First transatlantic communications cable linked Kerry to Newfoundland
TV WEEK, Wednesday August 7 to Tuesday August 13
Scannal: Own Goals (RTÉ 1, Wednesday 7th, 6.30pm)
Presented and narrated by long-time Scannal reporter Garry Mac Donncha, this programme looks at some of the unsporting moments that gripped and horrified us all over the last 20 years, including the Lansdowne Road riots in 1995; the controversial last-minute goal in the 2010 Leinster Football Final that broke the hearts of Louth supporters: and Thierry Henry’s handball in a World Cup playoff in 2009 that will forever be etched in Irish memories.
Trump vs Harris: The Battle for America (CH4, Wednesday 7th, 9pm)
With just over three months to go until voting day, the USA is has become a political battleground as Donald Trump finds his back to the wall with newcomer kamala Harris. At stake is the future direction of America, and much of the world, including Ireland.
Irvine Welsh’s Crime (ITV, Wednesday 7th, 9pm)
In the second season, Ray Lennox is ready to return to the fray at Edinburgh Serious Crimes, fully recovered from his breakdown induced by bringing Mr Confectioner to justice. But he’s surprised to find that it’s all change with two new faces on the team, and a case about vengeance, identity and social justice.
Best of The Late Late Show (RTÉ 1, Friday 9th, 9.35pm)
A look back at some of the highlights of Patrick Kielty’s first season as host of The Late Late. Clips include Spice Girl Mel B, Bridgerton’s Nicola Coughlan, Irish movie stars Paul Mescal and Andrew Scott and, the king of country Daniel O’Donnell performs a special duet with Patrick.
The Cable that Changed the World (RTÉ 1, Monday 12th, 9.35pm)
Narrated by actor Jessie Buckley, this documentary explores the story of the first transatlantic communications cable to traverse the ocean floor from Valentia Island, County Kerry to Newfoundland, Canada, 165 years ago. It includes historical reconstructions into the eight-year project that successfully connected North America and Europe for the first time and helped lay the foundation of the modern world’s technology industry.
WATCH OF THE WEEK
ABBA: Against the Odds (RTÉ 1,Wednesday 7th, 9.35pm)
The Swedish quartet who changed music are examined in depth, reliving key moments through rare interviews and archive footage. The production team who made the award-winning, Freddie Mercury: The Final Act, tell the inside story of ABBA’s struggle through critical backlash and relationship break-up to become the biggest pop group of the 1970s and beyond.
BEST FILMS
Mud (BBC 2, Thursday 8th, 11.35pm)
While exploring a Mississippi River island, two Arkansas boys Ellis and Neckbone, encounter a fugitive who needs their help. Though Mud killed a man in Texas and has bounty hunters on his trail, he wants to reunite with Juniper, the love of his life. Matthew McConaughey and Reese Witherspoon spar.
Manchester By The Sea (RTÉ 2, Friday 9th, 10.30pm)
After the death of his older brother, Casey Affleck is shocked he’s been made sole guardian of his teenage nephew. Reluctantly returning to the fishing village where his working-class family has lived for generations he is forced to deal with a past that separated him from his wife and the community where he was born and raised.
Children Of Men (BBC 2, Friday 9th, 11.05pm)
When infertility threatens mankind with extinction and the last child born has perished, a disillusioned bureaucrat (Clive Owen) becomes the unlikely champion in the fight for the survival of Earth’s population – protecting the planet’s last remaining pregnant woman.
CLASSIC MOVIE
Da (RTÉ 1, Friday 9th, 10.35pm)
Martin Sheen plays Charlie Tynan, an New York playwright summoned home to his father’s funeral. But he finds his efforts to grieve are thwarted by his curmudgeonly father’s spirit, which forces him to re-examine their relationship through a series of embarrassing and upsetting moments from his youth and early manhood. One of Hugh Leonard’s best stories.
KIDS STUFF
The Inventor (Sky Cinema Premiere, from Sunday)
The insatiably curious and headstrong inventor Leonardo da Vinci leaves Italy to join the French court, where he can experiment freely, inventing flying contraptions, incredible machines, and studying the human body. There, joined in his adventure by the audacious princess Marguerite, Leonardo will uncover the answer to the ultimate question – ‘What is the meaning of it all?’.
Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie (Netflix)
The denizens of Bikini Bottom are thrown into jeopardy when their home is suddenly scooped out of the ocean and held hostage at a Texas laboratory. At the heart of this sea-nister plot is business tycoon Sue Nahmee, who wants to transform the inhabitants of Bikini Bottom into Sea Pals – a mass-manufactured product line of cuddly toys.
ON DEMAND
Women In Blue (Apple TV)
Set in 1970 and inspired by true events, Women in Blue tells the story of four women who defy the ultraconservative norms of the time and join Mexico’s first female police force, only to discover that their squad is a publicity stunt to distract the media from a brutal serial killer. As the body count grows, the quartet’s determination to catch the killer becomes an obsession.
Influenced (Amazon Prime)
Top content creators Achieng Agutu, Eyal Booker, Tefi Pessoa, Taryn Delanie Smith and Cyrus Veyssi dive into some of the buzz topics on social media. They’ll try out some of the hottest trends, share their best life hacks, and talk to some of your favourite celebrities on topics around fashion, holidays, cooking, travel and mental health.
Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa (Netflix)
Born in rural Nepal and disguising herself as a boy to pursue her passion for mountain climbing, Lhakpa became the first Nepali woman to summit and descend Mount Everest. Now a single mother working at a Connecticut Whole Foods, she heads back to Everest once more in the hopes of making a better life for her two daughters.
SPORTS CENTRE
Live EFL (Sky Sports, Friday 9th, 7pm)
If you need a break from the Olympics, in this return to football Blackburn Rovers welcome Derby County to Ewood Park in an early championship encounter. It’s the opening salvo in a football season that’s just around the corner.