WHAT TO WATCH 2-9 January

A bumper week of telly to kick off 2026!

As we welcome in the first full week of 2026, you're spoilt for choice for great telly, including ITV's biggest soaps coming together for the first time for a special crossover episode of Corriedale.

Brand new shows launching this week include Dawn French and Mark Heap's new BBC One comedy Can You Keep A Secret?, new thriller Girl Taken on Paramount+ and Dennis Kelly's new BBC One drama Waiting for the Out.

Returning favourites include Black Ops, The Masked Singer, Amanda and Alan and Taskmaster's New Year Treat as well as dramas Patience, A Thousand Blows and Waterloo Road.

Here are 11 TV shows you can't miss this week...

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1

 NEW YEAR SPECIAL

TASKMASTER'S NEW YEAR TREAT

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Friday 2nd and Saturday 3rd January

9pm | Channel 4

Taskmaster’s annual New Year celebration sees five brand new contestants from outside the world of comedy compete to win Greg Davies’s much-coveted golden eyebrows trophy and for the first time ever, it's taking place over two episodes.

This means contestants have double the opportunity to impress Greg with their brilliance - and, conversely, double the possibility of making him really cross with their incompetence.

The five stars who believe they can take on the Taskmaster’s baffling tasks are: Big Zuu, Jill Scott, Sam Ryder, Susie Dent and Rose Ayling-Ellis. How will they fare when asked to prod a dangerous animal? What will they do when presented with a case of dice? And which one of them will spend twenty minutes sweating over a foot pump?

Naturally, Little Alex Horne will bear witness to all their attempts, whether they are playing the glockenspiel or getting baffled by flags. He’ll feed all the relevant facts and figures back to Greg who will use his peerless judgement to award points to the contestants who are most deserving as the fearless five attempt to plot their way to new year glory.

 STREAM ON CHANNEL 4 

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2

 RETURNING FACTUAL ENTERTAINMENT

AMANDA AND ALAN'S

GREEK JOB

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Friday 2nd January

9.35pm | BBC One

Best friends Amanda Holden and Alan Carr have packed their boiler suits once again, raring to spend a summer on the idyllic Ionian island of Corfu. Having bagged a slightly smaller property this time, they have high hopes for an easier ride, but their dreams of lounging by the beach are soon shattered as they discover a big fat Greek renovation lies ahead.

With ivy growing through the windows, hay and mud as a floor, a sewage pipe running through the downstairs plus a roof on the verge of caving in, their new project resembles a stable more than a house!

In an effort to lift Alan’s spirits, Amanda hires a boat to take in the luscious scenery, but their relaxing excursion soon turns sour as high winds and choppy waters make for a treacherous journey.

Keeping their feet on dry land, the DIY duo head to the island’s capital of Corfu Town to meet their new builder Stamatis, who is up for the enormous challenge. Having recently renovated a run-down traditional Corfiot house into a gorgeous family holiday home, Stamatis shows Amanda and Alan the possibilities that lie ahead.

With their woes eased, the animal lovers visit a donkey sanctuary, and inspired by Corfu’s famous conservationist and writer Gerald Durrell, they set out to volunteer over the summer.

 6 EPISODES  CONTINUES WEEKLY

 STREAM ON BBC IPLAYER  ALL EPISODES AVAILABLE

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3

 RETURNING ENTERTAINMENT

THE MASKED SINGER

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Saturday 3rd January

8pm | ITV1

It's time to scream "Take it off!" at the TV again as Davina McCall, Maya Jama, Jonathan Ross and Mo Gilligan return to their detective chairs for another round of the nation’s favourite guessing game, The Masked Singer alongisde host Joel Dommett.

The panel will be joined by an array of guest panellists throughout the series, who will be joining in on all of the action and hoping that they can guess who is masquerading behind the mask.

A fresh batch of famous faces don a line-up of extraordinary and elaborate costumes, in a bid to disguise their identities, as they sing in front of a studio audience and our celebrity judging panel. But who will be behind the masks?

 8EPISODES  CONTINUES WEEKLY

 STREAM ON ITVX

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4

 BRAND NEW DRAMA

WAITING FOR THE OUT

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Saturday 3rd January

9.30pm | BBC One

Dennis Kelly's new drama for BBC One, Waiting for the Out, has been adapted from Andy West’s acclaimed memoir The Life Inside, and centres around Dan, a philosopher who begins teaching a class of men in prison.

Each week, Dan, played by Josh Finan, leads discussions about dominance, freedom, luck and other topics that have troubled philosophers for thousands of years, topics that gain a new meaning when seen through the prisoners’ eyes, both igniting passions and creating tension.

