New-look, free-to-air TLC launches today as home to The Big Bang Theory, the UK premiere of Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage and new series of Mock the Week, hosted by Dara Ó Briain
Media Release

New-look, free-to-air TLC launches today as home to The Big Bang Theory, the UK premiere of Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage and new series of Mock the Week, hosted by Dara Ó Briain

  • A new-look, free-to-air TLC launches today with a bumper line-up of award-winning scripted comedy including The Big Bang Theory
  • TLC will be home to Mock the Week, returning 1 February 2026 with new one-hour episodes, hosted by Dara Ó Briain and featuring some of the nation’s favourite comedians
  • TLC’s new broad entertainment schedule will also feature the UK premiere of Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage, a host of movies, and new series Zero Stars  
  • From today all of WBD’s FTA portfolio will also air with a refreshed look and feel - creating a cohesive family of channels, each with their own unique identity
  • Linear and discovery+ viewers can also look forward to new and returning series for 2026 including An American Serial Killer in Cairo (w/t), Guz Khan’s Custom Cars and Francis Bourgeois & Chris Harris: We Saved a Train

13 January 2026 – London, UK - As part of its ongoing commitment to linear television, Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) today revealed a refreshed UK free-to-air (FTA) portfolio, including a new-look TLC.    

The six FTA channels; TLC, Quest, Quest Red, Food Network, Really and DMAX, which bring UK viewers everything from the Auction House franchise to 90 Day Fiancé UK, start the new year with a new look - each channel with their own distinct personality but as part of a refreshed collection.    

With its new look, TLC will be the destination for big laughs, real emotions and true escapism through its broad entertainment offer featuring both scripted and unscripted content. The channel launches today with multi-award-winning comedy series The Big Bang Theory, plus spin-off Young Sheldon, and Mike and Molly. The UK premiere of Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage follows on 18 January.   

TLC will also be home to the highly anticipated return of Mock the Week, the UK’s much-loved topical, satirical panel show. Back from Sunday 1 February, with Dara Ó Briain at the helm, Mock the Week fans can enjoy even more of what they love with new one-hour episodes and the nation’s favourite comedians as TLC names Rhys James, Sara Pascoe, Angela Barnes, Ed Byrne, Ahir Shah, Milton Jones, Katherine Ryan, Hugh Dennis, Sarah Keyworth, Lou Sanders, Glenn Moore, Ellie Taylor and Russell Howard as part of the series line-up – with more to follow. Produced by Angst, the 9x60 series will stay true to the original format, with returning rounds including ‘If this is the answer, what is the question?’, ‘Wheel of News’, ‘Picture of the Week’, and ‘Scenes we’d like to see’, as well as introducing some exciting new rounds within the extended format.   

On launch of the new-look FTA portfolio and the wider commissions, Graham Lafferty, SVP Content Strategy and Networks, WBD UK & Ireland, said: “We are delighted to bring a new-look TLC to free-to-air in the UK today, launching as part of a refreshed FTA portfolio that gives our viewers increased choice from a cohesive family of channels, each with a clear brand identity and distinct content offer.    

“With a move to broad entertainment, we are excited to programme both scripted and unscripted content on TLC, bringing viewers everything from The Big Bang Theory to Mock the Week in 2026. The return of Mock the Week is something we are hugely excited by, and we hope fans of the show will enjoy more of what they loved with new one-hour episodes, Dara Ó Briain back at the helm, and a series that includes the nation’s favourite comedians.   

“Our commitment to local programming continues to be at the heart of our content strategy and as we bring our refreshed linear portfolio to market today, we do so with a strong slate of new and returning local originals - working with valued UK production partners to commission local stories and talent for local audiences."   

Mock the Week is part of a bumper 2026 TLC schedule which, from April, also includes new series Zero Stars, produced by CPL*, which sees British comedians and BFFs Roisin Conaty and Sara Pascoe journey across the globe - experiencing places with only the funniest and worst reviews in search of a truly unique travel experience. A movie roster, including the Transformers franchise, The Truman Show, Blades of Glory and Zoolander will also be part of the new-look entertainment offer in the UK & Ireland, so too will well-loved TLC shows including Dr Pimple Popper, The Bad Skin Clinic, My 600Lb Life and the hugely popular 90 Day Fiancé franchise, including the UK spin-off.  

