TV guide: the best new shows to watch, starting tonight – The Irish Times
Flor Lynch
June 7th to 12th highlights, including BackStory, Britney: In Ten Pictures, Total Football and Queen James
Kevin Bridges: In Search of the Beautiful Game
Sunday, BBC One, 10.30pm
Scottish comedian Kevin Bridges remembers the last time Scotland competed in the World Cup. It was 1998, and Scotland were knocked out in the first round, but the joy Bridges felt during that World Cup has stayed with him ever since. Now, as Scotland qualify for the competition for the first time in 28 years, Bridges goes on a personal journey to learn if that footballing joy can still be found. Scotland will be facing Brazil once again in the opening round, and Bridges meets Brazilian football legend Cafu, mingles with São Paulo ultras and US soccer fans, and goes back to his old school in Clydebank to meet Scottish football legend John McGinn, who is a former pupil of the school.
BackStory
Monday, RTÉ One, 8.30pm
There’s a whole new generation of Irish people whose parents immigrated from Africa, South America. Asia and Eastern Europe, and who may have never visited their ancestral home. In this new series, four young Irish people go back to their roots, visiting their parents’ home country, and reconnecting with their own heritage and history. First up is Siobhan McClean from Athy in Co Kildare, who was five years old when her family moved here from Zimbabwe. Now 30, McClean is better known as the singer-songwriter Shiv, whose CV includes performing in Other Voices and opening for Lana Del Rey in the 3Arena. Accompanied by her mum, Tambu, McClean travels to Zimbabwe to explore the country’s rich culture and traditions, its spectacular landscape, its food and – of course – its music.
Pitch Invasion: How the USA Changed Soccer
Monday & Wednesday, BBC One, 10.40pm
In the 1970s, British football was in a dire state, riven with hooliganism, with stadiums in disrepair and a grim atmosphere prevailing. Meanwhile, in the US, the North American Soccer League 9NASL) was growing, and adapting the game to appeal to families and the American appetite for large-scale entertainment. Gone was the stoic weekly trudge to matches in crumbling stadiums, with the ever-present threat of violence; the US version featured mascots, cheerleaders and a sense of occasion. Celebrity players were brought in, including Pele, George Best, Johan Cruyff and Franz Beckenbauer, and, for the first time, players’ names were proudly displayed on their shirts. This two-part documentary, narrated by Patrick Kielty, looks at how the NASL helped make the game beautiful again and sparked a stateside resurgence of interest in football, leading to such superstars as David Beckham, Robbie Keane and Lionel Messi signing up for US clubs.
Total Football
Tuesday & Thursday, RTÉ2, 5.30pm
The Republic of Ireland failed to get a place in this year’s World Cup, but that won’t stop RTÉ from providing coverage of the competition for the fans, and part of that coverage is the return of Total Football to our screens. Want exclusive access to the elite players and coaches in the world of football and insights into the biggest stories in the sport? You’ve come to the right place. Sports broadcaster Aisling O’Reilly and YouTube creator DavidMC are the presenters, and they’ll be joined by a team of young reporters along with celebrity guests and influencers to discuss the hot-button topics of the game. In the first episode, young reporter Luke takes us into the heart of the Men’s National Team’s training camp, and League of Ireland legend Pico Lopes is the special guest.
Britney: In Ten Pictures
Thursday, BBC Two, 9pm
Britney Spears rose to fame at just 16 with the provocative pop anthem ... Baby One More Time, and this documentary, the latest in the In Ten Pictures series, gives a snapshot into her life and career through 10 unforgettable and sometimes uncomfortable visual milestones.
Spears lived out her highs and lows in the glare of the media, but was a victim of exploitation, and ended up fighting for control over her music, her public image and her private life. She was hounded by paparazzi while sexualised images of her were splashed all over lads’ mags and tabloids to satisfy a voracious appetite for Britney pics, and the relentless attention soon took a toll on her mental health. From her early photoshoots as a Mickey Mouse Club alumnus on the verge of superstardom to her risqué Rolling Stone photos by David LaChapelle, this programme charts the rise and fall of Spears through 10 defining images.
Rivals: Messi v Ronaldo
Thursday, BBC One, 10.40pm
It was the Blur v Oasis of football, but played out on a much bigger arena. In the noughties, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo emerged as two of the world’s most talented and celebrated players, and found themselves at the centre of a great football rivalry, and at the forefront of a golden era for the game.
As part of Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona, Messi redefined the role of the forward, while Ronaldo brought goalscoring to new level with Real Madrid under José Mourinho. This programme examines one of sports’ most gripping and rivalries, as both the Argentinian and the Portuguese pursued their paths to glory with relentless focus and ambition and pushed each other to ever-greater achievements on the pitch, completely transforming the game in the process.
Queen James
Friday, BBC One, 9pm
The son of Mary Queen of Scots and cousin of Elizabeth I, James was just 13 months old when he was crowned King James VI of Scotland in 1567. On the death of Elizabeth I, 36 years later, he became king James I of England, the first monarch to rule England, Scotland and Ireland, but was quickly nicknamed Queen James because of his peace-seeking foreign policy and also because of the many men he brought into his close circle and – in some cases – into his bed chambers. This documentary, hosted by Belfast-born historian Gareth Russell, explores James’s life and affairs, including his commissioning of the King James Bible and his patronage of playwright William Shakespeare, and looks at his huge influence on the island of Ireland as the monarch who instigated the Plantation of Ulster.
Streaming
Norway: The Dark Horse
From Tuesday, June 9th, Netflix
While the Republic of Ireland have seen their World Cup hopes dashed despite a late resurgence, Norway have finally managed to qualify for this summer’s tournament in North America, marking a return to big international tournaments after 26 years of hurt and heartache. This is in no small way thanks to a new generation of Norse goalscoring gods, including Martin Ødegaard, Alexander Sørloth, Antonio Nusa and the mighty Manchester City star Erling Haaland. This two-part documentary charts the team’s renaissance under head coach Ståle Solbakken. Can Norway get out of their group of death with France and Senegal and go all the way to the final?
