top of page

WHAT TO WATCH 26 TV Shows to Look Forward to in 2026

  • Jan 1
  • 19 min read

Updated: Jan 12

Here's what to expect over the next twelve months...



With 2025 over, it's time to look ahead to the next 12 months and see what we've got to look forward to on television in 2026.


And there's a lot to get excited about, including many returning favourites, such as Bergerac, Big Mood, Black Ops, Last One Laughing, Rivals, Ted Lasso, Things You Should Have Done, A Thousand Blows and Twenty Twelve/W1A sequel, Twenty Twenty Six.


Plus, we've got new comedies from Josh Pugh, Katy Wix and Adam Drake, Leo Reich, Lisa McGee and Simon Mayhew-Archer to look forward to.


And new dramas from Charlotte Regan, Daisy Haggard, Debbie O'Malley, Jack Thorne, James Graham, Julie Gearey, Richard Gadd, Russell T Davies, Stefan Golaszewski, Tony Schumacher and more.


With all that and so much more, here are 26 TV shows you can't miss in the year ahead...

1

 BRAND NEW DRAMA

BABIES

BBC One



BBC One's powerful new love story, Babies, written and directed by Stefan Golaszewski, who brought us Him & Her, Mum and Marriage, stars Paapa Essiedu and Siobhán Cullen, alongside Jack Bannon and Charlotte Riley.


It's described as a warm and touching drama, which explores the delicate tightrope of love and loss in a young couple's desire to become parents. Lisa, played by Siobhán Cullen and Stephen, played by Paapa Essiedu, are dealing with the painful struggle of pregnancy loss while life continues around them.


However, despite facing dark times of grief and loneliness, they are finding their way through it with a burning sense of hope, humour, and love, realising the strength of their relationship, which will ultimately bring them closer than ever.


 6 EPISODES

 STREAM ON BBC IPLAYER 

2

 RETURNING DRAMA

BERGERAC

U&Drama



Damien Molony returns as the complex Jim Bergerac in a brand new series of Bergerac on U&Drama. A brilliant detective grappling with life as a recovering alcoholic and widower. And series two will continue to reimagine the iconic 80s detective drama with a contemporary, character-led mystery that unfolds across all six episodes.


In series two, Bergerac is starting to put his life back together, while his mother-in-law, Charlie Hungerford, has a new man in her life, Nigel, played by Adrian Edmondson. And with Kim's encouragement, even Jim’s tentatively dating. But when he meets Nicola, played by Camilla Beeput, a visitor to Jersey, and they connect, before the relationship even has time to blossom, Jim is pulled back into his next big case.


When the groom at a wedding reception on the island is found murdered in his hotel room, the wedding party comes under intense suspicion and scrutiny. Jim will have to decipher the victim’s cryptic last words from his speech if he is ever going to bring the killer to justice. And when Jim starts to unravel old secrets, more skeletons come to light, making this his most intricate case yet.


Damien is joined once again by Zoë Wanamaker as Charlie Hungerford, Robert Gilbert as Barney Crozier, Chloé Sweetlove as Kim Bergerac and Sasha Behar as Uma Dalal. And new cast members include Adrian Edmondson as Nigel and Lesley Sharp as Monica, mother to Michael, played by Turlough Convery, as well as Charles Dale as Ian.


 6 EPISODES

 STREAM ON U 

3

 RETURNING COMEDY

BIG MOOD

Channel 4



It was Channel 4's biggest comedy launch since Derry Girls, and in 2026, Nicola Coughlan and Lydia West are both returning for series two of Big Mood.


It's been a year since they last saw each other, without any contact between the best friends. When Eddie suddenly returns for a wedding, she isn’t alone; Maggie has competition, in the form of an infuriatingly positive spiritual healer named Whitney.


Can Maggie and her special brand of chaos find space in Eddie’s new life? Or will Maggie lose Eddie forever?


 6 EPISODES

 STREAM ON CHANNEL 4 

4

 RETURNING COMEDY

BLACK OPS

Thursday 8th January

9.30pm | BBC One



Following a successful debut series in 2023, BBC One comedy Black Ops is finally back for a second series and this time 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.


Series two will also welcome a number of guest stars, including Tom Stourton, Nigel Havers, Annette Badland, Ed Speleers and Cathy Tyson.


 6 EPISODES

 STREAM ON BBC IPLAYER 

5

 BRAND NEW DRAMA

THE CAGE

BBC One



Following the success of The Responder, Tony Schumacher has written and created a new character-driven drama called The Cage which promises to be a high-stakes, high energy crime story set within the world of a Liverpool Casino with two unforgettable characters at its heart.