Across the wider FTA portfolio and on discovery+, WBD UK & Ireland has also confirmed a number of new and returning UK commissions for 2026.   

Vinnie Jones in the Country, returns to discovery+ on 2 February with Series 3 and more plans for his 2,000 acres of Sussex countryside. The 6x60 season, produced by Objective Entertainment part of Objective Media Group, will see some of the biggest challenges yet. It’s full steam ahead with the long-anticipated Lakehouse renovation, as the idyllic farm is taken over by construction.    

discovery+ will also welcome back Richard Hammond’s Workshop for a sixth season later this year. The 8x60 series, produced by Chimp Productions and Krempelwood, is back as Richard takes bold creative risks to turn The Smallest Cog into an internationally recognised name. The Herefordshire workshop tackles its most ambitious and intricate restorations yet, while grappling with business expansion and the challenges of recruiting new staff. From high-profile projects to quirky classics, expect trademark chaos as Hammond balances passion with hard-nosed decisions.   

Also in late 2026, discovery+ will bring true crime fans the harrowing story of a mother’s resilience to be reunited with her son, under unimaginable circumstances, in An American Serial Killer in Cairo (w/t). This gripping 4x60 documentary series produced by Basement Films and Kudeta Films tells the story of Lobna Yakout, who escaped her abusive husband, TikTok personality Karim Selim – unaware he would later become one of Egypt’s most notorious serial killers. Behind Selim’s polished online image was a brutal reality; he murdered at least three women inside his soundproof luxury apartment in Cairo, recording hundreds of hours of footage. When Lobna’s ten-year-old son Zayn, last seen with his father’s family, goes missing, she turns to TikTok for help. As online sleuths mobilise worldwide, the series follows a real-time international hunt from Cairo to Michigan and Florida, exposing the true scale of Selim’s crimes.   

In 2026 Quest will also welcome two new series; Guz Khan’s Custom Cars and Francis Bourgeois & Chris Harris: We Saved a Train. Guz Khan’s Custom Cars sees TV funny man and car enthusiast Guz Khan attempt to modify his own car. To help inspire him, Guz will embark on a journey to discover cars as unconventional as their owners. He will test drive their creations, whilst also learning more about what modifications can do for cars, as he makes his own journey from ‘car purist’ to ‘car modder’. The 8x60 series, produced by Ricochet, will air on Quest from 19 January.   

Francis Bourgeois & Chris Harris: We Saved a Train, from Naked West a Fremantle label, follows friends and engineering obsessives Francis Bourgeois and Chris Harris as they take on the challenge of restoring a dilapidated diesel locomotive and bringing it back to life. The 8x60 series comes to Quest in the Spring.    

Quest fans can also look forward to more of Johnny Vegas' Little Shop of Antiques as series two airs this summer. In a follow up to the successful first season, Johnny is thinking bigger, better and more business savvy as the 8x60 series, produced by Plum Pictures, shows him betting on himself to see if he can turn his corner of Dagfields into something truly special, even branching out into the world of online sales (despite being, by his own admission, not remotely tech savvy!).    

Also back on Quest is Ant Anstead: Born Mechanic, returning for its third season. Produced by ITN Productions, the series will see Ant back and determined that by Spring 2026 his parents will finally move into the front section of the house. As there’s still plenty to do to get there to make the house feel like home, Ant continues to restore more iconic and classic cars, with each project helping fund the renovation. The series is set to air in the summer.   

The series were ordered by Graham Lafferty and commissioned by Charlotte Reid for Warner Bros. Discovery UK & Ireland.      

 

Notes to Editors   

  • * Zero Stars is based on an original Danish format from Liquidminds and distributed by Primitives  
  • The Big Bang Theory, Young Sheldon, Mike and Molly and Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage are licensed by Warner Bros. Entertainment UK Ltd.  Transformers, The Truman Show, Blades of Glory and Zoolander are licensed by Paramount, a Skydance Corporation.  

  • In Ireland, TLC remains a pay-TV channel, but the brand refresh and the content offer is as per the UK. The Quest, Quest Red, Food Network, Really and DMAX brand refresh will also take effect in Ireland.    

     

For press enquiries please contact: uk.corporatecomms@wbd.com