What’s on TV tonight: Children in Need, Jack Whitehall and David Duchovny star in Malice, and more

More big new dramas arrive this week, including Trespasses, a Channel 4 series about a forbidden love affair set during the Troubles; thriller The Beast in Me starring Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys on Netflix; and Amazon’s glossy Malice, featuring the unexpected combo of Jack Whitehall and David Duchovny. Meanwhile, the BBC continues its celebration of Richard Burton’s 100th birthday.

Here’s the rundown of what to look forward to and catch up on this week.

What’s on TV tonight?

Children in Need 2025 
BBC One/iPlayer, 7pm 
The yearly take may have dipped during these hard-pressed, cost-of-living-crisis times (last year’s £46 million was a far cry from 2020’s peak of £63.4 million), but Children in Need remains a fun and vital source of funding for cash-strapped UK children’s charities. Certainly, there’s no sign of enthusiasm waning among the celebrities and volunteers taking part in this annual evening of japes, fun games and special performances, coming to us live from Media City UK in Salford.

As ever, there will be comedy sketches, surprise appearances, music performances and lots of famous faces as you’ve never seen them before in special collaborations from popular BBC shows such as Bargain Hunt, Strictly Come Dancing, Gladiators and The Apprentice. Promised highlights include a rare moment when the tables are turned on Lord Sugar in the boardroom, a performance of the Coldplay hit Yellow by a specially assembled Children in Need Choir, and a squad of junior Gladiators making their TV debut – plus performances by Lewis Capaldi, Sam Ryder and the cast of Starlight Express. Among the hosts organising the chaos in-studio are Mel Giedroyc, Rochelle Humes, Vernon Kay, Lenny Rush, Paddy McGuinness and Big Zuu.