All time classic musical is given the Spielberg treatment

TV WEEK: (Wednesday July 31st to Tuesday August 6th)

Top Specials

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon (Sky Max, Thursday 1st, 9pm)

In the third spin-off series of the apocalyptic survival show, Daryl Dixon washes ashore in France, struggling to piece together how he got there and why. The series tracks his journey across a broken but resilient France, setting off a violent chain of events that inadvertently puts a young boy at the heart of a growing religious movement in danger.

Fantasias (Sky Comedy, Thursday 1st, 9pm)

Writer, director, and comedian Julio Torres spins a fantastical six-part tale of when he lost a gold oyster earring. In his search to find the precious object, Julio reflects on the offbeat characters he encounters in introspective, often eerie, and always comedic vignettes set in a dreamy, alternate version of New York City.

Rebel Wife (RTE 1, Thursday 1st, 10.10pm)

This documentary examines the life of Mary Jane O’Donovan Rossa and her contributions to Ireland’s fight for freedom alongside her more famous husband. It covers her controversial marriage at 19, her emergence as a public speaker, and her role as a Republican fundraiser in the US, where she campaigned for Irish independence and highlighted the plight of imprisoned Irish nationalists, including her husband.

Miriam Margolyes: A New Australian Adventure (BBC 2, Friday 2nd, 9pm)

After a heart procedure in London, Miriam Margolyes heads back to Australia on a fun, exciting quest to learn what it takes to grow and adapt to an ever-changing future. In her unique and often hilarious way, she explores the people of Perth, capital of Western Australia, in search of her own identity and looks for lessons from people carving their own paths to success.

The Claremont Murders (More4, Friday 2nd, 9pm)

Three young women disappeared over the course of a year after nights out partying in the Claremont suburb of Perth, Australia, forcing the police to form Taskforce Macro to investigate a possible serial killer. The killings set off the biggest unsolved murder case in Western Australia’s history.

Watch of the Week

Atomic Peoples (BBC 2, Wednesday 31st, 9pm)

The decision to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 was one of the most momentous and destructive in world history. Nearly eighty years later, this unique film gathers the testimony of some of the last ‘Hibakusha’ - survivors of the two atomic bombs with an average age of 85 – before their voices are lost forever.

Best Films

Elizabeth: The Golden Age (BBC 2, Wednesday 31st, 11.05pm)

Queen Elizabeth I (Cate Blanchett) faces threats to her rule from abroad and at home, especially from Mary Stuart’s political attacks and Spain's King Philip II dispatching his armada. Resisting her love for the charismatic seafarer Sir Walter Raleigh (Clive Owen), she devotes her life to the crown.

The Theory Of Everything (BBC 2, Thursday 1st, 11.35pm)

Cambridge University student and future physicist Stephen Hawking (Eddie Redmayne) falls in love with fellow collegian Jane Wilde (Felicity Jones). Despite having motor neuron disease, he begins an ambitious study of time, breaking new ground in the fields of medicine and science.

Official Secrets (BBC 2, Friday 2nd, 11.05pm)

In the lead up to the Iraq War, British intelligence specialist Katharine Gun discovers that the United States is enlisting Britain's help in collecting compromising information on U.N. Security Council members to blackmail them into voting in favour of an invasion. Unable to stand by and watch the world be rushed into war, Gun defies her government and leaks the memo to the press.

Classic Movie

West Side Story (RTE 1, Friday 2nd, 9.35pm)

Steven Spielberg takes on the classic dance drama, giving it a modern polish. It’s love at first sight when Tony spots Maria at a high school dance in 1957 New York City. But their burgeoning romance only helps to further fuel the fire between the warring Jets and Sharks - two rival gangs vying for control of the streets.

Kids Stuff

The Flintstones: Viva Rock Vegas (Sky Cinema Family, Wednesday 31st, 7.25pm)

Fred Flintstone, the boy from the wrong side of the rocks, courts the beautiful young heiress Wilma Slaghoople. Along with best friend Barney Rubble and his future fiancée Betty, Fred and Wilma head off for a romantic weekend in Rock Vegas, the hottest rock resort on the continent.

Trolls: Band Together (Sky Cinema Premiere, from Friday)

Now officially a couple, Poppy discovers that Branch was once part of her favourite boyband phenomenon, BroZone. When his brother and former bandmate Floyd is kidnapped, Branch and Poppy must reunite the other brothers and rescue Floyd from a fate even worse than pop-culture obscurity.

On Demand

Unstable (Netflix)

Created by Rob Lowe and his son John Owen, Unstable follows eccentric entrepreneur Ellis as he reconnects with his estranged son, who moves back home to help pull his father out of an emotional freefall. Season two continues from the previous ending where a technological breakthrough saw Ellis narrowly avoid losing his company.

My Spy: The Eternal City (Amazon Prime)

Back by popular demand, My Spy's dynamic duo, veteran CIA operative JJ (Dave Bautista) and his 14-year-old stepdaughter and protégé Sophie (Chloe Coleman), reunite to save the world when a high school choir tour of Italy is interrupted by a nuclear plot targeting the Vatican.

Time Bandits (Apple TV)

Based on the 1981 film directed and written by Monty Python’s Terry Gilliam and Michael Palin, this adapted series follows a ragtag band of time-travelling thieves, including former Friends star Lisa Kudrow as Penelope. The gang join forces with their newest recruit – an 11-year-old history buff named Kevin – on a journey through time to save the boy’s parents from evil forces.

Mafia Spies (Paramount+)

American spies, Mafia gangsters, and glamorous mistresses make for a unique conspiracy between the CIA and the Chicago mob to assassinate Fidel Castro at a critical time in the Cold War when the USA decided there was no living with nuclear missiles just 90 miles from American soil. What followed was a game of cat and mouse from Vegas to Miami to Havana that even Hollywood couldn’t dream up.

Sports Centre

Racing From Galway (RTE 1, all week, 4.40pm)

With the Olympics dominating practically all the sports coverage over the next few weeks, join the old favourites at Ballybrit racecourse for racing, style, gossip and craic in the company of another Irish sporting institution that never goes out of fashion.