TV this week: Champions League heats up and the All Blacks come to town
TV WEEK (Wednesday 6th to Tuesday 12th)
TOP SPECIALS
Lucan (BBC 2, Wednesday 6th, 9pm)
Hampshire builder Neil Berriman discovers he is the son of the nanny murdered by Lucan and starts to investigate - and finds evidence that suggests the aristocrat escaped to Africa. Is a mystery that has baffled police and investigators for fifty years about to be solved?
Shetland (BBC 1, Wednesday 6th, 9pm)
Ashley Jensen and Alison O’Donnell return for a new series of the acclaimed murder-mystery drama. A double missing person’s case blurs the lines between the personal and the professional, as Calder and Tosh are drawn into a labyrinthine investigation when a bloodied person turns up at a remote garage. Nothing can prepare the team for what lies ahead.
Christy Brown: Self Portrait (RTE 1, Wednesday 6th, 9.35pm)
Saoirse Ronan brings Christy Brown's poetry to life in this documentary that re-examines the legacy of the writer and painter. This programme explores the relationships and challenges that shaped his work, featuring contributions from Jim Sheridan, John Banville and artist Mary Duffy. Narrated by Aidan Gillen
David Baddiel - The Not The Trilogy (Sky Arts, Saturday 9th, 10pm)
Performing live at the Royal Court Theatre in London, David Baddiel returns to all three of his stand up shows reviving his deeply personal ‘My Family: Not the Sitcom’ - a disrespectful celebration of the lives of his late mother, Sarah and dementia-ridden father, Colin.
The Money List (RTE 1, Sunday 10th, 6.30pm)
Presented by Baz Ashmawy, two teams of complete strangers are challenged to fill in missing answers on a list. The more lists they complete, the more money they win. The teams play from inside soundproof pods, meaning their opponents can’t hear their game strategy or how many answers they might know.
WATCH OF THE WEEK
The Day Of The Jackal (Sky Atlantic, Thursday 7th, 9pm)
A deadly and highly elusive lone assassin, the Jackal (Eddie Redmayne), makes his living carrying out hits for the highest fee. But following his latest kill, he meets his match in a tenacious British intelligence officer who starts to track down the Jackal in a thrilling cat-and-mouse chase across Europe. A fresh twist on Frederick Forsyth's 1971 classic, the ten-part series also stars Lashana Lynch and Charles Dance.
BEST FILMS
The Holdovers (Sky Cinema Premiere, from Friday)
Acclaimed director Alexander Payne follows a curmudgeonly teacher (Paul Giamatti) at a New England prep school who is forced to remain on campus during Christmas break to babysit the handful of students with nowhere to go. Eventually he forms an unlikely bond with one of them - a damaged, brainy troublemaker.
Notting Hill (RTE 1, Friday 8th, 9.35pm)
Hugh Grant is a London bookstore owner whose humdrum existence is thrown into romantic turmoil when a chance encounter over spilled orange juice leads to a kiss that blossoms into a full-blown affair with a famous American actress, Julia Roberts. As the average bloke and glamorous movie star draw closer together, they struggle to reconcile their radically different lifestyles. A classic rom-com with perfect chemistry on display.
There's Something in the Barn (Sky Cinema Premiere, from Saturday)
Bill moves his American wife Carol and children to Norway where he's inherited a family estate. However the family also inherit a mischievous barn elf from ancient folklore living in the barn who now plots to frighten away the American intruders.
CLASSIC MOVIE
Road To Perdition (ITV, Thursday 7th, 10.45pm)
Tom Hanks and Paul Newman play a serious bad guy enforcer and a powerful Depression-era mobster respectively in a dark gangster movie where the boss’s son, played by Daniel Craig, becomes jealous of their close bond. When a series of violent events impacts the group, hard decisions come home to roost on a journey of revenge and self-discovery.
KIDS STUFF
Na Feile Tine (RTE 1, Monday 11th, 6,30pm)
A four-part series exploring the four indigenous Irish festivals of Samhain, Imbolg, Bealtaine and Lúnasa - which have been celebrated for millennia in Ireland. Each programme will mirror the cyclical nature of the Wheel of the Year. Samhain to welcome the start of Winter, Imbolg to welcome Spring, Bealtaine to celebrate Summer and Lúnasa to herald the Autumn. Contributors include the writers Michael Harding, Patricia Forde and Manchán Magan.
Revolutions that Changed History (Sky History, Tuesday 12th, 9pm)
Though history has long lionised its great leaders and early rulers, being an elite wasn’t all glory and prosperity. Even the fiercest general and the most enduring monarch would be confronted by opposition and upheaval. Some learned the hard way that power is far from absolute, including Wat Tyler’s Rebellion, Boudica’s Revolt and the French Revolution.
ON DEMAND
The Old Man Season 2 (Disney+)
Season two kicks off in similar dramatic fashion with former CIA agent Jeff Bridges and retired FBI Assistant Director John Lithgow setting off on their most important mission to date - to recover a daughter after she is kidnapped by a powerful Afghan tribal leader. The Old Man is based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Thomas Perry.
Midas Man (Amazon Prime)
Brian Epstein was a visionary who transformed music history. From running a Liverpool record store to shaping the sound of a generation as the mastermind behind The Beatles' meteoric rise in a whirlwind of fame, cultural revolution, and personal demons. Pulling aside the curtain on the swinging '60s, it reveals the triumphs, heartbreaks, and secrets of the man whose every touch turned to gold.
Lioness 2 (Paramount+)
The CIA’s Lioness project is an operation where female operatives build relationships with the wives and daughters of high-value terrorist targets to gain intel and thwart future attacks. As the CIA's fight against terror moves closer to home, Zoe Saldaña and Nicole Kidman enlist a new Lioness operative to infiltrate a previously unknown threat - with pressure mounting from all sides.
SPORTS CENTRE
Champions League Live (RTE 2, Wednesday 6th, 7.30pm)
We’re moving into the serious stages now, with the best of European football on view. Live coverage of Inter v Arsenal from San Siro, Milan. Commentary from Des Curran and Ronnie Whelan. KO 8.00pm
Autumn Nations Rugby Series (Virgin Media One, Friday 8th, 7pm)
Ireland are set for a Friday night lights blockbuster against New Zealand. Andy Farrell's side will take on the All Blacks, who beat Ireland in last year’s World Cup quarter-final. Epic is the only word.