Every Year After
From Wednesday, June 10th, Prime Video
The sun is out, the mercury’s up, the summer is beginning and love is in the air. But something’s missing – and you know what that is: with no new season of The Summer I Turned Pretty, we’re facing a teen-romance drama drought. Fear not, because here’s another tumescent adolescent tale, this one based on the bestselling novel Every Summer After, by Carley Fortune, and set around the idyllic lake resort of Barry’s Bay. There’s even a dream girl with a funny name – Percy – and no shortage of hunks to deliver smouldering looks in her general direction. The series follows Percy’s summer visits to Barry’s Bay over six years and asks: what if your first love was actually the one? Look away now, Mom and Dad.
Flor Lynch
June 14th-19 highlights: including Bad: The Song That Saved My Life, Funboys, and series two of Sugar
Pick of the week
Bad: The Song That Saved My Life
Monday, RTÉ One, 9.35pm
It is one of U2’s best-known and most-loved songs, but few know much about inspiration behind the song, a friend of the band named Andy “Guck Pants Delaney” Rowen. Rowen’s face is well-known: as a child he featured on the cover of U2’s debut album Boy and their third album, War. He is the younger brother of Bono’s best mate Derek Rowen aka the artist Guggi, and in this feature documentary by film-maker Maurice Sweeney, Andy tells his own extraordinary story of growing up in Dublin in the 1970s, and surviving trauma, addiction and the worst terrorist atrocity the city has ever experienced. He was just 11 when he and his father Robbie Rowen were caught up it the Dublin bombings in 1974, and his experience informed the lyrics of Bad, and U2’s later song Raised by Wolves. The documentary features contributions from Bono and Rowen’s brothers, and gives an insight into the social history of Ireland in an era of unemployment, repression and rage.
Highlights
Free Nelson Mandela
Sunday, Channel 4, 9pm
He was the world’s most famous political prisoner, and the 27-year incarceration of South African activist Nelson Mandela sparked a global campaign that drew in politicians, musicians and Hollywood stars. Everyone knows the song Free Nelson Mandela by The Special AKA, but how much do we know about what went on behind the scenes in the biggest-ever campaign to secure the release of one single prisoner? This four-part documentary series tells the story this mighty political and cultural battle, from many of the people who were at the forefront of the campaign, and at the centre of the anti-apartheid movement.
Dolly, the World’s Most Famous Sheep
Monday, Channel 4, 10pm
In 1996 scientists succeeded in creating the world’s first mammal cloned from an adult cell, a sheep named Dolly, and the world, to paraphrase Bart Simpson, had a cow. Dolly became a global sensation, featuring on the cover of Time magazine, but also sparking panic and protests as people anticipated the end of the world as we know it. This was something straight out of science fiction, and not everyone was on board with this brave new world of genetic tinkering-about. There was even an attempt by anti-GM activists to abduct Dolly, but the eco-warriors couldn’t tell her apart from the other sheep in her flock. This documentary tells the story of Dolly and the motley crew of Scottish scientists, working with almost zero budget, who made this world-shattering breakthrough after nearly 300 failed attempts.
Funboys
Monday & Wednesday, BBC3, 10.40pm
The boys of Ballymacnoose are back, as socially awkward, sexually repressed and generally clueless as ever, in the second series of the comedy that knows no taste boundaries. Beware: Funboys will draw you in with gentle comedic charm, then deliver a nightmarish gag that will have you choking on your duck salad. The series is created by and stars Ryan Dylan and Rian Lennon as Callum and Jordan, with Lee R James as Lorcan. We rejoin the trio as they continue to stumble into adulthood while trying to stave off the boredom of this rural backwood. Callum gets a job at the local folk museum, playing a starving peasant during the Famine, with his boss Philip (Steve Coogan) playing the ruthless landlord, but is the method acting getting a little too real? Meanwhile, the sexually voracious Gemma (Ele McKenzie) continues to wreak hormonal havoc while Jordan’s night terrors are making life hell for Callum. Episodes one and two are on Monday, with two more episodes on Wednesday just to give you a day to recover.
Scamanda
Tuesday, BBC One, 9pm
In 2012 the US was gripped by a heartwarming story of faith and resilience in the face of illness. Amanda Riley, a beautiful and bubbly young mom living in San Jose, had been diagnosed with cancer and, as she wrote in her blog detailing her treatment journey, she didn’t expect to see her 30th birthday. The community quickly rallied round this brave, charismatic young woman, and soon her blog was filled with stories of the generosity shown to her and her family, with cash donations and gifts flowing in from all over the world. To everyone, Riley embodied the American ideal of hope and perseverance, but one person saw something different behind the Hallmark platitudes - all the hallmarks of a good, old-fashioned con job. This four-part documentary series, previously shown on Disney+, tells the story of how Riley built up her vast network of donors and wellwishers, and how the whole edifice began to unravel.
The Light in the Hall: Still Waters
Tuesday, Channel 4, 9pm
This was originally a Welsh-language series called Y Golau: Dwr, but its creators have kindly made an English-language version just so the rest of us can keep up with what’s going on. This is the second series of the crime drama set in the fictional Welsh town of Llanemlyn, and brings a new storyline and additional cast of characters to the mix. The story spans two timelines: the mid-1990s and the present day. Sian Reese-Williams is trainee journalist Caryl Huws, and the big story of the day is a plan to expand the town’s reservoir, which is churning up lots of controversy. Meanwhile, Rhys Owen (Mark Lewis Jones) returns to Llanemlyn after serving 30 years in jail for a bombing that killed his cousin Llyr. Will long-buried secrets and tensions resurface as protests against the reservoir project escalate? You don’t need fluent Welsh to guess the answer to that one.