Through his work, Dan begins to dig deeper into his own past, growing up with a violent father, played by Gerard Kearns, who ended up in prison, as did his brother Lee, played by Stephen Wight, and uncle Frank, played by Phil Daniels.

6 EPISODES  CONTINUES WEEKLY

 STREAM ON BBC IPLAYER  ALL EPISODES AVAILABLE

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5

 CROSSOVER EPISODE

CORRIEDALE

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Monday 5th January

8pm | ITV1

Two worlds collide. One hour. One night. Everything changes as the worlds of two major soaps collide in a catastrophic, life-changing one-hour special.

It begins with Debbie Webster's dramatic wedding to Ronnie, where a desperate, drink-fuelled Carl speeds away with Debbie in the car. Simultaneously, Becky, fleeing her past with Lisa and Betsy, loses control of her vehicle, triggering a multi-car pile-up on a stormy road between Hotton and Weatherfield.

The minibus carrying wedding guests—including Billy, David, pregnant Shona, Steve, and Tracy heads towards the crash, can Billy steer them out of danger? With a drunken Carl careering out of control on the wet road is he about to put more lives at risk?

Elsewhere, the desperate love triangle between Aaron, Robert, and the vengeful John Sugden culminates in the chaos, as Aaron is held at gunpoint. Hot on their heels, Kit and Carla arrive to save lives and pursue fugitives.

Cain and Moira are taking Jacob and Sarah to the airport and are blinded by Mack, in his car with Charity, flashing his lights. Cain desperately tries to avert disaster when Mack's car crashes nearby. In the queue of traffic, a mysterious van pulls up, concealing a terrified, bound woman.

The episode ends at Hotten General, where the injured arrive, but life will never be the same. The aftermath of the crash gives rise to fear, murderous intent, death, destruction, closely-guarded secrets, and lies.

 STREAM ON ITVX

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6

 RETURNING DRAMA

WATERLOO ROAD

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Tuesday 6th January

9pm and 10.40pm | BBC One

School's back! As Waterloo Road returns for its 17th series, and as revealed at the end of the previous series, original cast member Denise Welch returns as the iconic Steph Haydock who is called in as a supply teacher for Waterloo Road as they struggle with the teacher shortage, saving the day when there is a crisis amongst the students.

This January, new Deputy Darius, played by Jon Richardson, holds the keys to the kingdom. But how far will he go to keep that power?

With the arrival of excluded students and familiar faces, chaos ensues at Waterloo Road. Love is in the air, and with prom and a wedding on the horizon, the teaching staff and students of Waterloo Road aren’t shy of any new challenges.

Joining Waterloo Road this series will be Karl Davies as Anthony Walters, the ex-husband of Nicky Walters, played by Kym Marsh, who arrives as the coach of the girl’s football team that some of Waterloo Road’s very own get involved with, thriving at the sport. His arrival causes a big stir with Tonya and Nicky, who has taken on a new role at the school.

 8 EPISODES  CONTINUES WEEKLY WITH 2 EPISODES

 STREAM ON BBC IPLAYER  ALL EPISODES AVAILABLE

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7

 BRAND NEW COMEDY

CAN YOU KEEP A SECRET?

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Wednesday 7th January

9.30pm | BBC One

Written by Simon Mayhew-Archer, BBC One's new sitcom Can You Keep A Secret? stars stars Dawn French as widow Debbie Fendon. She’s a granny, lawn bowler and tinpot dictator who will stop at nothing to make sure her family’s protected. Unfortunately, most of the time, the person they really need protecting from is her.

When her hermit-like husband William, played by Mark Heap, unexpectedly dies, she makes an outlandish decision that will put the family under more pressure than ever before. Because Debbie isn’t actually a widow and William didn’t really die, he was just mistakenly declared dead, and the two retirees found themselves staring down the barrel of an opportunity too good to pass up.

Just a few months hiding out in the loft waiting for the life insurance to pay out, and then they can live out their golden years in peace. This all proves a bit much for their easily frazzled son Harry, played by Craig Roberts, who, despite his emotional shortcomings, has managed to acquire a family of his own and a potentially life-changing insurance payout from his father’s ‘death’.

What’s especially tricky for Harry is that his pathologically pragmatic wife, Neha, played by Mandip Gill, is a local police officer and, if she finds out about her in-laws’ fraudulent ways, the Fendons might have an issue.

Clearly, Harry, reunited with a dad he’s just buried and the reality that his parents have turned into a pensioner version of Bonnie and Clyde, suddenly has a lot more to juggle. Sandwiched between two generations of toddlers, he finds himself navigating a very common stage of life, only this time, it’s criminal.

