Saturday telly's got a bit of everything tonight. Strictly's desperately trying to shake off its annus horribilis with a new gimmick, Sandi Toksvig's doing her charming travel thing along the French Riviera, and there's enough football to keep sports fans glued to different screens all afternoon. Plus Wild Cherry continues being surprisingly addictive for something that sounds like it should be a '90s soft drink.

Table of Contents

Quick Picks: Tonight's Best

Afternoon Sport (1pm - 5pm)

Live Snooker: UK Championship - BBC One, 1pm (BBC Four, 7pm)

Day one from the York Barbican kicks off the tournament. If you're after something to have on in the background while you're doing Saturday bits, snooker's always reliable. The evening session picks up on BBC Four at 7pm.

Live Women's International Football: England v China - ITV1, 5pm

Leah Williamson leads the Lionesses in a friendly at Wembley. It's not a competitive fixture, but these games are always useful for seeing who's in form and which new faces might be pushing for tournament spots.

Live Premier League: Everton v Newcastle - Sky Sports Main Event, 5pm

The Saturday Night Football double-header starts at Goodison Park, followed by Spurs v Fulham at 7:45pm. Two for the price of one if you've got Sky.

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

Strictly Come Dancing - BBC One, 6:35pm

Strictly Come Dancing

Right then. Strictly's had a rough year - and that's putting it mildly. Between injured contestants, departing presenters, and enough scandal to fill a tabloid for months, the show's clearly keen to get back to what made it popular in the first place: people in sparkles doing dramatic things to music.

Tonight introduces the "Instant Dance" challenge where couples get just 10 seconds to mastermind a routine. It's either going to be gloriously chaotic or a complete car crash. Either way, it'll be entertaining. We're down to the business end now, Week 10, and tension's high.

Prime Time (8pm onwards)

Sandi Toksvig's Great Riviera Rail Trip - Channel 4, 8:05pm ⭐

Sandi Toksvig's Great Riviera Rail Trip

This is tonight's must-watch. Sandi's travelling along the French Riviera, following the artists, writers and freethinkers who made the glamorous coast "the beating heart of intellectual life" in the 20th century.

After being pleasantly shocked that the first train actually arrives on time in Marseille (we've all been there), she heads to Sanary-sur-Mer, where Aldous Huxley wrote Brave New World and German writers Thomas Mann and Bertolt Brecht spent time in exile. It's got that perfect blend of beautiful scenery, fascinating history, and Toksvig being clever and funny. Saturday evening sorted.

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? - ITV1, 8pm

Next year's apparently bringing us "Millionaire Hot Seat" - a faster-paced remix where contestants take turns. For now though, we've still got the original format with Jeremy Clarkson doing his best to put nervy players at ease while occasionally looking like he'd rather be driving a car somewhere. Love it or hate it, there's something reassuringly familiar about shouting answers at the telly.

Michael McIntyre's The Wheel - BBC One, 8:05pm

Michael McIntyre's The Wheel

"What's the coldest temperature recorded in the UK?" and "Which herb or spice isn't in the KFC recipe?" are among tonight's questions. Comedian Fatiha El-Ghorri's there, apparently just "to feel the breeze through my hijab." McIntyre's Wheel format is either your thing or it isn't - the celebrity experts spin round, contestants hope they land on someone useful, and occasionally someone wins actual money.

Wild Cherry - BBC One, 9:05pm

Wild Cherry

Episode four of Nicole Lecky's drama about an elite girls' school, and honestly, this has turned into properly addictive Saturday night viewing. The nude photo scandal/psychodrama continues spiralling, and now the dads are acting out alongside the mums.

What's making this series work is how it examines the intersection of race, class, and privilege in how the school treats its students. Carmen Ejogo's brilliant as Lorna, who tonight asks some pointed questions about whether her daughter's being treated differently. It's soapy, yes, but there's real substance underneath.

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

I'm a Celebrity

It's Saturday so the jungle crew are at it again. You know the drill by now - Ant and Dec's quips, someone eating something revolting, and plenty of campfire confessionals. If you've been following along all week, you're invested. If you haven't, you're not going to start now. No judgement either way.

Greatest Basslines - Sky Arts, 9pm

Greatest Basslines - Melissa Auf der Maur

This three-part series profiling rock bassists continues with Hole and Smashing Pumpkins bassist Melissa Auf der Maur talking about the basslines that shaped her playing style. Not quite as seminal a subject as last week's Peter Hook episode, but if you're into your '90s alternative rock, it's worth a watch. She's got stories.

Late Night: For Night Owls

Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix Sprint Race and Qualifying Highlights - Channel 4, 10:05pm

Can't afford the Sky subscription? Channel 4's highlights package has you covered. The sprint race format keeps things interesting, and qualifying drama is always worth catching up on.

Changing Ends - ITV1, 10:05pm

Alan Carr's comedy about his childhood in Northampton continues. If you've been enjoying it, there's more of the same. If you haven't caught it yet, it's gentle, nostalgic stuff about growing up gay in the '80s.

Alternative Viewing

If football's not your thing: Stick with Strictly and Sandi for a culture-heavy Saturday that completely avoids sports.

If you want drama: Wild Cherry's the pick - it's building nicely and tonight's episode looks like a good one.

If you want something clever: Sandi's Riviera trip combines travel, history, and literature in the most Toksvig way possible.

The Viewing Schedule

Time Channel Programme
1:00pm BBC One Snooker: UK Championship
5:00pm ITV1 England v China
5:00pm Sky Sports Everton v Newcastle
6:35pm BBC One Strictly Come Dancing
7:00pm BBC Four Snooker: UK Championship
8:00pm ITV1 Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
8:05pm BBC One Michael McIntyre's The Wheel
8:05pm Channel 4 Sandi Toksvig's Great Riviera Rail Trip ⭐
9:00pm ITV1 I'm a Celebrity
9:00pm Sky Arts Greatest Basslines
9:05pm BBC One Wild Cherry
10:05pm Channel 4 F1 Qatar Highlights
10:05pm ITV1 Changing Ends

Final Verdict

Saturday night splits nicely between sports fans and everyone else. If you're into football, you've got the Lionesses and the Premier League taking you through to evening. If you're not, Strictly's trying something new (bless them), and then Sandi Toksvig's French Riviera trip is genuinely lovely telly.

Later on, Wild Cherry's proving it's more than just another school drama - the race and class angles give it real teeth. And if you're still up at 10pm, there's F1 highlights or Alan Carr being nostalgic about his childhood.

My pick? Sandi at 8:05pm on Channel 4, then flip to BBC One for Wild Cherry at 9pm. Sorted.