Sky Arts

TV GUIDE
Quick jump Tonight's highlights

Browse the full Sky Arts TV guide for Tuesday, 20 October 2026. 30 programmes listed , including 6 tonight. UK listings updated daily — scroll down to tonight's highlights or use the day tabs above to browse the weekly schedule.

Early Morning

  1. 00:10 1h 30m

    Mozart's Women: A Musical Journey

    A concert of Mozart's music written for and inspired by the women in his life
    Lauren Laverne presents as the ENO Orchestra and opera soloists go on musical journey through the life of Mozart, putting the spotlight on the relationships with his real-life leading ladies. With arias from Così fan tutte, The Magic Flute and Don Giovanni
  2. 01:40 1h 55m

    Fanny: The Other Mendelssohn

    Documentary about one of the unsung heroines of classical music
    Documentary about one of the unsung heroines of classical music, with several of her greatest works often misattributed to her celebrated brother Felix. The film explores sexism in the music worlds of both 1840s and the present day and features recordings of her work by Isata Kanneh-Mason
  3. 03:35 25m

    Inside Art Special: Alberta Whittle at Venice Biennale

    A showcase of the artist's work at the festival
  4. 04:00 30m

    The Art Mysteries

    S2 · E1 · Melencolia by Albrecht Dürer
    The secret meanings hidden within Dürer's Melencolia
    Waldemar Januszczak uncovers the secret meanings hidden within more of the world's most famous paintings, beginning with German Renaissance artist Albrecht Dürer's large 1514 engraving Melencolia
  5. 04:30 30m

    The Art Mysteries

    S2 · E2 · Fountain by Marcel Duchamp
    The secret meanings hidden within Marcel Duchamp's Fountain
    Waldemar Januszczak uncovers the secret meanings hidden within Marcel Duchamp's Fountain, a readymade sculpture consisting of a porcelain urinal signed R Mutt
  6. 05:00 1h

    Spymasters: The Great Spy Writers

    S1 · E3 · Ian Fleming to James Bond
    A look at author Ian Fleming's life and work
    A look at author Ian Fleming's remarkable life, his creation James Bond's effect on literature and film and the spy's influence on actual intelligence.

Morning

  1. 06:00 1h

    Classic FM's Rising Stars with Julian Lloyd Webber 2023

    A showcase for five young classical musicians
    A showcase for five young classical musicians playing alongside the 12 Ensemble at London's LSO St Luke's
  2. 07:00 1h

    Classic FM's Rising Stars with Julian Lloyd Webber 2021

    A showcase for five young classical musicians
    A showcase for five young classical musicians, featuring violinist Esther Abrami, trumpeter Lucienne Renaudin Vary, violinist Randall Goosby, guitarist Sean Shibe and pianist and cellist Jeneba Kanneh-Mason
  3. 08:00 30m

    Artist of the Year: Masterclass

    S1 · E23 · Tricks to Finding Likeness
    Tricks to finding likeness
    A tutorial suggesting tricks to finding likeness, given by Portrait Artist of the Year and Landscape Artist of the Year contestants
  4. 08:30 30m

    Artist of the Year: Masterclass

    S1 · E24 · Self Portraiture
    A tutorial on self-portraiture
    A tutorial on self-portraiture, given by Portrait Artist of the Year and Landscape Artist of the Year contestants
  5. 09:00 30m

    Tales of the Unexpected

    S9 · E6 · Wink Three Times
    A shy woman joins a dating agency
    A woman joins a dating agency to try to overcome her shyness, but her plan backfires when an out-of-town solicitor tries a one-night stand
  6. 09:30 30m

    Tales of the Unexpected

    S9 · E7 · Finger of Suspicion
    An American thief faces extradition
    An American thief faces extradition from a Middle East country for a crime he did not commit. Michael Brandon stars
  7. 10:00 30m

    Alfred Hitchcock Presents

    S2 · E39 · The Dangerous People
    A maniac escapes from an asylum
    As two men wait at a train station a wailing siren periodically reminds them that a maniac has escaped from the local asylum
  8. 10:30 30m

    Alfred Hitchcock Presents

    S3 · E1 · The Glass Eye
    An ageing spinster follows a ventriloquist and his dummy
    An ageing spinster pulls up sticks to follow a ventriloquist and his dummy from performance to performance, and finally the man consents to a much-wanted meeting
  9. 11:00 1h

    Discovering Tommy Lee Jones

    S12 · E5 · Tommy Lee Jones
    The life and career of the Oscar-winning actor
    The life and career of the American actor, who won an Oscar for his role in The Fugitive and also starred in The Executioner's Song, Men in Black, JFK and No Country for Old Men

Daytime

  1. 12:00 30m

    Discovering: Jethro Tull

    S5 · E3
    Music experts explore the music of Jethro Tull
    Music experts explore the music of Jethro Tull, one of the most commercially successful and eccentric progressive-rock bands Britain has ever produced
  2. 12:30 30m