Streaming
Harlan Coben’s I Will Find You
From Thursday, June 18th, Netflix
David Burroughs is serving a life sentence for a murder he did not commit. The victim? His own son. No one believes him, and he’s doomed to rot in jail for the rest of his life. But then he receives word that his son may still be alive, so he vows to find his child and prove his innocence. But first there’s going to have to be a jailbreak. What will Burroughs find when he gets outside? A world of lies, deceit, betrayal and danger, of course, plus all the twisty plots we’d expect from this latest telly adaptation of a Harlan Coben thriller. Sam Worthington stars as Burroughs, with a cast that includes Britt Lower as his sister-in-law Rachel, Milo Ventimiglia as Rachel’s ex-boyfriend Hayden and Madeleine Stowe as the wealthy heiress Gertrude.
Sugar
From Friday, June 19th, Apple TV
John Sugar is a private detective in Los Angeles who also happens to be a bit of a cineaste. So it’s no surprise that his life resembles a neo-noir detective flick in the style of Elmore Leonard. Colin Farrell returns as Sugar in this second series, and he’s still searching for his missing sister, with hope diminishing of ever finding her. But he’s still got to work, so he takes on a new client: a boxer who is trying to track down his troubled older brother. Soon Sugar’s investigation uncovers a wider conspiracy that could see him getting KO’d – and not getting up again.
Flor Lynch
June 21st-26th highlights: including House of the Dragon, Madonna & Graham, and The Bear series five
Pick of the Week
House of the Dragon
Monday, Sky Atlantic & Now, 9pm
Forget Spain, Portugal and Greece: for Game of Thrones fans, there is only one holiday destination this summer, and that’s Westeros. Getting sunburned is the least of your worries, though: getting your face burnt off by a dragon or your head chopped off by a mad monarch is a more common hazard round these parts. The third season of House of the Dragon brings us back 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones, and tells the story of the Targaryen wars, as the children of King Viserys I Targaryen battle for the Iron Throne. No space here to summarise the entire saga, alas, but you know the score: swords, sex, betrayal, royal intrigue and mythical fire-breathing beasties. As we rejoin House Targaryen, Rhaenyra’s rule is coming under attack from all sides, as her enemies gather strength, but how far is she willing to go to keep her grip on power? Matt Smith returns as Daemon Targaryen, with Emma D’Arcy as Rhaenyra Targaryen, Rhys Ifans as Otto Hightower, Steve Toussaint as Corlys Velaryon and Olivia Cooke ad Alicent Hightower. Among those joining the already huge cast for series three are James Norton as Ormund Hightower and Tommy Flanagan as Roderick Dustin. The series is based on George RR Martin’s Game of Thrones prequel Fire & Blood.
Highlights
Museum of Me
Sunday, RTÉ One, 8.30pm
If Biddy Byrne from Glenroe was putting on an exhibition of items that told the story of her life, what would she choose? Her aul’ wellies, perhaps? Or an aul’ jumper belonging to Miley? In this series presented by Dermot Whelan, celebrities are tasked with gathering together personal items for a one-night-only exhibition that encapsulates their lives, and this week it’s the turn of actor Mary McEvoy, who played Biddy for nearly 20 years in the popular Sunday night soap. McEvoy has a rich life and career beyond Glenroe, having starred in such celebrated theatre productions as Sive, Big Maggie and Dancing at Lughnasa – not to forget that famous washing powder ad – but she does share a farming background with Biddy, so some of her chosen objects will reflect her connection with the land along with her life on stage and TV.
Dover 24/7: Britain’s Busiest Port
Monday, Channel 4, 8pm
There’s no rest for officials at the port of Dover, and this documentary series demonstrates how one of Britain’s main transport hubs is under constant pressure – from smugglers, criminal gangs and a decade of unprecedented migration, as asylum seekers fetch up at the port and human traffickers trade on the misery of migrants by smuggling them in to the country in deathtrap containers. The series focuses on the hardworking crews who keep the port moving 24-7, and on the hard-pressed officers of Border Force as they try to hold back the tide of drugs and contraband, and manage the constant flow of people travelling in and out of the country. In the first episode, pop star Yungblud is on his way to Europe for the next date of his tour, when a crisis threatens to pull the plug. Meanwhile, Border Patrol intercepts a huge drug consignment in one of its biggest drug hauls of the year.
Secrets of Celebrity Sex Tapes
Monday, Channel 4, 11.05pm
There was a time back in the 1980s and 1990s when you were nobody if you didn’t have your own sex tape. What’s a sex tape, asks Gen Z – is it some kind of kinky adhesive strip only available on the top shelf of hardware stores? They were old-fashioned VHS tapes, and with the rise of home videotaping, stars were now able to film themselves having sex without having to send the film off for developing, preserving their posteriors for posterity in private. The most famous sex tape featured Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee, but the first big sex tape scandal involved Rob Lowe in the late 1980s. Other famous sex-tapers include Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian. In the age before the interweb, stars thought they could just hide their tape behind the Jane Fonda fitness videos, but they were inevitably stolen and released to a slavering public. Innocent days. This series looks at some of the most notorious sex tapes of the times – better hope your one isn’t included.
Rik Mayall: Magnificent B’stard
Thursday, Sky Documentaries & Now, 9pm
The world of comedy was rocked by the death of Rik Mayall in 2014 at the age of 56. The comedian was loved by fans of hit TV shows such as The Young Ones, Bottom and The New Statesman, and he was also loved by his friends and fellow comedians, many of whom contribute to this documentary celebrating his life and career, including Adrian Edmondson, Ben Elton, Nigel Planer and Stephen Fry. The film follows Mayall’s rise through the alternative comedy scene of the 1980s, and looks at his larger-than-life comic creations, including the amoral Tory MP Alan B’Stard.