When Leanne and Matty, played by Sheridan Smith and Michael Socha, discover they are both robbing from the safe at the inner-city casino they work in, their lives are set on a collision course; with each other, the local gangster they're stealing from, and the police.


Joining Sheridan Smith and Michael Socha, will be Barry Sloane as Gary, Geraldine James as Nancy, Anton Bibby as Thomas, Freya Jones as Emily, Sophie Mensah as Fen, Abby Mavers as Kelly, Shaun Mason as Alan, Louis Emerick as Paul, Ian Puleston Davies as Vincent, Julia Papp as Irina, Katy Carmichael as DCI Hannigan, Dave Hart as Danny, Eileen O’Brien as Nanna, Eithne Browne as Annie, Mona Goodwin as Trace, and more.


 5 EPISODES

 STREAM ON BBC IPLAYER 

6

 BRAND NEW COMEDY

CAN YOU KEEP A SECRET?

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

 STREAM ON BBC IPLAYER 

7

 BRAND NEW DRAMA

DEAR ENGLAND

BBC One



James Graham's new four-part drama for BBC One, Dear England, which is based on his hit National Theatre play of the same name, follows Gareth Southgate and the England men’s football team.


With the worst team track record for penalties in the world when he takes over as manager, Gareth knows he needs to open his mind and face up to the years of hurt to take England back to the promised land. The country that gave the world football has delivered a painful pattern of loss. Why can’t the England team win at their own game?


Joseph Fiennes will reprise the role he played on stage, Gareth Southgate, with Jodie Whittaker joining the cast as Pippa Grange, the England men’s team psychologist, while Jason Watkins is former FA chairman Greg Dyke, and John Hodgkinson reprises his stage role as former FA chairman Greg Clarke.


Daniel Ryan will play Steve Holland, former assistant manager for the England men’s team and Sam Spruell will also star as fictional coach, Mike Webster.


 4 EPISODES

 STREAM ON BBC IPLAYER 

8

 BRAND NEW DRAMA

FALLING

Channel 4



Jack Thorne's new drama for Channel 4, Falling, is his first-ever love story and stars Keeley Hawes as devoted nun Anna and Paapa Essiedu as Catholic priest David.


Both are deeply committed to their work in the church and in their community. Neither are expected to fall in love. But when they do, both are forced to wrestle with what it means for them, their vows, and their relationship with God.


Falling promises to be a witty, moving, contemporary romantic drama that is as honest as it is full of heart.


 6 EPISODES

 STREAM ON CHANNEL 4 

9

 BRAND NEW DRAMA

HALF MAN

BBC One



Following the huge success of Baby Reindeer, Richard Gadd returns to our screens in 2026 in new BBC One drama Half Man, which he's written and created and will star in alongside Jamie Bell.


Half Man follows estranged ‘brothers’ Niall played by Jamie Bell, and Ruben played by Richard Gadd. When Ruben shows up unexpectedly at Niall’s wedding, they reunite after years of estrangement, leading to an explosion of violence that catapults us back through their lives over the course of the series.


Spanning almost 40 years from the 1980s to the present day, Mitchell Robertson and Stuart Campbell play Niall and Ruben in their younger years.


Half Man explores the highs and lows of Ruben and Niall’s relationship, from meeting them as troubled teenagers to witnessing their falling out as adults, with all the good, bad, terrible, funny, angry, and challenging moments along the way.


It promises to capture the wild energy of a changing city, a changing world even, and try to get to the bottom of the difficult question... What does it mean to be a man?


 6 EPISODES

 STREAM ON BBC IPLAYER 

10

 BRAND NEW COMEDY

HOW TO GET TO
HEAVEN FROM BELFAST

Netflix



All eyes have been on Lisa McGee since Derry Girls came to an end to see what she'll create next, and the answer is a comedy thriller called How To Get To Heaven From Belfast.


The 8-part series will star Roísín Gallagher, Sinéad Keenan and Caoilfhionn Dunne as three childhood friends, now in their late 30s, who come together over news of a fourth friend’s death, leading them on a dark, dangerous and hilarious odyssey through Ireland and beyond as they try to piece together the truth of the past.


Clever, chaotic TV writer Saoirse, played by Gallagher, glamorous, stressed-out mother of three Robyn, played by Keenan and dependable, inhibited carer Dara, played by Dunne, have been a tight-knit group since school.


