it and get as much information as you can.”

That struck a chord with in-laws Mark and Margo too. Margo says the lesson she learned was: “Speak to people, kindness of strangers, communicate all the time with people you meet in each place. There are new friends to be made, so give out warmth and friendliness.”

However, all that preparation couldn’t have fully prepared them for what they experienced over the course of the race, which ends tonight.

The final leg involves travelling north from Kharkhorin to reach the shores of the ‘Blue Pearl of Mongolia’, Lake Khövsgöl, and that means making a crucial decision. Should they take the most direct route, which requires going off road and relying on charm rather than public transport, or add 500km to their journey with a detour via the capital, Ulaanbaatar, where they can at least be sure of paved roads, buses and the country’s only public rail line?

Once we discover which team made it across the finish line first, all five of them get a chance to reflect on the journey in Race Across the World: The Reunion at 9pm.

Fatboy Slim: Radio 1’s Big Weekend Sunderland (Friday 22/05/2026, BBC One, 10.40pm)

Words by Richard Jones

Over the next three days, an estimated 100,000 music fans will be descending on Sunderland’s Herrington Country Park as it hosts one of the UK’s biggest live events.

Radio 1’s Big Weekend gets underway today with a Dance Party, as world-famous DJ and producer Fatboy Slim is joined on the Main Stage by the likes of Sonny Fodera, FISHER, Clementine Douglas and MK.

Fatboy Slim, aka Norman Cook, has become a national treasure during a musical career spanning more than 40 years.

In the 1980s, he was the bassist for indie rock band The Housemartins, and after they disbanded, he moved to Brighton to pursue dance music, forming Beats International and playing in Freak Power.

In 1996, Cook released Better Living Through Chemistry, his first album under the name Fatboy Slim. That was followed by a second, the platinum-selling You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby.

In recent years, the Grammy Award-winner has tended to prioritise DJ performances over creating music, and he is now a staple on the festival circuit.

The seasoned ravers and first-timers in Sunderland tonight will be expecting a mix of nostalgia and fresh energy as the dance music legend drops iconic hits Right Here, Right Now, The Rockafeller Skank, Eat Sleep Rave Repeat and Praise You, as well as other bangers in a euphoric celebration of dance culture.

The live music continues tomorrow (Saturday 23 May), with Zara Larsson, Louis Tomlinson and Lola Young joining the star-studded line-up.

Then, on Sunday (24 May), the event closes in style as Olivia Dean, Niall Horan and Kehlani perform on the Main Stage.

While the globally famous acts on this year’s Big Weekend line-up are sure to grab the headlines, the event is also a celebration of homegrown talent, with 11 artists from the North East of England taking to the BBC Introducing stage.

Among them are Sunderland band Swindled, who say: “To be there is amazing because it’s a massive festival happening at a local place. And to be playing it is the dream for any band.”

While Swindled and co are effectively starting out in the industry, 62-year-old Fatboy Slim has been there and seen it all.

Although he will appreciate the majority of the Radio 1-listening crowd tonight will be members of the mobile phone-crazed Gen Z and Gen Alpha, he will be hoping they will be enjoying his show rather than filming it.

Ahead of his Australian tour in March, he told The Guardian what he wants people to get from his shows.

“That old adage, ‘dance like no one’s watching’,” he said. “If someone is filming you on their phone, you’re always going to feel a bit inhibited if you are worried you might end up on their Instagram.

“The ironic thing is, I started putting a sign up on the screens saying ‘Please put your phones away. Let’s enjoy the moment’ – and then I looked on Instagram and everyone’s filmed it!

“To anybody who’s thinking of coming along, take one little clip if you want to have a memory of that night or show off to your mates that you were there, then put the phone in your pocket.

“Live a little. Do the sort of things that you don’t want to see on Instagram.”