Madonna & Graham
Friday, BBC One, 10.40pm
You don’t even need to ask. Madonna is of course Madonna Louise Ciccone, the mother of all pop queens, and Graham is fab Irish presenter Graham Norton, the lucky man who gets to spend an evening with the 67-year-old US star in the intimate setting of London’s legendary Koko venue in Camden. What on earth will they find to talk about? There will be no shortage of material from Madonna’s incredible career at the forefront of pop culture, and in this in-depth interview, she will discuss some of the key moments in her life, from her early days building her brand in New York’s clubland to her stratospheric rise to stardom, her fascination with all things English, and her enduring love affair with dance music, which continues with her latest album Confessions II, released on July 3rd. Will sex come up in the conversation? We’re banking on it. “As a lifelong fan, it is always a thrill to interview Madonna,” says Norton, “but to meet her on the dance floor where she first performed in London over 30 years ago felt incredibly special.”
Streaming
The Bear, season five
From June 25th, Disney+
Season four of the hard-boiled restaurant drama ended on a bombshell, as Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) announced he was quitting the catering business, leaving the titular restaurant in the hands of Sydney (Ayo Edebiri), Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) and Natalie (Abby Elliott). But have The Bear’s new proprietors been sold a pup? There’s no money in the kitty, the backers are threatening to sell up and, just to put the icing on the cake, there’s a big storm on the way. Despite these challenges, the trio are determined to rally the team for one last service and finally nail that elusive Michelin star. But what makes a great restaurant, its food or its people? The staff of the Bear are about to find out in this final series of the Emmy-winning drama.
Would You Rather: Decide to Survive
From June 26th, Prime Video
Some of the internet’s most famous faces are whisked off to a sunny location where they have to make some hard choices – is this Love Island for influencers? It’s more like Taskmaster for TikTokers, as the digital stars are divided into two teams and given such bewildering choices as “would you rather be invisible or have the power of flight?” and “would you rather fight one giant duck or 1,000 tiny ducks?” Romesh Ranganathan is the host of this madcap game show, and among the contestants are Chunks, Nella Rose, Chloe Burrows, Max Fosh, Elz the Witch, King Kenny and Ayamé – all household names among digital natives, we are assured.
Flor Lynch
TV guide: the best new shows to watch, starting tonight
Highlights include Réabhlóid Mheiriceá- Na Laochra Gael; Taylor: A Story of Love; and Elle
Pick of the week
Réabhlóid Mheiriceá- Na Laochra Gael
Wednesday, TG4, 9.30pm
Never mind America’s founding fathers – what about the ordinary Irish men and women who played a big role in the American revolutionary war, many of whom put their lives on the line in the struggle for independence? On the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, Cormac Ó hEadhra presents this new documentary exploring the huge contribution made by Irish people in sparking the birth of a nation in 1776. Many of them have been all but forgotten, but this programme brings them back into the story of American independence, using dramatic reconstruction of events and spectacular battle re-enactments, along with stunning sequences filmed on location in Ireland and the US, and insights from local historians and archaeologists on both sides of the pond.
The documentary will recount some extraordinary stories of Irish involvement in the revolution, including that of Dubliner Lydia Darragh, a Quaker wife who got wind of a British plan for an attack on George Washington’s forces, and risked her life to warn Washington, and Henry Knox, who transported 60 tonnes of artillery across 300 miles of snow and ice, and after whom the famous US bullion depository Fort Knox was named. Other prominent Irish players include Cork man Stephen Moylan, who coined the title “United States of America”, John Dunlap from Strabane, who printed the Declaration of Independence, Derry man Charles Thomson, who designed the Great Seal of the United States, and the courageous and inspirational cannoneer Margaret Corbin.
Highlights
Museum of Me
Sunday, RTÉ One, 8.30pm
Welcome back to the Museum of Me, where celebrities get to curate their own collection of items and keepsakes and invite friends and family to view. Who’s putting their life on display this week for all to peruse and ponder? It’s the turn of comedian and writer Emma Doran to gather together some personal effects and turn them into a once-off exhibition encapsulating her life. What tchotchkes and thingummies will Doran assemble to tell her own story? Given Doran’s razor-sharp humour, we can be sure whatever objects and mementos she chooses will come with a hilarious story and a side-splitting punchline.
Taylor: A Story of Love
Sunday, Channel 4, 11pm
It’s a modern American fairy tale: the shining pop princess and the fearless football gladiator, finding love amid the mad whirl of showbiz and sports. It seems the whole world is invested in the romance between Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, poring over Swift’s lyrics for clues about their relationship and watching social media for updates on this very public partnering-up. Penguin is even publishing a new book, Taylor in Love, next month to satisfy the public appetite for Taylor and Travis tales. As the couple prepare for their big A-list wedding bash, rumoured to be taking place in New York in July, this documentary looks back over Swift’s turbulent love life and how it has informed the lyrics of some of her most popular songs.
BackStory
Monday, RTÉ One, 8.30pm
Mindulee Seneviratne’s family moved to Ireland from Sri Lanka 20 years ago, and settled in Wexford, where Mindulee went on to become Miss Wexford and take part in the Miss Ireland competition. Now the 23-year-old medical student from Limerick revisits the tropical island in the fourth episode of this travel and family history series. Mindulee is accompanied by her father, Ramesh, on this journey of rediscovery, and they explore the vibrant culture and lush landscapes of Sri Lanka, from the street markets of Colombo to the sacred city of Kandy, and along the way Mindulee learns about the traditions and customs of her father’s home country.
