It's Bake Off final night, which means three stressed-out bakers attempting the show's biggest cake ever while the rest of us stress-eat biscuits on the sofa. Plus ambulances, murder docs, and Val McDermid's library tour.

Table of Contents

Quick Picks: Tonight's Best

Early Evening: Pre-Watershed Comfort

⭐ The Great British Bake Off - Channel 4, 8pm

The Great British Bake Off Final

It's the final, and honestly? The show's not quite the cultural juggernaut it was five years ago, but there's still something brilliant about watching three knackered bakers tackle British iced buns, French delights, and the biggest sodding cake in Bake Off history.

Jasmine, Aaron and Tom have made it through weeks of soggy bottoms and split ganache to get here. The tea party finale always gets me - that moment when they're all exhausted and covered in flour, waiting for Prue to destroy their dreams with one raised eyebrow. Still comfort telly at its finest.

Prime Time: The Serious Stuff (9pm onwards)

Ambulance - BBC One, 9pm

"Is this the leg you landed on? Did you feel it crunch?" Christ. If that opening question doesn't make you wince, nothing will. This week's episode follows Joey, who's been knocked off his bike, plus a five-year-old hit by a car outside school.

Look, I know these shows can veer into trauma porn territory, but the paramedics here are genuinely heroic. It's the little moments that get me - the way they chat to scared kids, the dark humour between call-outs. Makes Casualty look like a pantomime.

TikTok: Murder Gone Viral - ITV1, 9pm

This documentary series about murders tied to social media is grim viewing, but it's important stuff. Tonight focuses on Tristyn Bailey, a 13-year-old from Florida whose death became online speculation central before a classmate was eventually jailed.

The show walks a tricky line between examining how social media amplifies tragedy and potentially contributing to it. Sometimes it stumbles, but when it gets the balance right, it's essential viewing about the dark side of our extremely-online world.

Murder Before Evensong - Channel 5, 9pm

Poor Daniel's having an absolute nightmare. His friendship with Neil's falling apart, his mum Audrey's giving him grief ("You broke your dad's heart" - ouch), and he's facing a tribunal with the bishop. The only silver lining? His church lavatory plans might finally get approved.

It's cosy crime with a side of family drama, perfect for when you want murder but make it twee. Think Midsomer Murders meets The Vicar of Dibley, and you're halfway there.

Worlds Apart - Channel 4, 9.15pm

The age gap travel show wraps up its first series with three old-young teams competing at the Buddha on the Hill for £50k. It's been a surprisingly sweet show - initially felt like it might be patronising disaster telly, but turns out watching different generations navigate Japan together is actually lovely.

The final challenge better be good though, because we've invested weeks in these pairs. If they bottle the ending, we riot.

Late Night: For Night Owls

In My Own Words: Val McDermid - BBC One, 10.40pm

"I don't know how to write a book that doesn't have a dead body in it." Same, Val. Same.

Before she became the queen of crime fiction, McDermid was a journalist covering Lockerbie and Hillsborough - the kind of stories that mark you. This documentary digs into her traumatic childhood and early writing career, but the real treat is her showing off that gorgeous home library.

It's rare to get crime writers being this candid about where the darkness in their work comes from. McDermid's self-aware, funny, and her book collection is obscene (in the best way). One for anyone who's ever wondered what makes crime writers tick.

If You're Not Into Telly Crime Docs

Kenny Dalglish - Prime Video

Asif Kapadia's latest is about Liverpool FC's greatest ever player, but even if you couldn't care less about football, it's worth your time for the Heysel and Hillsborough sections alone. Dalglish's witty, self-deprecating voiceover carries you through his Celtic and Liverpool glory days, but it's the trauma of those disasters that gives this real weight.

The shadow those events cast over him is palpable. Kapadia knows how to make sports docs that transcend the game - see Senna, see Diego Maradona. This is up there with his best work.

What's on Streaming

Prime Video: Kenny Dalglish documentary (see above), plus Liverpool v Real Madrid Champions League football at 6.30pm if you're that way inclined.

TNT Sports 1: Slavia Prague v Arsenal at 5pm, then Spurs v Copenhagen at 7.45pm. European football midweek - it's either your jam or it absolutely isn't.

Netflix: Still catching up on the back catalogue while you wait for the next big drop.

The Viewing Schedule Table

Time Channel Programme What's It About?
8:00pm Channel 4 The Great British Bake Off (Final) Three finalists, one massive cake, inevitable tears
9:00pm BBC One Ambulance Real paramedics, real emergencies, real heroes
9:00pm ITV1 TikTok: Murder Gone Viral Tristyn Bailey case and social media's dark side
9:00pm Channel 5 Murder Before Evensong Daniel's tribunal troubles and lavatory victories
9:15pm Channel 4 Worlds Apart (Final) Age gap teams compete in Japan for £50k
10:40pm BBC One In My Own Words: Val McDermid Crime queen's life story and book porn

Final Verdict

Bake Off's lost some of its sparkle, but the final's still must-watch comfort telly. Ambulance will wreck you emotionally (in a good way), and Val McDermid's late-night slot is perfect for winding down with someone who understands that dead bodies make everything better. Not the strongest Tuesday in history, but there's enough here to avoid doomscrolling until midnight.