Now in their late 30s, but still as close as ever, these three friends are about to embark on the most thrilling adventure of their lives. When an email arrives, telling them about the death of the estranged fourth member of their childhood gang, Greta, a series of eerie events at her wake set them on a dark, dangerous and hilarious odyssey through Ireland and beyond as each tries to piece together the truth of the past.


It promises to be a show about friendship, memory and what happens when life doesn’t turn out quite like you’d expected.


 8 EPISODES

 STREAM ON NETFLIX

11

 BRAND NEW COMEDY

IT GETS WORSE

Channel 4



Hoping to replicate the recent successes of Derry Girls and Big Boys, Channel 4's big new comedy for 2026, It Gets Worse, has been written and created by rising star Leo Reich and follows Ethan, Abi, and Sam who are best friends from uni, soulmates for life, and dysfunctional roommates.


It’s been a year since they finally managed to move to London, they have collectively accomplished nothing, and now their landlord is selling up. They’re getting kicked out. What now?


Can they keep their friendships alive when they are dispersed across a city that seems to want them dead? Can they find a six out of ten or higher to have bad sex with? Can they get their shit together when the world is so obviously falling apart? Probably not. But they’re going to have fun trying.


It Gets Worse is described as a show about three young people who are starting to look around themselves, at their humiliating jobs, their non-existent love lives and their rapidly dwindling will to live, and think: wait. Wait wait WAIT. Surely it gets better than this? It has to get better than this. Right? Spoiler alert! It doesn’t.


Starring alongisde Leo Reich will be Emily Fairn, Olive Gray, Sean Delaney, Dane Williams, India Mullen and John Tothill. Also joining the cast are Andrew Scott, Arian Nik, Lena Dunham, Safia Oakley-Green, Blake Harrison, Nicole Sadie Sawyerr, Phil Zimmerman, Billy Rilot, Kirsty Bloom, Babymorocco Clayton Pettet, Luca Kamleh-Chapman, Vicki Pepperdine, Amelia Dimoldenberg and Emmeline Downie.


 6 EPISODES

 STREAM ON CHANNEL 4 

12

 BRAND NEW DRAMA

THE LADY

ITV1



ITV1's gripping new four-part drama The Lady, from Debbie O'Malley, charts the extraordinary rise and fall of Jane Andrews, from Buckingham Palace to convicted Murderer, played by Mia McKenna Bruce. Jane Andrews was a young working-class girl who, to the astonishment of her friends and family, became Sarah Ferguson’s dresser at Buckingham Palace.


Moving amongst the highest social circles in Britain, Jane managed to secure a place amongst the upper classes in the Duchess of York’s office, only to lose her job after nine years of service.


Still reeling from her fall from grace, Jane went on to meet charismatic businessman Thomas Cressman and fell deeply in love.  But soon cracks began to develop in the romance Jane had pinned all her hopes on, with disastrous consequences.


The Lady examines ambition, class and identity against the backdrop of the British establishment, and also stars Natalie Dormer as Sarah Ferguson and Ed Speleers as Thomas Cressman, alongside Philip Glenister, Claire Skinner, Laura Aikman, Ophelia Lovibond, Mark Stanley, Daniel Ryan and Sean Teale.


 4 EPISODES

 STREAM ON ITVX

13

 RETURNING ENTERTAINMENT

LAST ONE LAUGHING

Prime Video



It was the surprise hit of 2025 and thankfully Prime Video's Last One Laughing is back for a secodn series with another superb selection of comics including David Mitchell, Diane Morgan, Romesh Ranganathan, Amy Gledhill, Maisie Adam, Mel Giedroyc, Alan Carr, Gbemisola Ikumelo, Sam Campbell and inaugural series one winner Bob Mortimer returning to defend his crown.


Jimmy Carr returns as host alongside his deputy, Roisin Conaty, as he once again challenges 10 of Britain’s funniest comics to spend the day together without so much as cracking a smile.


Over the course of the series, they will use every ounce of their comedic talents to try and break their opponents without cracking up. And it’s not just their rivals they need to watch out for. The show is packed with comedy cameos, format twists and surprises designed to elicit laughs from both players and viewers alike.


The rules are simple: laugh and you’re out. Who will be crowned the winner of Last One Laughing series 2?


 6 EPISODES

 STREAM ON PRIME VIDEO

14

 BRAND NEW DRAMA

MAYA

Channel 4



Daisy Haggard and Two Brothers' new thriller for Channel 4, Maya, which is co-led by Daisy Haggard and Bella Ramsey, follows determined and devoted single mum Anna and her headstrong teenage daughter, Maya, who are forced into a witness protection programme to escape a life-threatening danger and leave their London lives behind.


