Thursday's telly is absolutely stacked tonight. Celebrity Race Across the World reaches its penultimate episode with some properly gut-wrenching family moments, there's a harrowing true crime documentary about an Orkney murder that still haunts the islands, and Channel 4's got a fascinating look at the scientists racing to crack cancer. Oh, and Quentin Tarantino's doing his thing on Film4 if you fancy some Nazi-scalping action.

Table of Contents

Quick Picks: Tonight's Best

Early Evening (7-8pm)

Celebrity Race Across the World - BBC One, 8pm ⭐

Celebrity Race Across the World

This is the one that's going to have you reaching for the tissues. The penultimate episode sees our celebrity pairs make their way from South Korea towards the finish line, but it's Jeff Brazier's emotional moment that'll stick with you. He breaks down talking about son Bobby and the whole grief journey they've been on together since Jade Goody's death.

What makes this series work so well is how the stripped-back travel format forces genuine conversations. No phones, limited budget, nothing but time together. It's reality TV that actually reveals something real, and tonight's episode is apparently a proper tearjerker. Keep tissues handy.

Prime Time (9pm)

The Man in the Mask: An Orkney Murder - BBC Two, 9pm

The Man in the Mask Documentary

Right, this one's properly chilling. Documentary filmmaker Brian Hill has made a two-part series about the 2022 murder of a retired shopkeeper in Orkney - an island community where everyone knows everyone and crime like this just doesn't happen. Someone wearing a mask walked into her home and killed her. The first episode aired last night; tonight picks up the investigation.

What's fascinating is how Hill captures that peculiar Orkney atmosphere - tight-knit, remote, where secrets are hard to keep but somehow this one has held. It's got that In the Dark House quality of examining how violence ripples through small communities. Not easy watching, but compelling.

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

Cancer Detectives

Sian Clifford narrates this look inside the Francis Crick Institute, where some of Britain's brightest scientists are working on the frontlines of cancer research. It's one of those science documentaries that makes you feel genuinely hopeful - not in a naive, cure-around-the-corner way, but in seeing the meticulous, dedicated work that's slowly unraveling how cancer actually works.

They follow researchers through breakthroughs and setbacks, and there's something quietly moving about watching people devote their careers to problems that might not be solved in their lifetimes. Proper telly.

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

I'm a Celebrity

Look, you know what this is by now. Ant and Dec making quips, celebrities eating questionable things, and someone having a breakdown about being away from their dog. It's comfort viewing for people who want to turn their brains off after a long day, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. Thursday's episode will have trials, tears, and probably someone talking about how they've "really grown as a person."

Inglourious Basterds - Film4, 9pm

Inglourious Basterds

Tarantino's gloriously unhinged World War Two fantasy from 2009 remains an absolute banger. Brad Pitt leading a squad of Jewish-American soldiers behind enemy lines to terrorise Nazis, Christoph Waltz winning an Oscar for being terrifyingly charming as the "Jew Hunter," and that opening scene in the farmhouse that's basically a masterclass in building tension.

It's two and a half hours of pure Tarantino - dialogue-heavy, violent when it needs to be, and completely unconcerned with historical accuracy. If you've seen it, you'll probably watch it again. If you haven't, clear your schedule.

The Ridge - BBC Two, 9:45pm

After the Orkney documentary, BBC Two keeps things Scottish with this drama set in the Highlands. It's got that slow-burn, landscape-heavy quality that Scottish TV does so well - all brooding mountains and complicated family dynamics. Good for winding down.

Late Night (10pm onwards)

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

Ru and the queens are back for more lip-syncing and reading and probably someone crying in the werkroom. The UK version has properly found its feet now, balancing the American format's polish with something distinctly British - slightly cattier, slightly camper. If you're into it, you're into it.

Celebrity MasterChef - BBC One, 9pm

Gregg and John continue their search for famous people who can actually cook. Someone will be "cooking on gas," someone will be disappointed with themselves, and someone will produce something that looks like it came from a proper restaurant. Standard Thursday night stuff.

Alternative Viewing

If you want drama: The Man in the Mask is genuinely gripping true crime, or stick with The Ridge for something fictional but equally atmospheric.

If you want feel-good: Celebrity Race Across the World will make you cry happy tears, or there's always the jungle for something lighter.

If you want film: Inglourious Basterds is unmissable - one of Tarantino's best.

The Viewing Schedule

Time Channel Programme
8:00pm BBC One Celebrity Race Across the World ⭐
9:00pm BBC Two The Man in the Mask: An Orkney Murder
9:00pm Channel 4 Cancer Detectives: Finding the Cures
9:00pm ITV1 I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!
9:00pm Film4 Inglourious Basterds
9:00pm BBC Three RuPaul's Drag Race UK
9:00pm BBC One Celebrity MasterChef
9:45pm BBC Two The Ridge

Final Verdict

Tonight's a genuine embarrassment of riches. Celebrity Race Across the World is the emotional pick - Jeff Brazier's breakdown is apparently something special, and the series has consistently delivered genuine moments amid the travel chaos. But if you're after something darker, The Man in the Mask continues one of the year's most compelling true crime stories.

Cancer Detectives offers something genuinely hopeful for a change - science telly that makes you believe in human ingenuity. And if you just want to switch off with something brilliant, Inglourious Basterds remains an absolute classic.

Basically: start with Celebrity Race, flick to the Orkney doc at nine, and save Tarantino for the weekend if you can't stay up. Thursday sorted.