Freedom Founder – Thomas McKean and the American Revolution
Monday, RTÉ One, 9.35pm
Who was Thomas McKean, the last man to sign the American Declaration of Independence? He was a lawyer and politician whose Ulster-Scots family had emigrated from Co Antrim, and he became a prominent figure in Pennsylvania and Delaware during the American revolution, falling firmly on the side of independence. The reason he was last to sign the declaration was that his signature had been omitted from the first printed copy, so he added his John Hancock to it later. In this documentary to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the declaration, former US diplomat David McKean looks at the very active and consequential life and career of his ancestor, and explores his family’s Scottish Presbyterian origins.
Secrets of the Celebrity Sex Tapes: Pam and Tommy
Monday, Channel 4, 11.05pm
The second episode in this not-at-all-prurient two-part documentary looks at the most famous celebrity sex tape of all time, the one featuring Baywatch star Pamela Anderson and her then husband, Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee. It wasn’t the first celeb sex tape ever made, but it was the first to go properly viral in the nascent years of the internet. It was stolen the old-fashioned way when intruders made off with a safe containing the VHS video, and realised they could make a fortune by selling copies of it online. The programme explores how the tape became a global sensation and how the couple, whose marriage was already as shaky as a badly held camcorder, tried to stop it spreading
Streaming
Elle
From July 1st, Prime Video
Now, class, hands up who has watched the movie Legally Blonde and thought, wouldn’t it be great if someone made a prequel TV series chronicling the protagonist’s adventures in high school? All of you? Okay, well, here it is, whether you’ve asked for it or not. Lexi Minetree stars as a younger version of Elle Woods, the hapless Harvard law student played by Reese Witherspoon in the hit film from 2001. She’s living the fabulous life of a rich LA teen in the mid-1990s, a ditzy blonde in Barbieland, but when her family unexpectedly moves to Seattle, she finds herself a brightly coloured fish among a school full of grungy, black-clad sharks. How can she fit in with her classmates and prove she’s not just a vapid valley girl? Elle soon learns that blending in is more than just rocking a Nirvana T-shirt to class. With Legally Blonde already having spawned several sequels and a stage musical, I wouldn’t bet on this one putting a fresh glow on the franchise.
Silo
From July 3rd, Apple TV
The dystopian sci-fi drama starring Rebecca Ferguson has been a huge hit for Apple TV, and the third series promises to answer many mysteries for the 10,000 people living underground following a global apocalypse. It will also pose some additional questions, such as, how much time have the silo dwellers got before their luck runs out? Ferguson stars as Juliette Nichols, and we meet her again following an attempted rebellion in the silo, and after she has been forcibly “cleaned”, resulting in memory loss. The series follows a second timeline centuries earlier, when the world faces total annihilation. “The end of the world cannot be stopped, it can only be survived,” says one ominous voice in the trailer. But will the past provide the key to the silo dwellers’ survival into the future? Apple has announced a fourth and final series, so strap in for more mind-blowing future shocks.
Flor Lynch
Pick of the Week
Museum of Me
Sunday, RTÉ One, 8.30pm
It’s the final episode of the series in which celebrities curate their own exhibition of objects that tell the story of their life and career. They’ve saved the best till last, as it’s the turn of comedian and actor Pat Shortt to showcase some of the items that have had huge meaning for him. Will they include his I Shot JR T-shirt from Father Ted? Or a jumbo breakfast roll from Killinaskully? Shortt will be digging deep into his early years building up his career on stage and on d’telly, with reminders of his best-loved characters, but also looking back at his family life, which has inspired him to dream big while keeping him firmly rooted in reality. Host Dermot Whelan will be encouraging Shortt to share some of the things that have inspired him as a performer and storyteller, and also as a father and family man.
Highlights
Heart of a Servant: The Father Flanagan Story
Monday, RTÉ One, 9.35pm
Irish-born priest Fr Edward J Flanagan was a pioneering figure in childcare before the term childcare was ever coined. He believed in the innate goodness of children and founded Boys Town in Omaha, Nebraska, a place for vulnerable boys at risk of falling into crime and violence. His work inspired the 1938 film Boys Town, starring Spencer Tracy. So successful was the Boys Town project that when many former residents the went to fight in the second World War, they put Flanagan down as their next of kin. This documentary, filmed in Ireland, the US, Europe and Japan, looks at how Flanagan’s nonjudgmental approach inspired a whole generation of childcare professionals.
Harry Wild
Tuesday, RTÉ One, 9.35pm
Jane Seymour returns as the English professor turned detective Harriet “Harry” Wild in the fourth series of the crime drama set in Dublin, and in the first episode Harry is in at the deep end, investigating the case of a serial killer who for some reason leaves a coin in their victims’ mouths. Kevin Ryan returns as Harry’s Garda detective son Charlie, Rohan Nedd as Fergus and Rose O’Neill as Lola. The series is co-written by Irish author Jo Spain, who adds the authentic Irish touches to the series created by David Logan.
How to Get Filthy Rich with Gary Stevenson
Wednesday, Channel 4, 9pm
Author and YouTube star Gary Stevenson made a packet over a successful career in finance, but if you’re expecting tips on how to amass loadsamoney and live the high life, you’ve come to the wrong place. During his time a the top table in the financial industry, Stevenson saw the ever-expanding gap between the rich and the poor, and realised that the gap has become an abyss that threatens to engulf modern society. He believes the best way to drive change and tackle wealth inequality is to put a super tax on the super-rich and force these greedy moneybags to contribute to making the world a better place. In this 90-minute documentary, Stevenson explores the world of billionaires and oligarchs, who earn astronomical amounts of money and use their wealth to wield enormous political power and influence. He also travels around the UK and meets people at the cutting edge of economics and finance, and those at the sharp end of wealth inequality, who feel the skewed system has left them behind. Stevenson’s focus is on the financial system in Britain, but this will have resonance for a world in which all the wealth is being concentrated in the hands of a self-serving few.
