A new time-hopping comedy called Warren's Vortex leads this evening's television schedule, airing at 10.10pm on Sky Comedy, alongside a father-son travel series and the finale of an evolution documentary hosted by Chris Packham. Elsewhere, ITV1 continues its family-reunion series and offers two more instalments of celebrity and reality programming.
Warren's Vortex, 10.10pm, Sky Comedy — This offbeat sci-fi sitcom plays like a comedic riff on Doctor Who. The central character, Warren, keeps a shimmering interdimensional portal in his garden shed but has only ever used it for disposing of garden waste. Everything changes when his teenage daughter is pulled through it, abandoning her vape in the process, prompting Warren to follow her in. The pair land in the year 2043, where they must contend with homicidal refrigerators before being flung through a series of increasingly chaotic dimensions.
According to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald, the series runs for six episodes and is set in Lower Hutt, near Wellington, using its bizarre alternate dimensions as a core comedic device. The same report notes that the show was created by Paul Yates, previously known for his work on Wellington Paranormal and his involvement with What We Do in the Shadows.
What's behind the show's killer-fridge concept?
The idea of dangerous or menacing refrigerators nods, whether intentionally or not, to a long-running term in comics culture. As explained by Screen Rant, "women in refrigerators" describes a narrative trope in which female characters are killed, injured or depowered mainly to drive a male character's storyline forward. Whether Warren's Vortex is playing with or simply borrowing the imagery, the appliance-as-villain premise fits the show's broader appetite for absurdist genre subversion.
Sci-fi comedy has found renewed appetite among streaming audiences recently. Apple confirmed in July 2025 that its own sci-fi comedy series, Murderbot, had been renewed for a second season, a sign that broadcasters and platforms see continued demand for genre-blending comedy in this vein.
What else is on this evening?
Martin & Roman's Irish Road Trip, 8pm, — Martin Kemp, who once lived in Dublin, joins his son Roman, who films a quiz show in Belfast but has rarely ventured beyond the city, for a road trip across Ireland. The pair begin in County Cork, where they learn about the folklore figure Clíodhna, Queen of the Banshees, and visit Spike Island, once known as Ireland's answer to Alcatraz. Expect a mix of father-son teasing and genuine bonding along the way.
Evolution
Long Lost Family: Born Without Trace, 9pm, ITV1 — Davina McCall, Nicky Campbell and the programme's genealogy team return with more emotional cases. This week's episode follows Michael, who was abandoned as a premature newborn in a box outside a hospital, and Christine, who was left as a baby on the final carriage of a train at Waterloo station.
Celebrity Hunted, 9pm, — This season's celebrity contestants attempt to evade capture, but the pursuing team led by Chief Ray remains unmoved by fame. In this episode, the celebrities plot an elaborate escape from Brighton while two other contestants attempt to outwit their pursuers through sheer nerve.
Secret Lives of Gypsy Wives, 10pm, — The reality series continues to follow a Gen Z Gypsy influencer and her protective Essex family. With her brother Jamie's 40th birthday approaching, the family matriarch, Trewley, begins planning a celebratory trip, describing it in characteristically blunt terms as an excuse for family fun abroad, with a caveat about staying out of trouble.
Get your titties out in Morocco! Actually, don't do that – you'll get nicked …
Live sport: Athletics, European Championships, 10.30am, BBC One — Day one of the championships includes the women's 100m heats, featuring reigning champion Dina Asher-Smith.
What's next for fans of the genre?
Viewers drawn to appliance-based horror-comedy have another release to watch for. The film Cold Storage, which similarly weaves dark comedy around a menacing containment concept, is scheduled for release in United States cinemas on 13 February 2026, according to IMDb. Its official trailer, hosted on YouTube, promotes the film with the tagline that it is "taking over cinemas 2026".
Key Facts
- Warren's Vortex airs at 10.10pm on Sky Comedy and is a six-episode sci-fi comedy set near Wellington, New Zealand.
- The show was created by Paul Yates, previously of Wellington Paranormal and What We Do in the Shadows.
- Evolution concludes this evening with Chris Packham examining the fast evolutionary development of horses.
- Long Lost Family: Born Without Trace features the cases of Michael and Christine on ITV1 at 9pm.
- The film Cold Storage, with a similar dark-comedy containment premise, is due for U.S. release on 13 February 2026.
