The week's viewing
Showbands: How Ireland Learned To Party (RTÉ 1, Saturday 15th, 1.15pm)
The showband was a uniquely Irish phenomenon and thousands of young people travelled up and down the country in the late ’50s, ’60s and early ’70s to the ‘Dancehalls of Romance’ to be entertained by the Royal Showband, the Miami Showband and Big Tom and the Mainliners. Ardal O’Hanlon looks at the icons of the era – Dickie Rock, Joe Dolan and Brendan Bowyer.
The Traitors US (BBC 3, Wednesday 7pm)
Against the backdrop of the stunning Scottish Highlands, 20 contestants play a murder mystery game of deception. Hosted by award-winning actor Alan Cumming at an ancient castle, they will work together to build a prize fund worth up to $250,000. But hidden among the Faithful contestants are the Traitors.
Inside No 9 (BBC 2, Wednesday 12th, 10pm)
Jaws will drop and spines will tingle. Heads might even roll. Darkly twisted comic tales from the imaginations of Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith, joined by a host of stars. Sadly this is the final series – so tune in for the UK’s most inventive and twisted humour.
House of the Dragon (Sky Atlantic, Monday 17th, 9pm)
Based on author George RR Martin’s ‘Fire and Blood’ series, set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones, this tells the story of House Targaryen, and stars Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Emma D’Arcy, Eve Best, Rhys Ifans, Harry Collett and Bethany Antonia. If you’re yearning for more ‘Thrones thrills’, this is for you.
BEST FILMS
Kajillionaire (RTÉ 2, Friday 14th, 10.10pm)
Two con artists have spent 26 years training their only daughter to swindle, scam and steal at every turn. But then, during a hastily conceived heist, they invite a stranger into joining the team – which turns out to be a really bad move. Evan Rachel Wood, Richard Jenkins and Debra Winger star.
The Great Escaper (Sky Cinema, from Friday)
Michael Caine and Glenda Jackson star in a true story set in the summer of 2014, when Bernard Jordan made global headlines by making a ‘great escape’ from his care home to join fellow war veterans on a beach in Normandy, commemorating their fallen comrades at the 70th anniversary of the D-Day Landings. It captured the world’s imagination as Bernie embodied the can-do spirit of a generation that was fast disappearing.
American Star (Sky Cinema, from Saturday)
Ian McShane, Fanny Ardant and Thomas Kretschmann star in a dark thriller about an assassin on a final assignment in Fuerteventura, to kill a man he has never met. When his target is delayed, he finds himself drawn to the island, its people and a ghostly shipwreck.
CLASSIC MOVIE
Shirley Valentine (RTÉ 1, Friday 14th, 12.10am)
Shirley is housewife from Liverpool who needs a change in her life before she has another conversation with the walls – so when her friend Jane invites her on a trip to a Greek island, she jumps at the chance. On landing, Shirley wanders the island, meets a taverna owner and begins to find the joy in life again. Pauline Collins and Tom Conti are superb in this wonderful romantic drama.
KIDS STUFF
Swamp Mysteries (Sky History, Thursday 13th 9pm)
Alligator season may be over in Louisiana, but King of the Swamp Troy Landry is still on the hunt. After receiving distress calls from family and friends, Troy hits the road to help save America from hostile, menacing, and often mysterious creatures – such as a behemoth gator named El Diablo.
My Story: Alice – Overcoming All Obstacles (RTÉ 1, Friday 14th, 4pm)
Now that Alice’s cancer is in remission, she wants to take part in an obstacle course called ‘Hell and Back Junior’ and get back to living fully. An uplifting story about how the human spirit can triumph even in the darkest places.
ON DEMAND
Becoming Karl Lagerfeld (Disney+)
In 1972, Karl Lagerfeld was a ready-to-wear designer still unknown to the general public – then he ventured into battle with his friend and rival Yves Saint Laurent, supported by businessman Pierre Bergé. Daniel Bruhl stars in the title role in this six-part series produced for German television.
Hit Man (Netflix)
Director Richard Linklater’s neo-noir stars Glen Powell as a strait-laced professor who moonlights as a fake hit man for the New Orleans Police Department. Gifted at inhabiting different guises to catch people bumping off their enemies, he descends into dubious territory when he becomes infatuated by one of those potential criminals.
Star Wars: The Acolyte (Disney+)
A former Padawan reunites with her Jedi Master to investigate a series of crimes but discovers the forces they confront are more sinister than they ever anticipated. Going back 100 years before The Phantom Menace, in the days before it became a galaxy of Han Solo and his mates.
Hitler and The Nazis: Evil On Trial (Netflix)
This six-part series is a chronicle of Hitler’s ascent to power, his regime’s use of propaganda, censorship, and anti-Semitic policies, as well as the eventual downfall of the Nazi leadership.
SPORTS CENTRE
The US Open (Sky Sports, from Thursday 13th, 12.30pm)
We’re heading to the Pinehurst Resort, Course No.2 in North Carolina for the 124th edition of the US Open. The 2023 tournament saw a shock win as Wyndham Clark shot a final-round 70 to finish at 10-under-par for the tournament and hold off four-time major champion Rory McIlroy by one shot for his first career U.S. Open and major championship. Rory will be out to make amends this year.