Katie Price: Nothing to Hide
Wednesday, Sky Documentaries & Now, 9pm
Katie Price has a knack for turning her chaotic life into telly gold, with numerous documentary series detailing her day-to-day activities, plus ratings-winning appearances on I’m a Celebrity... and Celebrity Big Brother (which she won). The former page three girl, now approaching 50, is back with a new four-part documentary series telling the unfiltered story of her life and loves from her time as Britain’s most famous pin-up girl to her subsequent career as a popular media personality. We’re promised the full Price experience, with no holds barred, and no topic out of bounds, but can we handle it? The series is made by Louis Theroux’s Mindhouse company and directed by Paddy Wivell.
The Girl in the Water
Wednesday, RTÉ One, 9.35pm
On St Patrick’s Day in 2024, the body of 23-year-old Kelly Marie Lynch was found in the Ulster canal near Monaghan town. Gardaí at first treated her death as a tragic misadventure, but a subsequent forensic report found that she had been a victim of a violent assault, with multiple injuries, and her family are now seeking a full murder investigation. This documentary follows the Lynch family as they work through their grief and search for answers about what really happened to Kelly on that terrible day.
Mackenzie Crook and Martin Freeman Remember The Office
Wednesday, BBC Two, 10pm
Can you believe it’s been 25 years since The Office first hit our TV screens, bringing us into the world or Wernham Hogg and its supercilious, self-centred boss David Brent? The workplace mockumentary series created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant became a global phenomenon, spawning a hit US version starring Steve Carell, but in this special edition of BBC’s Remembers strand, the focus is on the original version starring Gervais, Martin Freeman, Mackenzie Crook and Lucy Davis. Freeman and Crook, who played office workers Tim and Gareth, reunite for a fond look back at the series that made them stars, retelling stories from the making of the show, and recalling some of their favourite moments from the show that redefined cringe comedy.
Streaming
Trying
From Wednesday, July 8th, Apple TV
Esther Smith and Rafe Spall are back as the adoptive parents Jason and Nikki in the fifth series of the acclaimed comedy created by Andy Wolton. The series tracks their journey through a challenging adoption process as they try to convince authorities that they’re a suitable couple to adopt, and try to win over the children they hope to adopt, the siblings Princess and Tyler. This involves Jason, a Spurs fan, making the sacrifice of switching his allegiance to Arsenal, the team Tyler supports. But Nikki and Jason face another challenge, as Princess and Tyler’s biological mother, Kat, appears, bringing chaos and upending the painstakingly achieved equilibrium.
Little House on the Prairie
From Thursday, July 9th, Netflix
Growing up in Ireland in the 1970s, Little House on the Prairie was a Sunday staple, like Mass or boiled cabbage. Is Netflix streaming that original series for our nostalgic delight? Not a bit of it. This new adaptation of the semi-autobiographical books by Laura Ingalls Wilder features a new cast and a wider perspective, looking at the tough challenges facing people seeking a new life in the American west in the 1800s, and the tension and conflict between the settlers and the indigenous Osage Nation, who considered the prairie their territory. The series, which was created by the long-time Little House fan Rebecca Sonnenshine, stars Alice Halsey as Laura Ingalls, Skywalker Hughes as her older sister Mary, and Luke Bracey and Crosby Fitzgerald as parents Charles and Caroline Ingalls. Get that cabbage on the boil and get settled back in with your favourite prairie family.
July 5th-10th highlights: including Pat Shortt in Museum of Me, The Girl in the Water, and Mackenzie Crook and Martin Freeman Remember The Office
Flor Lynch
Highlights include Trinity’s Treasures, The Dark and The Chase Around the World
Pick of the week
Trinity’s Treasures
Friday, RTÉ One, 8.30pm
What would happen if you went back to visit your alma mater? Would the big gates be slammed in your face or would the doors to its vast archives be thrown open for you to explore at your leisure? In this three-part series, famous graduates of Trinity College Dublin are not only welcomed back on the campus with open arms, they’re given full access to the college’s vast library, built in the early 1700s and housing some of Ireland’s oldest books and greatest literary treasures, including the Book of Kells. The stars are visiting the library during its first renovation in 300 years.
In this first episode, actor Ruth Negga – who has been nominated for an Oscar, Tony and Emmy award – goes back to where her glittering career began: in the library’s Drama Department, where Trinity’s librarian and archivist Helen Shenton lets her flick through the writings of Samuel Beckett and an early draft of JM Synge’s Playboy of the Western World (very carefully, of course). Negga has performed Playboy on the London stage and recently read a Seamus Heaney poem at a ceremony in Dublin Castle to launch Ireland’s EU presidency. At the Trinity library, she meets the new generation of budding actors, who perform works by Beckett, Synge and William Shakespeare for Negga’s delight and delectation.
Highlights
I, Jack Wright
Sunday, BBC One, 9.15pm
When successful businessman Jack Wright is found dead, apparently by suicide, it sparks a huge battle over succession between his numerous ex-wives and children. But was this suicide – or murder? There is no shortage of suspects in this fast-moving whodunit, and no shortage of dark secrets behind the well-heeled family facade. The all-star cast includes Nikki Amuka-Bird, John Simm, Trevor Eve, Harry Lloyd, Ruby Ashbourne Serkis and Niamh Cusack. A second series is in production, so plenty more lies, betrayals and shocking revelations in store.
The Dark
Sunday, UTV, 9pm
A serial killer is stalking the Scottish wilderness, and it’s up to Detective Monica Kennedy to track down this murderer hidden in the midst of a quiet rural community. As the killer’s campaign escalates, the whole town finds itself under the shadow of suspicion, mistrust and paranoia, in this eerie new drama series based on the GR Halliday novel From the Shadows. Laura Donnelly, best known from the Outlander series, stars as Detective Kennedy.