Filmed and set in the West Country, Can You Keep a Secret? is the story of an odd little family you haven’t met yet, but that you already know. A sitcom that places comedy icon Dawn French in the middle of some mischief we can all relate to. Can Debbie Fendon and her family keep their secret? Or will one of them spill the beans?

 6 EPISODES  CONTINUES WEEKLY

 STREAM ON BBC IPLAYER  ALL EPISODES AVAILABLE

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8

 RETURNING DRAMA

PATIENCE

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Wednesday 7th and Thursday 8th January

9pm | Channel 4

Channel 4's hit drama Patience returns this year for an extended run, as Ella Maisy Purvis returns as Patience, alongside Jessica Hynes who joins as DI Frankie Monroe, who promises to bring a different dynamic to the station and a new boss for Patience and the team.

In series two, Patience continues her work in the police criminal records department of City of York Police after establishing herself as an invaluable member of the team, bringing her unique insight into a series of perplexing cases.

However, when a new boss, Detective Frankie Monroe brings a very different management style, it proves tricky for them both to navigate.

Love is also in the air in this series as Patience begins a relationship with a work colleague, Elliot and the police department gets a makeover with the arrival of a new PR consultant, all whilst tackling intriguing crimes in extraordinary settings such as York Minster.

 8 EPISODES  CONTINUES WEEKLY

 STREAM ON CHANNEL 4  ALL EPISODES AVAILABLE

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9

 BRAND NEW DRAMA

GIRL TAKEN

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Thursday 8th January

Paramount+

Paramount+'s new psychological thriller Girl Taken, is based on the novel Baby Doll and follows the story of twin sisters Lily and Abby, played by sisters Tallulah and Delphi Evans, whose lives are shattered when Lily is abducted from their quiet rural English town by beloved local teacher Rick Hansen, played by Alfie Allen.

After years of abuse in captivity, Lily escapes, only to discover that freedom brings its own challenges. The world she longed to return to has moved on without her.

As Abby, Lily and their mother Eve, played by Jill Halfpenny, struggle to rebuild their family, they must confront the lasting damage and the terrifying reality that Rick is still out there, determined to control the narrative and evade justice.

Promising to be raw and emotionally charged, Girl Taken is set to be a gripping exploration of trauma, resilience, sisterhood, and the high cost of reclaiming one’s life.

 6 EPISODES

 STREAM ON PARAMOUNT+  ALL EPISODES AVAILABLE

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10

 RETURNING COMEDY

BLACK OPS

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Thursday 8th January

9.30pm | BBC One

Hit comedy-thriller Black Ops returns to BBC One this week, continuing to tell the story of Dom and Kay, played by Gbemisola Ikumelo and Hammed Animashaun, as well as gang boss Tevin, plated by Akemnji Ndifornyen.

Co-created by Gbemisola and Akemnji, the first series of Black Ops followed the two Police Community Support Officers as they joined the Met Police in the hope of cleaning up their community.

However, as we quickly saw in the first series, it wasn't long before Dom and Kay found themselves unwittingly thrust into the murky world of deep-cover infiltration, with their lives becoming more of a fiasco than Donnie Brasco!

Series two kicks off with Dom and Kay now working for MI5. They may be in the world of espionage, but their jobs are decidedly unglamorous. Not everyone can be James Bond, someone has to do the admin.

All that changes when Dom meets a charismatic spy called Steve, offering the promise of more exciting, classified work. Dom and Kay soon find themselves embroiled in an escapade that tests their wits, their friendship, and their love of carnival to the limits.

 6 EPISODES  CONTINUES WEEKLY

 STREAM ON BBC IPLAYER  ALL EPISODES AVAILABLE

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11

 RETURNING DRAMA

A THOUSAND BLOWS

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Friday 9th January

Disney+

As Steven Knight's A Thousand Blows returns to Disney+ for its second series, we return to the brutal East End of London in the 1880s, one year on, as Hezekiah finds himself a shadow of the man he once was, whilst Sugar Goodson is estranged from his family and drinking himself to death.

Just as Wapping is about to sigh its last breath, Mary Carr bursts back into town with her loyal second, Alice Diamond. In Mary's absence, Eliza's failed reign as Queen has seen her exiled, whilst Indigo Jeremy has taken back control of the Elephants.

Mary is back to reassemble the Forty Elephants and reclaim her crown. She sobers Sugar up; she has a use for him yet, and forms a reluctant alliance with Hezekiah to take down Indigo Jeremy once and for all. As always, Mary has a plan. And this time it's riskier than ever.

 6 EPISODES

 STREAM ON DISNEY+  ALL EPISODES AVAILABLE