Thursday's giving us a cracking mix - jungle antics on ITV, genuinely important science on Channel 4, and the Drag Race queens attempting comedy (always risky). Plus there's Celebrity MasterChef if you're after some competitive cooking stress.

Table of Contents

Quick Picks: Tonight's Best

Early Evening (8pm)

Celebrity Race Across the World - BBC One, 8pm

Celebrity Travel Show

The celeb teams are racing across continents with no smartphones, no credit cards, and definitely no stylists. It's brilliant watching famous faces deal with budget travel like normal humans - delayed trains, dodgy hostels, and wondering if they can actually afford dinner.

Tonight's leg brings fresh challenges and the usual mix of team dynamics. Some partnerships are thriving, others... not so much.

Prime Time (9pm)

Cancer Detectives: Finding the Cures - Channel 4, 9pm ⭐

Cancer Research Documentary

This is the one to watch. Prof Sarah Blagden's developing a lung cancer prevention vaccine. Richard Mair's researching brain cancers that are nearly impossible to treat. Prof Caroline Dive is working on blood tests that detect cancer before scans do.

We're in the "golden age of cancer research" apparently, and this three-part series follows these scientists treating real patients. It's moving without being manipulative, and the science is fascinating. Channel 4 documentaries at their best - smart, accessible, genuinely important.

I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! - ITV1, 9pm

The jungle drama continues. Someone's annoying everyone, someone else is crying about missing home, and Ant and Dec are loving every second of it. If you've been following the series, you're not missing tonight - the dynamics are getting spicy.

Celebrity MasterChef - BBC One, 9pm

Famous faces sweating over soufflés while Gregg Wallace makes encouraging noises. It's comfort viewing - you know exactly what you're getting, and sometimes that's what you need on a Thursday night.

Play for Today: Big Winners - Channel 5, 9pm

The Play for Today revival continues with Sue Johnston and Paul Copley as a couple whose frugal life gets turned upside down by a lottery win. What unspoken resentments bubble up when suddenly there's money?

It's old-school British drama - quiet, observational, all about what's NOT said. If you miss proper kitchen-sink storytelling, this is worth a look.

RuPaul's Drag Race UK - BBC Three, 9pm

RuPaul's Drag Race

Penultimate episode means the comedy roast challenge - famously the trickiest hurdle before the finale. Sophie Willan (Alma's Not Normal creator) is guest judging alongside Alan Carr.

The roast separates queens who can actually be funny from those who just look stunning. Expect car crashes alongside brilliance.

If You're Not Into Reality TV

Gogglebox - E4, 9pm

The nation's favourite sofa critics react to this week's telly. You can switch your brain off completely and just enjoy other people's hot takes. Perfect Thursday night comfort viewing.

The Creator - Film4, 9pm

Gareth Edwards' 2023 sci-fi about humans vs AI. Visually stunning (shot on a surprisingly tiny budget), even if the story doesn't quite land. Worth it for the world-building alone.

The Viewing Schedule

Time Channel Programme
8:00pm BBC One Celebrity Race Across the World
9:00pm ITV1 I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here!
9:00pm BBC One Celebrity MasterChef
9:00pm Channel 4 Cancer Detectives: Finding the Cures ⭐
9:00pm Channel 5 Play for Today: Big Winners
9:00pm BBC Three RuPaul's Drag Race UK
9:00pm E4 Gogglebox
9:00pm Film4 The Creator

Final Verdict

If you only watch one thing, make it Cancer Detectives on Channel 4 - it's genuinely important telly. Otherwise, there's enough reality TV chaos to keep you entertained, whether that's jungle drama, cooking stress, or drag queens attempting stand-up.