More than a Game: From D1 to Pyla
Monday, RTÉ One, 9.35pm
The village of Pyla in Cyprus is unique, as it’s the only place in the divided country where Greek and Turkish Cypriots live side by side. Since 1974, the island has been partitioned, with no interaction between the Greek and Turkish sides – except in Pyla. In this documentary marking the 50th anniversary of partition, a group of teenagers from Belvedere Youth Club travel to Pyla to meet Greek and Turkish teenagers and see first-hand how barriers can be broken down through shared activities and experiences. The trip is part of the Gateway Project, an initiative led by Detective Chief Superintendent Brian Woods, and designed to foster greater understanding and co-operation within historically divided communities.
Barra’s Return of the Wild
Monday, BBC One, 8.30pm
Barra Best returns for his fourth series tracking efforts to revive and restore wildlife and biodiversity under threat from climate change, industry and human expansion. He begins his travels around Europe in his home town of Belfast, and learns how the threatened disappearance of one of the city’s most spectacular natural phenomena, the evening murmuration of starlings at Albert Bridge, was averted. He then travels to the Balearic island of Ibiza, where the wall lizard is under threat from an invasive snake, visits a canal fish conservation project in the Netherlands, meets people in Berlin delicately handling a hedgehog problem, and looks up at the safe spaces being created high above Cork City for peregrine falcons.
Evolution
Monday, BBC Two, 9pm
It’s safe to say that this new series, presented by Chris Packham, has been literally billions of years in the making. Packham’s mission is to learn how life on Earth evolved, and he takes five animal species as his starting point in an exploration that will take him back through the mists of time and around the world. How did elephants, ostriches, bats, dolphins and horses evolve into the animals we know today? Packham will explore the five main factors that feed into the evolutionary process – growth, reproduction, feeding, intelligence and movement – using cinematic visuals to look back through the various stages of evolution.
The Chase Around the World
Thursday, Virgin Media One & UTV, 9pm
You’ve whiled away many a weekday afternoon watching The Chase, the gameshow presented by Bradley Walsh. The brain-teasing series has been on air for 17 years (where does the time go?), and has been commissioned in 22 territories around the world, but in this new version of the beloved series, contestants will not only have pit their knowledge against the neuron-firing power of the Chasers, they’ll have to track them down in secret locations, using various clues and puzzles. At the end of it all is a prize pot of life-changing cash. “This bold new take on The Chase combines quizzing with travelling and will test contestants’ knowledge like never before,” says Walsh.
Breith, Beatha, Bás
Thursday, RTÉ One, 8.30pm
The way Irish people celebrate big life events has changed subtly over the years, and this four-part observational documentary looks at the different ways we mark the milestones of birth, marriage and death, from traditional christenings, weddings and funerals to more quirky events. The series will travel around the country, meeting people as they prepare for the defining moments in their lives. In the first episode, we meet Nora, who is at a busy wedding fair in Donegal looking for the right ingredients for her perfect nuptials, and follow Ciara as she plans a naming ceremony. We also encounter Sinéad, who brings circus performance into the proceedings.
Ann Droid
Friday, BBC One, 9.30pm
Imagine having your own personal robot assistant to help you do everyday tasks and handle all your household affairs, like an AI version of Jeeves? Unfortunately for recently widowed Sue, her robot assistant Linda talks with an annoying Bolton bark and is completely clueless, taking everything literally and managing to turn the most mundane household chore into a big disaster. Linda is a second-hand android assistant bot given to Sue by her son Michael, but this droid definitely should have been sent back to the workshop a long time ago. Diane Morgan stars as Linda, with Sue Johnston as Sue in what is essentially an upgrade of the traditional sitcom two-hander.
Streaming
Ride or Die
From Wednesday, July 15th, Prime Video
You think you know your friends, but then your best mate turns out to be Spider-Man or an alien who hitchhikes around the galaxy, and your life is never the same again. In this new comedy thriller series, Octavia Spencer and Hannah Waddingham are best friends Debbie Claybourne and Judith Burton, but what Debbie doesn’t know is that Judith is actually an international assassin. When a hit goes pear-shaped, however, Judith’s secret is out, and soon the pair are doing a Thelma and Louise, hitting the road and heading across Europe with police, criminals and highly trained assassins hot on their heels. Bill Nighy co-stars as the shadowy operative known as The Director.
Lucky
From Wednesday, July 15th, Apple TV
Anya Taylor-Joy is a con artist trying to escape her criminal past in this high-octane thriller series based on the bestselling novel by Marissa Stapley. Spoiler alert: her past proves a lot harder to shake off than she thought. Her name may be Lucky, but when a multimillion-dollar heist goes wrong, it looks as if her luck is about to run out. With serious people on both sides of the law looking to track her down, Lucky needs to use all the resources she can muster and find a way to beat the odds against her. Timothy Olyphant and Annette Bening costar.
The Hawk
From Thursday, July 16th, Netflix
Will Ferrell, making his small-screen acting debut, is Lonnie “the Hawk” Hawkins, a golf star making his comeback against all the odds, hoping to nail one last tournament win to complete the golfing grand slam and secure his place in the pantheon of greats. Back in 2004, the Hawk was the world’s number one, but now his career is on the back nine and his son, Lance (Jimmy Tatro), has taken over as golf’s golden boy. No one – his son, his ex-wife, Stacy (Molly Shannon), his long-time rival Golden Fisk (Luke Wilson) – believes for a minute that Lonnie can recapture his form, but the Hawk is determined to prove he can still be the Goat.
