Race Across the World (BBC 1/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Thursday 16th April 2026)
The teams bid farewell to Europe and head into Asia, racing from bustling Istanbu to the remote town of Halfeti in south-east Turkey – where the last to arrive will be eliminated from the competition. Along the way, Katie persuades brother Harrison to tick off a bucket list experience – watching the hot-air balloons rise over the chimneys of Cappadocia – while the leaders in the last leg, cousins Puja and Roshni, continue to celebrate, this time because it’s Puja’s birthday.
Extraordinary Portraits (BBC 1/HD | 7:30pm to 8:00pm | Friday 17th April 2026)
Two Brothers Face Early Dementia. Series 5, episode 4. Unza Saleem is given the task of painting brothers Jordan and Cian, who carry a faulty gene that means they will almost certainly develop symptoms of dementia in their forties. However, just as Unza is getting to grips with the portrait, she has her own family emergency that threatens to derail the project entirely.
Beyond Paradise (BBC 1/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Friday 17th April 2026) ** PICK OF THE WEEK **
The team investigates when a seaweed farm is targeted in an act of sabotage, with fisherman Jeff Simmons swearing that he saw the legendary mermaid of Shipton Abbott on the night of the incident. With no logical explanation for how someone could damage the farm and get away unseen among glowing bioluminescent waters, Esther braces herself for an excited Humphrey to run wild with the possibility that their prime suspect could be a mermaid.
All TV guide information taken from DigiGuide — www.getdigiguide.tv/?p=1&r=15119