They also leave behind Anna's parents, Nancy and George, played by Harriet Walter and Tom Courteney, and take on new identities as they relocate to a small rural town in Scotland.


Aided by Senior Detective Constable Debs, played by Josie Walker, and Witness Protection Officers Tony and Karen, played by Stuart Bowman and Kiran Sonia Sawar, they try to adjust to their new reality, but the trauma of their past continues to haunt them in the form of two hitmen, Benji and Ted, played by Ben Chaplin and Raphel Famotibe, who are intent on tracking them down.


As the walls close in, it becomes clear that a dangerous and calculating figure from their past, the seemingly charming Bobby, played by Tobias Menzies, is still a looming and very present threat.


Darkly comedic and shot through with Haggard’s trademark warmth and humour, Maya promises to be an unmissable, atmospheric psychological thriller that explores themes of predatory male behaviour, family and love, but, above all, is a warm and witty celebration of the special, unbreakable bond shared between mother and daughter.


 6 EPISODES

 STREAM ON CHANNEL 4 

15

 BRAND NEW DRAMA

MINT

BBC One



Charlotte Regan’s debut TV series Mint, launches on BBC One this year and is described as a darkly comic and unconventional drama about a crime family’s inner life, starring musician Loyle Carner, credited as Ben Coyle-Larner, in his acting debut.


Ben stars as Arran, alongside Emma Laird as Shannon, in this unconventional story is about soaring romance, crushing heartbreak and what love might feel like when everyone outside of your family is terrified of you.


The cast also includes Sam Riley, Laura Fraser, Lewis Gribben and Lindsay Duncan.


 8 EPISODES

 STREAM ON BBC IPLAYER 

16

 BRAND NEW DRAMA

OUT OF THE DUST

NETFLIX



Netflix's new six-part psychological thriller, Out of the Dust, from writer Julie Gearey, follows a dutiful wife and mother who is propelled into a dangerous journey of female emancipation and sexual awakening.


Set in a conservative Christian sect, the story follows Rosie, a dutiful wife and mother who is propelled into a dangerous journey of female emancipation and sexual awakening following a fateful encounter with escaped convict, Sam.


Rosie, played by Mollie Windstor, lives with her husband Adam, played by Asa Butterfield, and daughter in a cloistered Christian community. The fateful arrival of escaped prisoner Sam into her life, reveals the reality and restraints of her world; perhaps this hidden religious community doesn't have her best interests at heart.


And, as the cracks begin to appear in her marriage, Sam presents as her saviour. But with his dark criminal past, where does the greatest danger lie, with the cult or with Sam?


Starring alongside Molly and Asa will be Fra Fee as Sam, Siobhan Finneran as Mrs Phillips and Christopher Eccleston as Mr Phillips.


 6 EPISODES

 STREAM ON NETFLIX

17

 BRAND NEW DRAMA

PIERRE

Channel 4



David Harewood leads Channel 4's new six-part legal drama, Pierre, playing West London duty solicitor Pierre, who's a force of nature. He's charming and funny, a glamorous character in an unglamorous profession, juggling the pressures of his job, a fragile personal life and just keeping his head above water financially.


His resilience is tested when he begins investigating the suspicious death of a young black client, Michael. As Pierre challenges the police's portrayal of Michael as a criminal, he unravels a chilling web of institutional corruption. When you come at the system, the system comes at you…


The contemporary legal drama will follow Pierre as he risks everything, his career, his family, and his sense of self, to expose the truth.


Each episode will also feature individual legal stories with unexpected twists that push Pierre and his team to their limits. Against the backdrop of legal aid cuts, the practice struggles to survive, often bending the law to fight for their clients' rights.


 6 EPISODES

 STREAM ON CHANNEL 4 

18

 BRAND NEW COMEDY

PIGEON

Channel 4



Channel 4's new comedy Pigeon, written and created by Katy Wix and Adam Drake, is a new family sitcom about the empty nest filling back up again.


Failed dreams and rash life choices have forced Kathryn, played by Katy Wix, who thought she had all the answers but didn’t listen to the question, from the big city of Chester back to South Wales and the family home she thought she’d escaped.


Waiting for her there is mum Mandy, an attention-seeking dance teacher with a touch of suburban glamour, and younger sister Aubrey, a teenage boy trapped in an adult woman’s body.