Flor Lynch
Highlights include Katie Price: Nothing to Hide, The Crow Girl and Testimony
Highlights
The Crow Girl
Monday, Channel 5, 9pm
It’s generally a good sign when a series leaps streaming on to terrestrial TV. This six-part crime thriller was originally available via Paramount+, but is making the jump to Channel 5. You can catch three episodes this week, starting Monday. Crow Girl is based on a series of books by Erik Axl Sund and stars British actors Eve Myles (Gone) and Katherine Kelly (Protection). Myles plays DCI Jeanette Kilburn, who is leading a team investigating the death of a young man found on a Bristol street. Kelly, meanwhile, is psychotherapist Dr Sophia Craven, who comes on board to help out. But as more bodies of young men are discovered – surprisingly, this isn’t one of those shows focused on dead young women – the case gets more complicated. Among the executive producers is Slash of Guns N’ Roses fame. Yes, seriously.
Building Ireland
Tuesday, RTÉ One, 7pm
A brand-new six-part series begins this week on RTÉ that’s focused on the built heritage and environment defining the river Shannon region. So we’ll travel from Leitrim to Limerick alongside its expert presenters: geographer Dr Susan Hegarty, engineer Tim Joyce and architect Orla Murphy. In this first episode, Murphy explores Athlone’s evolution and how its Shannon crossing played a strategic role in its development. She’ll also take in medieval streetscapes and urban topography and look at the town’s potential for urban regeneration. There’s even more to be explored as Joyce investigates the engineering challenges of defending Athlone from recurring floods and Hegarty meets the ESB fisheries team trying to defend the endangered European silver eel. This looks set to be an in-depth look at the river Shannon – and certainly an opportunity to discover more about parts and people in Ireland that don’t always get celebrated.
Katie Price: Nothing to Hide
Wednesday, Sky Documentaries, 9pm
If you missed the first part of this documentary about British glamour model and tabloid favourite Katie Price, fear not – you can catch up on the first episode on NOW. But regardless of whether you’ve seen it or not, this compelling documentary is a must-watch for how it dives into the story of Price’s rise as a 1990s glamour model, her controversial courting of the media and her high-profile relationships with the likes of Peter Andre and the impact this has had on her and her (extremely loving and patient) family. In this episode, Price tells us about becoming her alter-ego Jordan, who spent her nights on the town being snapped by paparazzi, while Katie was trying to find control over her image in an industry that wanted to control her. The four-part series, from Louis Theroux’s Bafta-winning Mindhouse, finally gives a new perspective on Price beyond the salacious headlines.
Testimony
Wednesday, RTÉ One, 9.35pm
This multi-award-winning documentary – directed by Aoife Kelleher and written by Kelleher and Rachel Lysaght – is an essential look at the courageous fight for justice by survivors of Ireland’s Magdalene laundries, Mother and Baby Home institutions and forced family separation. By putting the survivors’ words, activism and experiences front and centre, it shows the huge lengths they had to go to achieve justice in a country not very eager to atone for its sins against them. Kelleher, who also directed the documentary Mrs Robinson about former president Mary Robinson, has become an astute chronicler of Irish women’s lives. Participants in this emotional but essential watch include Philomena Lee, whose story was told in the film Philomena, and human rights lawyer Maeve O’Rourke.
The Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke
Thursday, BBC Two, 9pm
Ruby Franke set up a YouTube channel called 8 Passengers in 2015, wanting to document her life in Utah alongside husband Kevin and their six children. Given the fact that we’re all nosy about how others live, the channel hoovered up viewers – up to 2.5 million of them at its peak. But while the family appeared wholesome, fans started to raise concerns about how Franke disciplined her children. After separating from her husband in 2022 amid the YouTube channel losing thousands of views, Franke connected with counsellor Jodi Hildebrandt. By 2023, Franke and Hildebrandt were being arrested and charged with child abuse. This promises to tell the inside story of what happened, and includes interviews with some of Frankes’ children and their father Kevin.
Boris Johnson: Into Ukraine’s Kill Zone
Friday, Channel 5, 9pm
Heading to Ukraine’s frontline on a “deeply unofficial and secret assignment” wasn’t exactly what anyone had on former British prime minister Boris Johnson’s 2026 bingo card, but that’s what he’s doing for this feature-length documentary. The big question is what Johnson can bring us from the frontline, as he eschews the typical relaxing travel documentary route of former politicians to become embedded with Ukrainian soldiers. One would hope he will be able to draw on his journalistic background to tell the real story of what soldiers are facing during the invasion as he meets them in the “kill zone” near Zaporizhzhia, as well as exploring the impact on civilians living with huge levels of fear and uncertainty. If he can shed new light on people’s experiences, then it’ll be a trip worth taking – as long as it’s not a case of being The Boris Show.
Streaming
Pompeii: Out of Time
From Thursday, July 23rd, Disney+
Tom Hiddleston is used to jumping around in time as the Marvel anti-hero Loki, and in this new series, which is part historical documentary and part scripted drama, Hiddleston goes back to the era of ancient Rome, and to the popular seaside town of Pompeii. You could say he’s picked a bad time to arrive, just hours before the town is engulfed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. He’s joined by a team of archaeologists, geologists, historians and people with expertise in natural disasters to tell the story of Pompeii and the real people caught up in the cataclysm. KEVIN COURTNEY
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
From Thursday, July 23rd, Paramount+
Trekkies everywhere are waiting with anticipation for Paramount to beam them back on to the USS Enterprise for a new series of outer-space adventures with an old-school sensibility. Strange New Worlds makes more than a nod to the original 1960s series, and this fourth series promises to “boldly go one step closer to where it all began”, whatever that means. Anson Mount is back as Capt Christopher Pike, with Ethan Peck as Spock and Rebecca Romijn as Number One. Paramount isn’t giving away many plot details, but we’re assured there’ll be no shortage of new planets, new threats, weird characters and scary aliens.