What's On TV Tonight - Saturday, 1 November 2025

Saturday night, first weekend of November - which means Strictly's in full swing, the clocks have just gone back (hello dark evenings at 4pm), and tellies across Britain are properly warming up. Tonight's a weird mix: family sequins, killer dolls, and a genuinely grim documentary about body bags in Mexico. Buckle up.

Quick Picks: Tonight's Best

• ⭐ M3GAN (Film4, 9pm) - The creepiest AI doll since Chucky went digital
• Strictly Come Dancing (BBC One, 6:35pm) - Week 6, now properly heating up
• Nine Bodies in a Mexican Morgue (BBC One, 9:20pm) - Not for the squeamish
• Ghostbusters (ITV2, 6:10pm) - The original, still brilliant

Early Evening: Family Viewing (6:30pm - 8pm)

Strictly Come Dancing - BBC One, 6:35pm

Week 6, and by now we know who's got it and who's hanging on by their spray tan. The early weeks are always a bit gentle - everyone gets their moment, judges play nice. But November? This is when it gets properly competitive. Plus, that theme tune slaps.

If you're one of those "I don't watch Strictly" people, fine - but you're missing the most reliably entertaining thing on Saturday nights. It's shiny, it's daft, and Bruno's not there anymore which honestly makes the whole thing feel weirdly calm.

Ghostbusters - ITV2, 6:10pm (PG)

Look, if your kids haven't seen the original Ghostbusters yet, tonight's the night. Bill Murray at peak Bill Murray, that theme song, the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man stomping through New York. It's properly funny, got just enough scares to feel exciting without traumatising anyone under 10, and the practical effects still hold up way better than half the CGI rubbish we get now.

Yeah, it's been on telly a thousand times. Still works.

Prime Time: The Main Event (9pm onwards)

⭐ M3GAN - Film4, 9pm (15)

Right, this one properly unsettled me when I saw it in cinemas. It's basically "what if your kid's AI doll became a protective psychopath?" - and it's way smarter and scarier than it has any right to be.

M3GAN (the doll) is designed to be a child's perfect companion - learns their habits, plays with them, protects them. Except her definition of "protect" involves increasingly creative murder. The film knows exactly what it is: part horror, part dark comedy, with a robot that does a viral TikTok dance before slaughtering someone.

Allison Williams (from Get Out) plays the aunt who creates M3GAN for her newly orphaned niece, and watching her slowly realize she's built a killer is genuinely gripping. Plus, that creepy doll voice will stick with you for days.

Rating: 15 (violence, threat) Warning: Proper horror - don't let the dancing robot memes fool you, this gets nasty

Nine Bodies in a Mexican Morgue - BBC One, 9:20pm

After Strictly wraps, BBC One pivots HARD into documentary territory with this genuinely harrowing look at a Mexico City morgue dealing with nine unidentified bodies. It's part of the "Body Bags" series, and honestly? It's bleak.

This isn't your cozy BBC crime reconstruction - it's forensic teams trying to identify corpses in a country where thousands go missing every year. If you're after light Saturday night viewing, absolutely skip this. But if you want proper journalism that doesn't flinch, it's exceptional work.

Just... maybe have something cheerful queued up for after. Trust me.

Rating: Likely TV-14 equivalent Warning: Graphic content, distressing themes

Honest Thief - Channel 4, 9:20pm (12A)

Liam Neeson in yet another "retired badass gets pulled back in" thriller. He plays a bank robber trying to turn himself in for love (aww?) but - shock - the FBI agents are corrupt and now he's got to clear his name while punching people.

It's... fine. Liam Neeson doing his gruff thing, some decent action beats, nothing you haven't seen before. If M3GAN sounds too intense and the morgue doc sounds too depressing, this is your reliable "dad thriller" option. Does exactly what it says on the tin.

Rating: 12A What you get: Liam Neeson. Punching. Mild peril.

Romesh Ranganathan's Parents' Evening - ITV1, 9:20pm

Parents meet their kids' teachers, except the kids are famous. It's that simple, and it's genuinely funny watching celebrities squirm as their mums get the dirt from their old English teacher.

Romesh hosts with his usual deadpan brilliance, and the format just works - there's something universally mortifying about your parents talking to your teachers, even when you're 40 and successful. Light, funny, perfect if you want to switch your brain off after a long week.

Minority Report - ITV2, 9:35pm (12)

Spielberg's 2002 sci-fi thriller about psychic crime prediction. Tom Cruise runs a lot (obviously), the future tech still looks pretty slick, and the central premise - "what if we arrested people before they committed murder?" - remains genuinely interesting.

It's aged remarkably well, actually. The surveillance state stuff feels more relevant now than it did in 2002, and the action sequences are properly thrilling. Plus, Colin Farrell as the smarmy federal agent is peak early-2000s Colin Farrell.

Rating: 12 (moderate violence, language) Fun fact: Steven Spielberg consulted futurists to design the tech - some of it's scarily close to what we have now

Late Night: For Night Owls (10pm onwards)

Celebrity Gogglebox - E4, 9pm

Famous people watching telly is somehow still entertaining. I can't explain why, but watching Rylan react to Love Island is better than watching Love Island.

Edge of Darkness - BBC Four, 9:15pm

1985 BBC thriller starring Bob Peck. Proper slow-burn Cold War paranoia. If you've never seen it, tonight's your chance - it's absolutely brilliant, though very much "1980s BBC pacing" which means you'll need to actually pay attention.

The Fugitive - 5Action, 9pm (12)

Harrison Ford, Tommy Lee Jones, that train crash, "I don't care!" - you know this film. Still absolutely rocks. One of those perfect thrillers where every scene does something.

If You're Not Into Films Tonight

Fancy live entertainment instead? Horse of the Year Show is on Channel 4 from 6pm if you're into equestrian sports. It's surprisingly gripping - proper athletes, beautiful horses, and way more dramatic than you'd expect.

Or there's Top Gear on BBC Two at 8pm tomorrow night - but honestly, M3GAN is calling.

What's on Streaming

• Netflix: The Fall of the House of Usher if you're after Mike Flanagan horror
• Prime Video: Gen V (The Boys spin-off) if superhero stuff is more your speed
• Disney+: Loki Season 2 should still be going

The Viewing Schedule Table

Final Verdict

M3GAN's the one to watch if you want something genuinely gripping that isn't your standard horror fare. It's clever, creepy, and that dancing doll will haunt your nightmares in the best way. Just don't watch it before buying your kids any AI toys for Christmas.

For families, stick with Strictly then bail before the morgue doc starts. And if you just want a solid Saturday night without thinking too hard, Minority Report on ITV2 delivers proper Spielberg thrills.

Whatever you pick, enjoy the dark evenings - at least we've got good telly to fill them.

-Katy Haswell