Just up the road is her ex from her teenage years, Roy, a big silly dog trapped in an adult man’s body, and her dad, Rhodri, who moved out years ago and only understands “women’s issues” when they’re put in language you’d use about a car.


Pigeon is described as a flatshare comedy, where you “share” with your mum and your sister, and the “flat” is your childhood home. A modern comedy about moving back in with the people who messed you up in the first place.


 6 EPISODES

 STREAM ON CHANNEL 4 

19

 RETURNING DRAMA

RIVALS

Disney+



It's almost time to head back to Rutshire as Rivals, the hit series based on the bestselling novel by the late and much-missed Dame Jilly Cooper, returns to Disney+, promising even more wit, desire, and jaw-dropping twists, as power struggles intensify, rivalries deepen, and ambition pushes loyalties to the brink.


Set in the stunning Cotswolds countryside and against the backdrop of the glamorous, high-stakes world of 1980s British television, the second instalment reunites the all-star cast who captivated fans and critics, while introducing some exciting new faces.


Following the last series' dramatic cliffhanger with Tony’s fate hanging in the balance, Lord Baddingham is back and out for vengeance, ready to stop at nothing to keep Corinium’s empire unrivalled.


Careers, marriages, and reputations hang in the balance as personal and professional lives collide in a world where secrets can’t stay hidden for long. Bold, emotionally charged, and filled with unforgettable moments, Rivals is a thrilling ride through a landscape of breathtaking beauty, fierce competition, and life-changing decisions where the cost of success could be everything.


 12 EPISODES

 STREAM ON DISNEY+

20

 BRAND NEW COMEDY

STEPPING UP

Channel 4



Written by and starring Josh Pugh, Channel 4's new sitcom Stepping Up, follows Josh, an over-enthusiastic stepdad who brings well-intentioned chaos to his new, and previously harmonious, family unit.


Every day behind closed doors in Britain, a stepdad negotiates the tricky paradox of bringing up another man’s kids: locked in several love triangles, the partner and the ex, the kid and the biological Dad, there’s no easy way to play it. Josh is desperate to prove his worth as the perfect role model to his stepchildren, the ideal partner to his girlfriend, and as an all-round ‘Good Bloke’.


Unfortunately for Josh, absolutely everyone in his life is totally fine and would much rather he stopped trying so incredibly hard to help and impress them all the time. No-one needs him to, but Josh is 'stepping up' anyway.


The six-part series promises to deliver an original take on the modern family dynamic and started life as part of Channel 4's Comedy Blaps strand in 2024. It follows in the footsteps of other successful Blaps, We Are Lady Parts, Stath Lets Flats, Home, Chewing Gum and most recently, Pushers.


 6 EPISODES

 STREAM ON CHANNEL 4 

21

 RETURNING COMEDY

TED LASSO

Apple TV


Set to return in 2026 to Apple TV, is the much-anticipated fourth series of Ted Lasso, and this time Ted returns to Richmond, to take on his biggest challenge yet: coaching a second division women’s football team.


Throughout the season, Ted and the team learn to leap before they look, taking chances they never thought they would.


With filming in Kansas City as well as London, not much else is known about the upcoming series other than the confirmation that Jason Sudeikis, Hannah Waddingham, Juno Temple, Brett Goldstein, Brendan Hunt and Jeremy Swift will all be returning.


New cast members include Tanya Reynolds, Jude Mack, Faye Marsay, Rex Hayes, Aisling Sharkey, Abbie Hern and Grant Feely, who is stepping in as Ted’s son, Henry.


 STREAM ON APPLE TV

22

 RETURNING COMEDY

THINGS YOU SHOULD HAVE DONE

BBC Three



Lucia Keskin is back in a second series of Things You Should Have Done as dependent pest and stay-at-home-daughter Chi, who once again is forced to contend with life and death, and a long list of things she really ought to have done by now.


Her dysfunctional family navigate the fallout of yet another unexpected bereavement, with mixed results. Chi turns to her list of ‘things you should have done’ in this time of need and opts to do ‘get therapy’, something her parents always knew she’d need to do anyway.


This sees her path collide with Ruth, a totally unhinged, tough-love grief counsellor played by Bridget Christie, whose questionable methods leave a lot to be desired. Ruth manhandles Chi’s list and vows to help her get over her grief and move on from being able to see her dead parents.