    Discovering: Meat Loaf

    S5 · E4
    Music journalists examine the life and music of Meat Loaf
    Music journalists examine the life and music of Michael Lee Aday, better known as Meat Loaf, the larger-than-life singer-songwriter behind Bat Out of Hell
  3. 13:00 30m

    Tales of the Unexpected

    S9 · E8 · A Time to Die
    Pregnancy forces a Frenchman's hand
    A romantic Frenchman is forced into a decision when his mistress falls pregnant
  4. 13:30 30m

    Tales of the Unexpected

    S9 · E9 · Mr Knowall
    An archaeologist who can date relics instinctively
    A woman discovers the disturbing secret of an archaeologist able to immediately date relics with unerring accuracy
  5. 14:00 30m

    Alfred Hitchcock Presents

    S3 · E2 · Mail Order Prophet
    A man receives letters that seemingly predict the future
    Clerk Ronald Grimes starts receiving letters from a mysterious Mr Christiani that seemingly predict the future
  6. 14:30 30m

    Alfred Hitchcock Presents

    S3 · E3 · The Perfect Crime
    A lawyer has blackmail in mind
    A lawyer has blackmail in mind when he has a meeting with a famed detective to prove he convicted an innocent man
  7. 15:00 1h

    Spymasters: The Great Spy Writers

    S1 · E4 · Len Deighton to Mick Herron
    The work of Len Deighton and Mick Herron
    A look at the work of Len Deighton and Mick Herron, as well as a reflection on recent intelligence history, from the defection of Oleg Gordievsky to the killing of Osama bin Laden
  8. 16:00 1h

    Discovering: Michael Douglas

    S12 · E6 · Michael Douglas
    A profile of the Oscar-winning actor
    A look at the life and career of the actor and film-maker, who won Oscars for his role in Wall Street and as producer for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
  9. 17:00 1h

    Landscape Artist of the Year 2016

    S2 · E2 · Wray Castle
    From Wray Castle in Cumbria
    The competition continue as Frank Skinner and Joan Bakewell welcome eight more artists and 50 wildcard entries to Wray Castle in Cumbria.

Tonight's Highlights

  1. 18:00 30m

    Tales of the Unexpected

    S1 · E1 · The Man from the South
    A man on holiday becomes involved in a bizarre bet
    A man on holiday in the West Indies become involved in a bizarre bet with a stranger. Starring Pamela Stephenson, Jose Ferrer and Michael Ontkean
  2. 18:30 30m

    Tales of the Unexpected

    S1 · E2 · Mrs Bixby and the Colonel's Coat
    A woman receives a mink coat from her lover
    An unfaithful wife receives a mink coat from her lover - and must explain the gift to her husband's satisfaction. Starring Richard Greene, Julie Harris and Michael Hordern
  3. 19:00 1h

    The Alfred Hitchcock Hour

    S1 · E10 · Day of Reckoning
    A couple's drunken argument takes a tragic turn
    After a couple's drunken argument in the middle of a yacht party takes a tragic turn, collective motives yield unexpected results
  4. 20:00 1h

    Stories from the National Portrait Gallery

    S1 · E3
    Kate Bryan explores 20th-century portraiture
    Kate Bryan explores 20th-century portraiture, examining depictions of war poets and Queen Elizabeth II. Plus, Jim Moir drops in to discuss his favourite work
  5. 21:00 2h

    John le Carré: A New Life

    A look at the author's life and work
    Documentary exploring how David Cornwell, the man behind the John le Carré pseudonym, transformed spy fiction by replacing glamour and heroism with moral ambiguity. Drawing on the author's troubled childhood, career in British intelligence, fascination with deception and complex personal life, the film examines how these experiences informed classics such as The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and A Perfect Spy
  6. 23:00 1h

    The Movies

    S1 · E12 · The 2000s to Today - Part Two
    The journey through the history of cinema concludes
    The journey through the history of cinema concludes with a look at films including the Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings series

Related channels

PBS America Sky Atlantic Sky Cinema Action Sky Cinema Action Heroes Sky Cinema Adventure Sky Cinema Apocalyptic Sky Cinema Award Season Sky Cinema Comedy Sky Cinema Drama Sky Cinema Family Sky Cinema Greats Sky Cinema Hits Sky Cinema Horror Sky Cinema Premiere Sky Cinema Sci-fi/Horror Sky Cinema Spooky Sky Cinema Thriller Sky Cinema Wizarding World Sky Comedy Sky Crime Sky Documentaries Sky History Sky History 2 Sky Kids Sky Max Sky Mix HD Sky Nature Sky News Sky One Sky Sci-Fi Sky Sports + Sky Sports Action Sky Sports Arena Sky Sports Box Office Sky Sports Cricket Sky Sports F1 Sky Sports Football Sky Sports Golf Sky Sports Main Event Sky Sports Mix Sky Sports News Sky Sports Premier League Sky Sports Racing Sky Sports Tennis Sky Witness Together TV