 6 EPISODES

 STREAM ON BBC IPLAYER 

23

 RETURNING DRAMA

A THOUSAND BLOWS

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+

24

 BRAND NEW DRAMA

TIP TOE

Channel 4



2026 sees the arrival of Russell T Davies’ new five-part drama for Channel 4, Tip Toe, which has been entirely shot in Manchester and reunites the team behind Queer as Folk.


It follows Leo and Clive, who have lived next door to each other in Manchester for almost 15 years. But just as life should be settling down, the world around them is growing more tense.


Words become weapons, opinions become radicalised, and gradually, two neighbours become deadly enemies in a tense, suburban thriller that challenges everything we consider to be safe.


Alan Cumming plays Leo, who's described as vivid, funny and dynamic, and the owner of a bar called Spit & Polish in Manchester’s Gay Village. Whilst David Morrissey plays Leo’s unsmiling and troubled next-door neighbour, Clive.


Tip Toe promises to be a story that speaks not just to the queer community but to the world today and is populated with a cast of vibrant characters and underscored with Davies’ trademark wit and deft humour. It's described as an urgent tale, bringing a spotlight to bear on the prejudices which are creeping back into our lives.


Joining Alan Cumming and David Morrissey will be Pooky Quesnel as Clive’s wife Marie, Jackson Connor as Clive’s youngest son George, Joseph Evans as George’s older brother Saul, Elizabeth Berrington as Leo’s best friend Stephanie, Iz Hesketh as Zee and Shakeel Kimotho as Hanna, who both work at Spit & Polish.


Luyanda Unati Lewis-Nyawo stars as the bar’s manager Judy, Paul Rhys as Melba, a Canal Street fixture, Charlie Condou as Leo’s ex-husband Curtis, and Denise Welch as Diane.


 5 EPISODES

 STREAM ON CHANNEL 4 

25

 BRAND NEW COMEDY

TWENTY TWENTY SIX

BBC Two



2026 sees the return of Hugh Bonneville as Ian Fletcher in Twenty Twelve and W1A sequel, Twenty Twenty Six as the year's football tournament, promises to be biggest ever.


Hosted by the USA, Canada, and Mexico with 48 countries taking part and 16 venues thousands of miles apart across the whole of North America; what could possibly go wrong?


Ian Fletcher is about to find out, as he joins the Twenty Twenty Six Oversight Team in Miami as its Director of Integrity. With Hugh Skinner also returning as Will Humphries, to his, and everyone else’s, great surprise. As eager as ever, Will will be on hand to personally assist Ian on delivering a seamless soccer competition.


It was also confirmed that David Tennant will return to narrate proceedings as the Twenty Twenty Six Oversight Team strive to oversee next year’s football tournament.


The rest of the cast includes Nick Blood, Chelsey Crisp, Paulo Costanzo, Stephen Kunken, Jimena Larraguivel, Alexis Michalik and Belinda Stewart-Wilson and announced today, Marli Siu, Nicole Sadie Sawyerr, Joe Hewetson and Erin Kellyman.


 6 EPISODES

 STREAM ON BBC IPLAYER 

26

 BRAND NEW ADAPTATION

A WOMAN OF SUBSTANCE

Channel 4



40 years after the original became Channel 4's most-watched drama ever, a new adaptation of Barbara Taylor Bradford OBE's bestselling novel, A Woman of Substance is set to air in 2026, with Brenda Blethyn as Emma Harte, and Jessica Reynolds as a younger version of the iconic character.


Emma was a housemaid-turned-mogul, daughter, mother, lover, fighter and a 20th century feminist icon who refused to know her ‘place’.


1911. Emma Harte, an impoverished, ambitious maid in Yorkshire, England, goes on a dizzying journey to become the world’s richest woman, gazing down from a sprawling luxury New York penthouse. A rags-to-riches tale of women through the 20th century, Emma defies the expectations of her society, fearlessly challenging the roles she's given, smashing glass ceilings, and never, ever deviating from her masterplan: Get to the top. Whatever it takes.


A Woman of Substance will also star Emmett J Scanlan as Adam Fairley, Lydia Leonard as Olivia Wainwright, Leanne Best as Adele Fairley, Ewan Horrocks as Edwin Fairley, Harry Cadby as Gerald Fairley, Will Mellor as Jack Harte, Lenny Rush as Frank Harte, Niall Wright as Mac, Robert Wilfort as Murgatroyd, Toby Regbo as Jim Fairley, Hiftu Quasem as Priya Chandra, Sophie Bould as Elizabeth Harte and Georgina Sadler as Polly.


 8 EPISODES

 STREAM ON CHANNEL 4 


 
 
 

© I TALK TELLY

bottom of page